BLACKBARN Catering is Fit for a King: how to plan the perfect event

One of the things we’re most proud to offer our guests is our catering and event services. After spending nearly a quarter century catering every event that passed through the Waldorf Astoria, our own Chef John Doherty can bring that same magic to your event wherever you are in New York.

Exciting and nourishing food is the heart of every great occasion, but flawless presentation and warm, engaging service is what makes an event unforgettable. That’s why we entrust our catering service with our longstanding partner Mario Rivera of MR Hospitality who has ensured that the food and the ambiance are always telling the proper story, no matter the venue.

When it came time to close out TechsyTalk LIVE, a top event for event planners, we were thrilled to create a memorable afterparty at The Mezzanine in Financial District, NY produced and designed by MR Hospitality and catered by BLACKBARN.

To give a bit of background, TechsyTalk is an online platform that exists to bridge the gap between event technology and event planners. They help professionals incorporate more engaging technology into the events that they throw, and we’re all benefitting from that! We’re looking forward to their next phase, Ignite – a platform for planners by planners.

Chef John Doherty extends his local, fresh, and seasonal approach beyond BLACKBARN’s walls, developing creative and customized menus. His food philosophy is translated perfectly with the magic touch of Mario Rivera, who has produced events with John Doherty for some of the most discerning guests in the world. The teams work in tandem to create elegant celebrations and each has a distinct point of view and captures a moment in time. The warmth and refinement is carried from the kitchen to table, from greeting to goodnight.

In the spirit of helping one another out, we asked our event planning experts Alicia Velletri, Director of Events, and Mario Rivera to each share their top 3 essential event planning tips:

3 tips you wish you knew before committing to your event from Alicia Velletri, Director of Events at BLACKBARN:

1. Communicate your vision of what kind of experience you are looking for. We are working with a team of talented professionals who love to customize any event to make it special and unique to you and your guests.
2. Letting us know dietary preferences from our menus and budget will allow us to work with you to customize a package that you’ll be happy to sign off on.
3. Go for the beverage packages. Doing so will give you the comfort of knowing exactly how much your event will cost so that there are no surprises at the end.

3 tips you wish you knew before committing to your event from Mario Rivera, founder of MR Hospitality:

1. Focus on what matters most. Each event is unique in its own way and we treat each celebration as such at MR Hospitality. Tell us about your brand (corporate events) or the honoree (social events) and how we can create a personalized event experience for the occasion. Special events are multi-faceted and as event planners one of our goals is to create a cohesive experience for you and your guests.
2. The perfect setting. Along with having a clear understanding of your vision comes finding the right venue/event space to set the stage for your celebration. To help our clients sort through hundreds of curated locations, we’ve put together a collection of modern and rustic event spaces that offer the perfect canvas to create those memorable and unique experiences.
3. It’s all in the details. A custom table setting or a personalized souvenir, nothing says “thank you for being here” like doing that little extra gesture for your guests. It doesn’t have to be expensive or extravagant as much as thoughtful and evoking of the occasion.

Personalize your experience with all the right details and allow our family to take care of yours! Inquire about BLACKBARN Catering here.