Central Coast Wedding Catering Blog

A Plated Dinner at Santa Margarita Ranch

The rustic elegance of the barn at Santa Margarita Ranch creates the perfect ambiance for any gathering.
For the wedding of Joe & Kat, it was the ideal place to treat their 100 closest friends & family to a fabulous plated dinner of local organic meats & produce.
After a sentimental ceremony under the oak tree, guests enjoyed signature cocktails (his — a manhattan, hers — a lemon drop), tray-passed appetizers and a stationary spread of artisan cheeses & breads. Below is the heirloom tomato bruschetta with fresh mozzarella, basil & balsamic reduction.


Once guests made their way into the barn, our most popular salad was served — mixed organic field greens, cave-aged bleu cheese, candied pecans & zinfandel-poached pear tossed with a pomegranate vinaigrette.
Entrees included Heart Ranch filet, local sea bass & a roasted vegetable torte.
One of the best aspects of this menu is that every entree is awesome & delicious. How could you be disappointed with this vegetarian torte if it was placed in front of you? Layers of farm fresh roasted vegetables (bell peppers, onions, porcini mushrooms, zuchinni, & squash) are stacked under smoked provolone cheese & then cooked to perfection.

But then, the seared sea bass was fresh off the boat & the Hearst Ranch filet mignon (in the background) was as good as it gets.

And, in case you had any questions about the menu…

Simple, fresh, organic, local, and perfect.

Rustic charm at Santa Margarita Ranch

Who could not love a Central Coast wedding like Jen & Mike’s at Santa Margarita Ranch?

It was filled with charm, adorable details, personal touches, delicious food, & a sumptuous spread of pies!

If you’re lucky enough to visit the ranch or even be a bride there, we hope your event will have some of the character, love, details, & charm of this lovely couple!
Many wedding planners will tell you that details make the wedding & this is a perfect example.

We were lucky to work with some amazing vendors (including Cameron Ingalls, who shot these beautiful shots)

For the cocktail hour, appetizers were served on the grass under the majestic oak tree where many couple choose to exchange their vows. A few favorites? Bacon-wrapped scallop skewers & grilled crostinis with local goat cheese, fig & candied pecans. The dinner was served family-style in the historic barn.

For their menu, Jen & Mike wanted approachable comfort food that reflected the fresh flavors on the Central Coast. Some of their favorite items include grilled seasonal vegetables, aged cheddar mac & cheese & grilled salmon with fresh herbs, local olive tapenade & lemon.

The dessert bar was a combination of mini cupcakes by Clementine Cupcakes and the beautiful blooms were by the always-awesome April Flowers.

Congrats Jen & Mike! May your 2012 be filled with love & joy.

Leah & Neal’s Wedding Part 2

When we last posted photos from Leah & Neal’s fabulous wedding at Santa Margarita Ranch, we didn’t have access to all the photos that showcased the delicious food created that evening.
That’s because as caterers, we’re busy making sure the food is fresh, tasty and beautifully presented so we rarely make time for photos. Thank goodness for Cameron Ingalls, an amazing San Luis Obispo wedding photographer.
Leah, a food and wine writer, had a vision of local products from nearby farms to create an elegant dinner menu in the barn at Santa Margarita Ranch.

So, that’s what we made happen.

We visited our favorite farmers market at the Templeton Park and found awesome fava beans, purple baby artichokes, mixed greens, blackberries, and so on.

The fava beans were pureed, mixed with herbs, garlic, & truffle oil and then spread on crostinis made from Hush Harbor artisan breads.

For a more exotic appetizer, we paired duck confit with grilled sundried tomato polenta cakes, blackberries and herbed goat cheese.
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And to stay true to the classic hor dourves, we did a spread of charcuterie that included local artisan cheeses, sliced cured meats, duck sausage, and pates.

Guests also enjoyed local wines, beers handcrafted by the groom and a signature tray-passed cocktail of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, gin, simple syrup & candied grapefruit (made by the bride herself!)

Dinner was served “family-style” to keep with the couple’s vision of a large elegant dinner party. The menu was:
First course of two salads:
Roasted Fennel and Citrus Salad with a Tangerine Chervil Dressing
& Baby Arugula with Toasted Almonds, Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Second Course-Pasta:
Housemade Traditional Tortellini En Brodo
Third Course-Entrees:
Rack of Lamb with Lavender Salt, with Roasted New Potatoes & Braised Artichoke & Halibut en Papillote, Meyer Lemon, Fennel, Kalamata Compound Butter with Purple Baby Carrots & Seasonal Vegetables

We love our brides & grooms that make our job so fun. Thanks Leah & Neal for loving food as much as we do! To see the bride’s food and wine blog, please click here and for more details on the wedding, see the blog below!

PHC featured on Green Wedding Shoes blog!

We are honored today to be featured in a popular wedding blog for the modern bride!
Green Wedding Shoes features the recent wedding of Leah & Neal at Santa Margarita Ranch.
Leah, a food & wine writer, had a vision of creating a rustic dinner party with most of the meal served family-style. Guests dined on arugula salad with roasted red pepper vinaigrette, fennel & tangerine salad, tortellini en brodo, and rack of lamb and halibut served with sauteed baby artichokes & grilled farmers market vegetables.

Leah handpicked the wine that was paired with each course to give her guests the ultimate wine-pairing dinner experience. With the amazing ambience of Santa Margarita Ranch, it was an incomparable setting for a wedding reception.


Cameron Ingalls is responsible for the amazing photos and Emily Kelly took care of all the incredible details as the wedding planner.
Check out the write-up here!