Ruth Corcoran
(570) 472-0365
Metz & Associates’ dining teams were abuzz with activity on all of the campuses they served this summer. From catering formal weddings to satisfying the appetites built by those participating in the annual Jeep Jamboree, specially tailored menus were created to meet the needs of each individual group.
The President’s house at The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (UPB) was the setting for a lovely summer wedding. The color scheme was ivory and guests enjoyed an array of hors d’oeuvres, including salmon mousselini in mini puff pastries, feta cheese bruschetta, ham, asparagus & cream cheese roulades, fresh fruit tarts and mini crème brulee.
“Weddings are just one of the many events we cater over the summer months at the University,” said Lucy Nuzzo, Metz & Associates Catering Manager at UPB. “We provide meals for everything from a fly fishing camp and Jeep Jamboree to a formal graduation.”
Celebrating its 10th year at UPB, the Penns Woods Jeep Jamboree was held in late June. “For adults and youngsters with a nose for adventure, Jeep sponsors an annual off-road experience that brings people together with nature and Jeep vehicles,” Nuzzo said. “We provided plenty of food for Jeep lovers who had built up quite an appetite traveling through the rugged trails of the Allegheny Highlands.”
Other catered events on the UPB campus this summer included a formal donor luncheon, Nike Soccer Camp, Big 30 Football Banquet, Advisory Board Retreat, United Way Red Feather Breakfast, History Month Tea and Heart of the Alleghenies Folk Music Festival, among others. The Metz team at UPB also provided special meals to a group of Japanese students on campus this summer to learn English. “It’s been an exciting, action packed summer for both those coming on campus to participate in these events and also our dining team who has a great opportunity to spread our culinary wings with such a diverse array of events,” Nuzzo said.
Wedding bells also rang at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania earlier this summer, as the Metz team catered a formal wedding for 160 guests in the University’s Yehl Ballroom. According to Tracy Harrington, the Metz & Associates office manager at Gannon, the Metz Group at the University caters approximately three weddings each summer. “We work with the bride and groom to develop a menu for their special day and also decorate the tables according to their color scheme and other specifications,” Harrington said.
Other summer events catered at Gannon included a Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon, which featured a healthy lunch and beautifully decorated tables with a pink and white color scheme and an Ordination Dinner for Bishop Troutman, which was catered offsite at the Bishop’s home. The elaborate menu for the ordination dinner included jumbo shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, carved fillet of beef, bay scallops & linguini, dill carrots, baked sweet potatoes and chocolate strawberry tart.
Although many of these events cater to non-students, there are plenty of on-campus activities for students as well. According to Paul Robare, the Metz General Manager at Lake Erie College, his team keeps quite busy all summer long with freshman orientation days, where a barbeque-style menu is served featured grilled chicken, burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, baked beans, fresh fruit salad and various desserts. “Catering orientation days provides the perfect opportunity for us to introduce the Metz dining program to incoming students and also to their parents,” Robare said. “It allows us to discuss the different meal plans and let parents know exactly what type of services we provide.”
Perhaps one of the most exciting summer events catered by the Metz Group was held on the campus of Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania this month. It was a VIP Party held prior to the Creedence Clearwater Revisited (CCR) concert at the Wachovia Amphitheater on campus. The tribute band with original Creedence Clearwater Revival members Stu Cook and Doug "Cosmo" Clifford performed classic hits including "Proud Mary" and "Bad Moon Rising."
The VIP party featured a decorative array of fruit and ice carvings and a menu of smoked BBQ beef brisket carved to order accompanied with horseradish coleslaw, mango and golden pineapple relish, and chipotle BBQ sauce, grilled salmon fillets glazed with spicy plum sauce accented with rice pilaf and bok choy complimented with sweet and sour green onions and cornstarch fried Italian chicken tenderloins topped with heirloom Caprese salad, reduced balsamic and fresh basil, among other items. Guests thoroughly enjoyed a dessert station featuring fresh fruit pastry cream tarts, miniature éclairs and cream puffs, extreme fudge brownies, Arborio rice pudding with brandied soaked golden raisins.
According to Bruce Deeble, Metz & Associates General Manager at Misericordia University, about 1,000 people attended the outdoor concert. “In addition to catering the VIP party, we also had the pleasure of serving a buffet to the band in the Cougar’s Den dining area at the University,” Deeble said. “It was quite an honor to be a part of such a wonderful event.”
College and University campuses are becoming the epicenter of summer activity for all ages, and in turn are keeping dining providers busy through the normally quiet summer months.
Metz & Associates, Ltd., a premier food service company for the Northeast United States, provides dining and environmental management to clients such as hospitals, assisted living & long-term care facilities, public and private schools, colleges and universities and corporate offices. For more information on Metz & Associates, Ltd., visit our website at www.metzltd.com
