100 Ideas: Catering

45 Cheers!
For simple savings, make your first toast with champagne and then switch to a sparkling wine, like a Spanish cava (a bubbly and less expensive alternative to champagne) for subsequent toasts. The Wine Market, 720 Main St., Mendota Heights, 651-452-9463; 755 Bielenberg Dr., Woodbury, 651-730-9463

46 A Smash
Create a unique culinary experience for your guests, and serve side dishes with a creative flair. Even a conventional side such as mashed potatoes can be a masterpiece when topped with cheese and chives and presented in a martini glass.

47 Serve It on a Stick
Spice up appetizers by serving them on skewers or as kebabs to keep your guests’ fingers food-free.

48 “Shabby Chic” Eats

Photo by Angela Schroeder

The Girls: Heidi Andermack [left] and Amy Lynn Brown have been “foodies” for most of their lives. It wasn’t until the two met in 2003 and connected on both a personal and professional level (both have backgrounds in event planning) that their passion for eating and entertaining became a business opportunity.

The Idea: Chowgirls Killer Catering opened its doors in 2004 and catered about thirty events for friends in the arts community. The combination of local and organic food, a flexible catering menu, and attention to detail quickly made Chowgirls a go-to caterer for everything from art gallery openings to business events to weddings—they now have more than 1,300 clients in their database.

The Dish: Though the girls can whip up just about anything—from plated four-course meals to swanky passed hors d’oeuvres—they’re masters of the “shabby chic” wedding. “When people call and say they’re looking for elegant barbecue food—that’s us,” says Brown.

In August, the girls opened a new kitchen adjacent to the Frank Stone Gallery in Northeast Minneapolis. The new digs have space for tastings and the personal touches they say set them apart from others in the field.

“We’ll take a family recipe and adapt it,” says Andermack. “[We’ll] custom-make menus. You don’t have to stick with what’s on our list.”

The girls also have a cookbook in the works to share their tasty recipes—including their signature party food such as mini-mojito pies—with the public. Chowgirls Killer Catering, 1222 NE 2nd St., Mpls., 612-203-0786