One Year Later ... Looking Ahead

March 2021

Cheat A Little Catering eNews & Updates

Dear Friend,

Can you believe it’s been a year since we’ve all been dealing with a pandemic? But, here we are … COVID-19, one year later.

Reflecting on this past year…

Our eNews updates in March 2020 included our immediate response to the early recommendations for health and safety, and implementation of even more stringent processes and procedures, and significant changes and workflow revisions within our organization.

As things progressed and the health crisis increased, we moved swiftly to mitigate losses, streamline our operations and to create the right environment to keep our staff safe, and to continue to provide our best product offerings and service to our loyal clientele. Our hearts go out to all those who have lost loved ones due to this horrible virus.

We’ve experienced many successes this past year, while a number of our friends and colleagues in the catering, food and beverage, and event rentals business have sadly had to close operations.

We’re still here for you!

We were able to promote our “drop-off/delivery only” service, expand on our weekly menu options, continue to provide our popular “delivery and setup” service, which includes timed delivery of food and presented in our chafing dishes, on our platters, bowls, baskets and serving utensils, with food risers for a nice presentation. And of course, providing our full-service catering option with our friendly, expert staff remaining onsite to serve our clients and guests. All with our genuinely positive, service-oriented approach, while maintaining necessary safety protocols.

With vaccines on the rise and news that San Mateo County is now moving forward to the less-restrictive tiers, we have been receiving numerous inquiries for the coming months, most of which are requesting full-service. We are thrilled to be chatting with so many of our wonderful past clientele, as well as making friends from new inquiries and soon-to-be clients.

The summer months will be busy, and the third and fourth quarters are really filling up, with the months of September and October near fully booked, and December inquiries starting to come in for holiday parties.

People are anxious to get together … and we’re anxious to cater for you! Please, feel free to reach out and let us know how we can best serve you.

Looking forward,

Brian

SPECIAL THEMED MENUS

“Laugher is brighter where food is best.” Irish Proverb

We have our special St. Patty’s Day menus, still available for this week’s events for all our “lucky” clients. We’re happy to make adjustments to fit your needs and preferences, and extend these menus through March.

EASTER

Our Easter Menu is sure to please family and friends.

We have our traditional Brunch Menu, as well as our Dinner Menu, available for Good Friday and Easter Sunday, or any date within the first weeks of April.

BAR / BAT MITZVAH MENU

We’ve long catered many Bar and Bat Mitzvah’s over the years, primarily full-service Kiddush Lunch, from basic to brimming, and of course the evening PARTY.

Due to recent requests for an easy “grab-n-go” option for those celebrations with minimal attendance, we also offer a delicious boxed sandwich lunch option.

Important celebrations in the month of May, including Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day, we will be featuring these special menus in our April eNews. Stay connected!

CHECK OUT OUR CURRENT THEMED MENUS ... Special Promotion Menus

RECENT

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Sharing a few of the highlights from some of our recent catered events. Thank you to all who chose to "Cheat A Little!" We're so proud to be part of your special occasions, and appreciate your trust and friendship.

60th Birthday Plated Dinner

Table Scape

Mojito Shrimp Skewers

~ Passed Hors d'oeuvres ~

Pork Tenderloin

Apple-Raisin-Pine Nut Salsa

Dinner Delivery

Asian Station

Cocktail Meatballs, Veggie Spring Rolls

Chinese Chicken Salad "To Go"

ANNUAL FLAVOR FORECAST

The McCormick Flavor Solution’s Forecast was recently released, marking the 20^th anniversary of the annual forecast.

Each year McCormick’s team of food scientists, culinary experts and flavor experts partner with culinary trendsetters and chefs to create the forecast. This year focused on four themes: sweet and seasonal satisfaction, spicy revolution, global finds, and empowered eating and drinking. Several flavors, including pumpkin pie spice, chamoy and turmeric, were again mentioned this year after appearing in previous forecasts.

Sweet and Seasonal Satisfaction will bring more blurred boundaries and the fusion of sweet with flavors ranging from heat to savory. Impacted applications could be desserts, baked foods, cereals and beverages. Combinations could be smoked cinnamon and cardamom, pumpkin pie spice and coconut milk, and ancho chili pepper and hibiscus.

