Brian Beal Moore Catering serves not only Washington, DC, but also areas in suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia that surround it. Our production facility is located in Rockville, Maryland, the county seat of Montgomery County. We celebrated moving in, one year ago, on August 16th. We have great access to the interstate highways and can be anywhere rather quickly.
We have reached out to our neighbors and have established partnerships with many terrific vendors and venues. On Sunday, we were invited to participate in an open house for VisArts, a non-profit arts organization, that provides artists with studio and exhibition space. Now thirty years old, the VisArts mission is to enrich Montgomery County with a rich variety of Visual Arts in all mediums, attracting over 30,000 visitors and program participants a year to their 25,000 square foot home.
It is a series of stunning spaces, with light filled studios, large windowed gallery spaces, and a roof deck that enjoys the view of the Town Square and the varied architecture that surrounds it.
We set up a display in the Buchanan Room, an open space that faces the Town Square, and serves as the main function room. They host everything from photo-shoots, workshops, and lectures, to private functions. On Sunday the guest list was focused on those looking to have their wedding receptions there
Our second floor space had a beautiful floor to ceiling backdrop of leafy green trees and dappled sunshine over the Town Square and its frolicking fountains. On a teal velvet-clad sideboard, we served a delightful Chilled English Cucumber Soup, kept in a decanter on ice, in little glass vessels on a handsome silver gallery tray. It was a tremendous hit! The soup is packed with clean healthy flavors, and it is deliciously refreshing! It is uncooked, and very vegetarian friendly.
In front of this a small table was set for two with rose velvet, pale pink peonies, an eclectic assortment of china including a bold modern graphic, Sèvres, and antique Paul Muller soup bowls from Bavaria. Sparkling Riedel crystal shimmered alongside vintage 1920’s champagne coupes enhanced by candlelight emanating from votives placed in million-year-old geodes. Minimalist gold Calvin Klein flatware, in a matte finish echoed perfectly the embellishments on the china as well as the gold chairs, which are the same as the ballroom chairs historically used at The White House.
The effect was sublime, understated, and very luxe. Given the clean lined contemporary architecture, it softened the space.
We enjoyed introducing ourselves to many people who were impressed not only with the Cucumber Soup (some asking for seconds!) but our visual aesthetic. It was not glitzy, it was not over-the-top, and it had restrained aspects of both masculine and feminine.
We want to thank VisArts <www.visartscenter.org> for the kind invitation to participate, and Party Rental, Ltd., for their incredible partnerships in helping us grow.
Chilled English Cucumber Soup
Prep Time: 25 minutes, Chilling Time: Overnight, Yield: 5 Cups
Ingredients
2 large English cucumbers (2 ¼ pounds), halved and seeded — ½ cup finely diced, the rest coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small shallot
1 garlic clove
⅓ cup loosely packed dill
¼ cup loosely packed flat leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons loosely packed tarragon leaves
¼ cup of good olive oil
Salt and white pepper to taste
½ red onion finely chopped
How to Prepare
In a blender, combine the chopped cucumber with the yogurt, lemon juice, shallot, garlic dill, parsley, tarragon, and ¼ cup of the olive oil. Blend until very smooth. Season with salt and white pepper, cover tightly and refrigerate at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Correct the seasonings just before serving, pour into soup bowls, garnish with finely diced cucumber, red onion, and a drizzle or droplets of olive oil.
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