Marcia Selden Catering wowed guests from an open kitchen at a 50th anniversary party evoking Parisian glamour
By Sara Perez Webber
CATERER: Marcia Selden Catering & Events
• marciaselden.com
EVENT PLANNER:
Anthony Taccetta Event Design
• anthonytaccetta.com
EVENT DETAILS: Last July, Marcia Selden Catering & Events, based in Stamford, Conn., helped bring Paris to the Hamptons for an extravagant 50th anniversary party. The 200-guest event at a private home in East Hampton, N.Y., celebrated the hosts’ love for each other and for the City of Light.
HIGHLIGHTS: Underneath a tent designed by Stamford Tent (stamfordtent.com) to mimic the Eiffel Tower, chefs from Marcia Selden Catering—outfitted in classic French chefs’ coats and tall toques—prepared the cuisine in a pristine kitchen built from scratch for the event. “Our clients were wowed and said that it was like watching a Chef’s Table show on Netflix unfold!” said Robin Selden, managing partner and executive chef. “The open kitchen resembling a fine Parisian restaurant was literally a glowing focal point. Everything was brand-new, from the ovens to the proofers and refrigerators to the uniforms. It really was like a beautiful performance!”
The menu included such passed hors d’oeuvres as croque monsieur bites, salted caramel macarons with crispy leeks and brie, bistro grilled shrimp with tarragon aioli, truffle seared sea scallops and foie gras pâté on brioche toasts with lingonberry, followed by an amuse bouche of chilled tarragon pea soup as guests were seated. After an appetizer of smoked salmon carpaccio with Sevruga caviar, guests were served an entrée choice of sliced chateaubriand with wild mushroom Perigourdine sauce or herb-roasted Chilean sea bass with citrus beurre blanc. Cristal champagne accompanied the plated dessert—floating islands with crème Anglaise and wild berries.
THE BEST-LAID PLANS: Asked by the client to take the open kitchen “to the next level,” the Marcia Selden team purchased $4,000 worth of sparkling pots, pans and kitchen tools to have on hand as props. When they arrived, the client “loved them so much that she asked us to hang them from the ceiling of the tent,” said Robin. Although the three hours spent hanging the kitchenware wasn’t budgeted in the timeline, the effort “made quite an impact in the overall look of the open kitchen,” notes Robin.