The Spicy Revolution theme could bring growth to multi-dimensional heat trends like chilies obsession, heat plus tang and sweet on pepper. Expect creative pairings of heat to appear in cocktails, baked foods and marinades. Chamoy sauce, made from pickled fruit, lime, spice and chilies, from Mexico and sambal sauce from Southeast Asia could combine to offer heat plus tang. Sweet ingredients like syrups and exotic fruit could temper pepper’s bite.

Demand for Global Flavors will spark the third trend. Stuck at home and facing travel restrictions that are unpredictable, people will seek both global dishes in traditional form and more approachable fusions of flavor. One example is dukkah, which is a mix of toasted nuts and seeds from North Africa that may be salty, sweet or spicy; and pairs well with olive-oil dipped pita bread, vegetables and meat.

Empowered Eating and Drinking refers to how people do not need to compromise on flavor when meeting nutritional needs. Ingredients like matcha, chia seeds, turmeric and flaxseed may bring versatility to meals, drinks and snacks. Vegetables like mushrooms, tomatoes and sweet potatoes are appearing more often in snacks, desserts, beverages and dips. Pigeon peas, cranberry beans and black beluga lentils also are part of this theme.

Source: McCormick & Co.

To complete your Event Request Form, click to our website... Request Our Services

RECIPE

"VEGETABLE COCONUT CURRY"

This is a healthy vegetable recipe that is packed with flavor from the spice profile! There are quite a few ingredients, but don’t let that discourage you, as it’s mostly the spices… and you might have many of these on hand. Pull together the remaining ingredients and feel free to mix it up with different vegetables to suit your own tastes. Enjoy!

Ingredients

· 1 tablespoon coconut oil

· 1 cup chopped yellow onion

· 2 garlic cloves, minced

· ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

· ½ teaspoon cumin

· ¼ teaspoon coriander

· ¼ teaspoon turmeric

· ¼ teaspoon cardamom

· 1 teaspoon sea salt

· 2 cups cubed butternut squash

· 3 red Thai chilies, or 1 serrano, or ½ jalapeño, thinly sliced

· 2 cups cauliflower florets

· 1 can full-fat coconut milk

· 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

· 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

· 4 cups fresh spinach

· ½ cup fresh or frozen peas

· Freshly ground black pepper

For serving

· 2 cups cooked basmati rice

· a few big handfuls of fresh basil or cilantro

· Naan bread, optional

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and well-browned, about 10 minutes, reducing the heat to low halfway through.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.

3. Add the butternut squash and chilies to the pot, stir, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower and then add the coconut milk and the spice mixture. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

4. Add the lemon juice, lime juice, spinach, peas, and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding additional lime juice, salt, and pepper, as desired.

5. Serve the curry over the rice with fresh basil, naan bread, if desired, and lime wedges on the side.

CLIENT REFERRAL

DISCOUNT

We value our long-time clientele, and are looking to expand our base of clients this year. Cheat A Little Catering is offering a Recommendation Bonus to our existing clients. If you refer a new Client to us which results in a completed catered reservation, we will provide a 10-15% discount off the menu portion of your next catered event. Minimal restrictions apply. Ask us about this Client Referral Discount during your next event consultation. We look forward to serving the catering needs of all our current clients, as well as your new referral recommendations. Thank you in advance for your support!

DROP-OFF MENUS

DELIVERY & SETUP SERVICES

IN-HOME & IN-OFFICE

BOXED BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER

HYBRID & FULL SERVICE

MICRO WEDDINGS

MICRO EVENTS

Visit our website for more information:

www.cheatalittle.com

COVID-19 - CORONAVIRUS

PROTOCOL

Cheat A Little Catering maintains strict adherence to all food safety regulations for cleanliness and food preparation, as mandated by the San Mateo County Health Department. Our "Social Distancing" Protocol includes: employees are prohibited from working if they are experiencing any illness; those working maintain six-foot distance and ensure no physical contact, and work alone on different shifts whenever possible; facility is cleaned and sanitized at the beginning of work times, in between stages of food preparation, and at the end of work times; high-contact surfaces are disinfected frequently; non-employees are not permitted at our place of business; we require contactless payment system.