Chili & Peppers – Peppers & Chili

The 7th annual Hot Pepper Eating Contest is here!

This Sunday, October 3rd, A Thyme to Cook hosts the annual Hot Pepper Eating Contest. Kicking it off is the the Chili Contest! Each year we have grand flavors of various chili recipes to taste and vote on for "Hottest" and "Best Overall." Bill, Julie, Brian and Dan have won the chili contest and this year I am once again attempting to get the prize.

I have already started my chili with a bunch of fresh garden love. Each day or two I add in more and more tomatoes and peppers from my garden. It’s a lot of fun and it introduces the Hot Pepper Eating Contest……

Let the games begin... We’ve had as many as 15 participate in selecting and eating hot peppers from mild to down right fire blazing until the contest is over and the last one standing is not sucking on a baby bottle of milk.

Our A Thyme to Cook Gang looks forward to seeing everyone again!

Lori Post, Client Relations

Working for a caterer is like nothing else. It’s fast paced, exciting and can be a little crazy, especially during wedding season!

As the office manager, I don’t plan or attend the events, but I still have contact with the clients if they have questions and I’m right in the hub of the action! How cool is that??? (Pretty cool!) But occasionally, I’d like to actually attend a wedding and see how it all comes together. Trust me, I’ve probably been to over 50 weddings in my time, but because I’m getting to be of a “certain age”, pretty much all my friends have passed the marriage stage and are on to children, so my wedding prospects have just about dried up.

Finally, finally, someone decided to get hitched and my husband and I were invited! I couldn’t wait to see how the bride’s vision came to life! What were her colors? How many attendants? Favors or no favors? DJ or Band? Sooo many choices!! (Can you tell I like weddings??)

It was a tented affair, held at the home of the groom’s grandparents, with views of his grandmother’s beautiful flower gardens. The couple walked barefoot down an aisle of sand and released butterflies after they said their vows. The color scheme of purple, orange and white was reflected in the linen, paper lanterns and the flowers and everyone looked gorgeous! Good food, good spirits and good friends (with some dancing thrown in) all make for a great evening!



Sadly, there are no more on the horizon, but I guess this was enough to satisfy my wedding craving for now. I’ll just have to wait for our own Emily to get married next summer. Only 295 days left!!! (….not that I’m counting!)

Emily's Bridal Blog

Next July, our own Emily will be getting married. Needless to say, the office is a-buzz with ideas for her and her fiance, Brian. Over the next year, we thought it would be fun to follow her planning and experiences from her bridal point-of-view. Here is the first installment of Emily's bridal blog....

Weddings, weddings, and more weddings! Working for A Thyme to Cook for the past nine years (both in the office and at events) has allowed me to see tons of weddings! It seems as if they are second nature to me! However, there is one wedding next July that will be unlike any other… because this time, I’ll be the bride!
Over the course of the next year, my fiancée and I get to make exciting decisions like picking out colors, rings, food, dresses, music, flowers…the list goes on! We thought we would share details of the planning process as our thoughts and ideas emerge.
One of our first decisions on our long list was choosing a photographer (of course, that was after I had an exhaustive search for a caterer….just kidding) We decided on Tim Brown, owner of TAB Photographic– a very enthusiastic photographer. We just had our engagement shoot this past month because we couldn’t wait to work with him! Although it felt awkward at first (trying to have an intimate moment while someone is watching you!), he made us feel extremely comfortable. In fact, at the end, I really didn’t mind the celebrity status! Here are some highlights from our shoot…

contact TAB Photographic tim@tabphotographic.com

From our Chef.....

Having recently returned from the CaterArts symposium in Louisville, Kentucky, I have had some time to reflect on my experiences there. I was most amazed at how fellow culinarians can truly pull together. There was a very diverse group of chefs at the conference from all areas of catering from many different places in the United States and abroad. The one thing that stands out from my experience was how my fellow chefs “step up to the plate” and help one another. Helping to prep or plate one another’s food or being thrown together with a "mystery basket" and preparing multiple items in an hour. The creativity and teamwork shown was an example to chefs everywhere.

With interesting new ideas all around me, I enjoyed lots of great food and experiences to keep my passion for food fueled. I enjoyed touring a sustainable farm that not only produces vegetables, but beef as well. My waistline is still trying to return to normal! Cocktail parties, gala dinners, regional cuisine, decadent desserts...Wow. Think sour cream ice cream, crispy fried shrimp Diablo, pork belly corn dogs, a coconut tropical fruit verine, empanadas, croquettes ahhh the list goes on and on.

But alas as much as I like to travel and experience what the culinary world has to offer it’s good to be back where I am truly happiest. In the kitchen.

Staff Feature: Lori Post, Client Relations

This past June, I celebrated nine years with my A Thyme to Cook family. Working within a “boutique” catering company, family is the only word that I can come up with that truly describes how close we all have become. It’s a joy participating with the Event Coordinators planning their menus and events. At times I even join the party staff and work in the kitchen or as a bartender or server. Participating in this capacity has definitely given me fantastic insight about the “nuts and bolts” of executing an event. It’s a lot of hard – “go, go, go” work….but I wouldn’t give it up for anything. I enjoy wearing all of the hats that I do.

Prior to entering into the catering business, I enjoyed years in the great big world of retail. Although retail has become a tiny part of my life, it set the stage for the social interaction here at A Thyme to Cook.

Some stuff that makes me happy: Being a “mother” of three cats - Chester, Nicholas and Jack keep me very busy. Summer solstice begins the season when I can play in my amazing vegetable garden. Tulips are my favorite flower, bike riding for miles and miles is my go to exercise, the ocean and cooking brings peace and my continuing love- hate relationship with bowling!

caterArts is only a few weeks away!

The team is off to Sullivan University in Luoisville Kentucky again this year for CaterArts, a conference produced by the International Caterers Association (ICA).....a unique learning journey with top chefs from across the country. From August 8 to 11 they'll be attending classes taught by the best in the business.

Our own Executive Chef Shawn Bittman kicks off the week leading a morning session "Breakfast and Learn! Rise and Shine to Breakfast Profits." With hands-on demonstrations, farm to table dinners, Lunch and Learn sessions and Special Presentations, this year is even bigger and better!

Check out more information and registration info HERE.

Staff Feature: Dave Thomas, Event Coordinator

I constantly give myself the license to explore a new path and indulge in something different. Go ahead - Be Creative.

I have over 12 years experience as Marketing and Communications Services Manager for a product design firm in New York City and then returning to Southeastern Connecticut to operate my own retail, floral and event planning business. My past experiences have proven beneficial as well as a natural progression to the world of event planning and catering with A Thyme to Cook. I am dedicated to assisting our clients with an unwavering commitment throughout the process. In addition, I pride myself on being detail-oriented in coordinating all of your wedding or special event needs. My creative eye is another asset to our clients, enabling me to expertly assist in the creative set up of each function.

In my spare time, I enjoy volunteering for various local causes, antiquing, gardening (my serenity), and spending time with my family and friends.