MMMmmmm….nothing says sweet springtime has arrived like some good ol’ fashioned strawberry picking! These plump and tasty berries are abundant right about now, so we thought we’d give you a quick list of some places in the Triangle where you can pick ‘em yourself. Be sure to give the location you are interested in a call for their correct hours of operation and their produce offerings:

Buckwheat Farm 2700 Holland Rd., Apex, NC 27502 www.Buckwheatfarm.com 919-303-0339
DJ’s Berry Patch 1223 Salem Church Rd., Apex, NC 27523 www.djsberrypatch.com919-600-4020
Jean’s Berry Patch 3003 NC Hwy 751, Apex, NC www.jeansberrypatch.com 919-362-5800
Porter Farms & Nursery (Willow Springs location and Raleigh location)
–3525 NC Highway 42, Willow Spring, NC 27592 www.porterfarmsandnursery.com 919-567-0504
–7615 Ten-Ten Rd., Raleigh, NC 27603 www.porterfarmsandnursery.com 919-442-7920
Page Farms 6100 Mt. Herman Rd., Raleigh, NC 27617 www.pagefarmsraleigh.com 919-596-3227
Pope’s Strawberries of Raleigh 1305 Fayetteville St., Knightdale, NC 27545919-266-3767
D & L Farms Inc. 3020 Hwy 54 West, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 www.ncagr.com/dlfarmsinc 919-929-4909
Double R Cattle Services Inc. 701 Ollie’s LaneHillsborough, NC 27278 www.doublercattleservices.com
919-949-8157

And once you’ve picked the juicy beauties, why not add them as a garnish atop a homemade cheesecake? Here’s all you need to do:

New York Cheesecake

Filling
15-8oz pkg. creamcheese softened
5 1/4 cups sugar
9 tbsp. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
15 large eggs
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup heavy cream

Combine and pour into 3 spring form pans prepared with crust
Bake @ 450 for 10 minutes
Lower temp to 175 for 1 hour
Turn oven off and open doors and let cool in oven for half hour
Remove from oven

Enjoy!

Recipe provided by Greg Lewis at Catering By Design

Catering By Design is a full service catering company located at 132 Kilmayne Drive in Cary, NC servicing culinary cravings throughout the Triangle.

Visit www.catering-by-design for more details regarding services, or call 919.481.2366 to schedule a complimentary consultation.

Springtime means strawberry time! Couple some freshly picked NC berries with this NY Cheesecake recipe by Chef Greg Lewis at Catering By Design in Cary, NC.

May is Kentucky Derby month. Will you be gathering friends and family for a Kentucky Derby party?

One of our customers has a Kentucky Derby party every year.

Kentucky Derby Party Catering Menu

Imported and Domestic Cheese Table to include
Cheddar, Herb and Pepper Crusted Montrachet, Swiss
French Brie, Pepper Jack Cheeses
Assorted Crackers and Mustards

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Baked Chicken Bites with Kentucky Farm Honey Sauce

Marinated Grilled Shrimp with Green Onion, Garlic BBQ

Rosemary Roasted Filet Mignon with Henry Bain Sauce

Horseradish and Balsamic Onion Marmalade

Assorted Rolls

Assorted Finger Sandwiches
Chicken Salad, Smoked Turkey & Provolone

Mini Cucumber Sandwiches
Benedictine Spread on Pumpernickel Bread

Dessert Menu

Pecan Squares

Crème d Mint Mousse

Assorted Chocolate Bites

Lemon Squares

You’re planning your wedding, something you and your fiance have been dreaming about for years, and you realize that you’ve got several relatives who are diabetic, a couple who have high blood pressure and are avoiding salt, and your sister and her family don’t eat any animal products at all. That’s not counting you who are allergic to gluten.

Meals are relatively easy. Your caterer, Catering-by-Design Raleigh in our case, could make creative arrangements to accommodate the salt free meals, and the sugar free meals, the gluten free and the vegan meals.

—-

We’re Catering by Design and we’re a full service catering company in the Raleigh area of North Carolina. Whatever you’re planning we can make it happen. 919-481-2366

Before you sign on the dotted line for a caterer’s services, be sure you understand these points:

• Budget. Know your budget and an approximate headcount. Make sure the caterer’s all in cost fits in with your budget. Ask if there are any other fees.
• Requests. Make a list of everything you want. Make sure you’re comfortable with anything they can’t provide.
• Pre-Approved Caterers for Venues. Check with your intended venue whether or not they have a pre-approved list of caterers, if they do, you may have to choose from that list.
• Full Service Catering. Consider whether you want the caterer to coordinate the whole set-up, or just deliver the food, or something in between.
• Understand the Rules and Policies. Look at the website and learn about the caterer’s specialties, services,
  menus, policies and pictures.
• Licensing and Insurance. Find out if the caterer is licensed and insured.
• References. Ask for references and call them.
• Full Service Catering. Determine if the caterer can handle everything you want. Coordinating with more service providers can add to your stress.
• Understand Payment Due Dates, and any Additional Fees. Check out the contract, the amount for a deposit, the cancellation fees
  and related dates.
• Be Sure before you Sign. Make sure you feel confident about your choice before signing the contract.

Chef Greg Lewis says: “You should have a good working relationship with the caterer you choose and they should be flexible enough to give you what you want, not what they want: you are paying them.”

Before hiring a business we all look for recommendations and information from our friends, and now, online too.

If you would like to talk to one of our customers about what it’s like working with us, call us and ask, and we’ll give you references you can call.

And, take a look here on these sites.

The Wedding Channel (The Knot) Wedding Catering Reviews

Wedding Wire Wedding Catering Reviews of Raleigh’s Catering by Design

Facebook Recommendations of Catering by Design

More Facebook Reviews

“I would recommend Catering by Design and Greg Lewis without reservation.”

“We love working with Greg [Lewis] because he’s passionate about serving customers and cares enormously that we’re thrilled each and every time we work together.”

“I wanted to let you know that the lunch yesterday was awesome… we got a lot of positive feedback (as usual). Your staff was very helpful and gracious.”

“We received so many compliments from our guests on the food, the service, the atmosphere – everything.”

Google Places Reviews for Catering by Design

(When you read a critical review, feel free to ask us about it. Sometimes reviews are done by people who haven’t done business with us, just because they can.)

Raleigh NC's Catering by Design Wins Best Caterer Award for 2012