For the past three years, other than the Groundhog Day, one of my favorites signs of Spring is the publishing of Spice of Life Catering’s Plated Landscape calendar. There are two reasons for this. First – it is an amazing dining experience on a northeast Ohio farm. The past two years, I have made this into a date night out for my wife and I. Second – they are an amazing group of people to work with. Ben and his crew just get “it”. They do it with passion. They do it because they love it. They do it because they probably don’t know how to do anything else. And it’s not just these dinners. It’s in the way they run all aspects of the business. Honestly, I admire it. I hope my clients see the same attitude in LoC.
Typically, I show up on a warm summer evening, grab a cocktail and go all photojournalistic on the evening. I shoot the team doing prep work in their pop-up kitchen, follow the meals being plated, capture the good times the guests are having – you get the idea. This night had the potential to not be like that at all. Although, it also had the potential to be awesome X1000. You see, on my way down to Peninsula from Cleveland it started to rain. A lot. I had the top down in my Jeep, was stuck in traffic and running late. Radar seemed to indicate that I was on the edge of the storm and it would be gone soon. By the time I reached Brunty Farms things were looking up. The rain had stopped. The sun was peeking out here and there and I quickly had a cold drink in my hand.
Then it got cloudy. Then it rained. A 10% chance turned on us. The passing thunderstorm just wouldn’t pass. Should have bought a lotto ticket. Plan B quickly took shape and the outside dining location was moved into an under construction greenhouse. I have to give it to Ben and his team. They never flinched. The group moved things and had dinner setup and ready to go pretty darn quick. I have to give it to the guest too. They were so understanding and willing to laugh it off as just part of the experience. It was awesome X1000. The dinner lived up to expectations. A fantastic meal based around all the offerings Brunty Farms deliver to the customers – chicken, eggs, lamb, and pork. All paired up with some great wines.
I have to admit, I was a little bummed to see the night end. This is the second time I got to eat a Plated Landscape meal this year and it was also my last until next summer. Don’t worry, I’ll get my fix down at Spice Kitchen+Bar!
Thanks Karen!