The wild weather of spring is in full swing with rainy days of the week punctuated by sunny ones that have us in flip flops and shorts. As the world above ground buzzes with the changing seasons so too does the web of life below. Generous precipitation coupled with warming soil breeds the necessary conditions for a wild delicacy of the forest to emerge – the morel mushroom.



Each spring brings a frenzy of reproduction in plants and animals alike. A mushroom is the fruiting body of some such procreation, the aboveground love child of fungi lurking below. We will spare you the lurid scientific details about fungal reproduction, but you can go here if you want to get technical. The morel is estimated to be approximately 129 million years old, clearly an organism with adaptive qualities. And like so many generations before us, we wander the forest floor looking for these wild edibles. The courtship phase of mushroom hunting turns into a full romance when we are lucky enough to discover our prize. And we consummate the relationship by giving the morel a proper preparation.



Like the best things in life, it is the beauty of simplicity that makes morels an easy companion to common ingredients like butter, salt and fresh herbs. A light sauté brings out the flavor and texture of the morel and there the mushroom can stand on its own. Morels pair well with other springtime ingredients like asparagus and peas and also elevate many pasta dishes. We adore the combination of spring flavors in the morel recipes at Honest-Food.net. Now to collect our bounty!

Editor’s Note: If you choose to forage for mushrooms or any wild edible, always make sure you can 100% positively identify your food before consuming it. Some edible mushrooms have similar appearance to toxic species. If you aren’t sure, don’t eat it.

Cheers & Bon Appetit,
Chef Monique

Crave Culinary Arts is a Crave Culinary Arts is a Private Chef and Event Planning Boutique serving South Carolina and beyond. Our private & personal chef service and event planning pursuits provide on-site feasts and extraordinary events ranging from intimate hors d’oeuvres, wine tastings, and small dinner parties to thematic social events, intimate weddings, noteworthy celebrations, and more.

Members of the “Clean Plate Club” are proud of their eating prowess, the sheer fortitude it takes to consume a mound of food. Surrounding World War II, U.S. Army mess halls displayed posters imploring soldiers to clean their plates because food was a limited commodity. And “waste not, want not” is a mantra that families have followed for countless generations. But today, we want to talk about a different kind of clean plate. Whether it’s family dinner at home or fine dining at an exquisite establishment, there is some etiquette surrounding a place setting that really ought to be followed.



One of our servers once commented on how unfortunate it was that her thumb repeatedly landed in leftovers smeared to the edge of the plates she had served and cleared during Crave events. The rim of a plate exists for a reason – it’s the serving portion of your personal dish. Within the eating circle, people may have a proclivity for organizing their food in any given matter, but the delectable morsels should stay within the confines of the food-designated area. Really, who wants to clear this from the dinner table?



(Aside to parents: we understand that children of various ages may have peculiar eating habits, but setting good examples as the adult is always a technique to get through to our little darlings – albeit slowly over many, many repetitions.)

Buffet dining is another occasion where normal etiquette sometimes gets obstructed by the generous portions in front of us [Editor’s note: “first-world problems,” we know.] Self-restraint meets with being a respectable guest by taking all that you can eat, but eating all that you take. From the food professional’s perspective, every plate should be equally impressive. Granted, the buffet allows guests to choose their preferred dishes and portions, but each of us should remember that someone else also wants to try that amazing lobster mac ‘n cheese.

One other bit of etiquette that can be very helpful for both guests and wait staff is the placement of utensils during and after a meal. Employing some simple visual cues can be helpful for servers to know where you are at enjoying your food. And for those in the business of serving those meals, make sure your people know how to read this language of cutlery. Below are a few simple maneuvers that make non-verbal communication possible across the table.



Practicing good meal etiquette at home sets a positive example for those around us and ensures we are ready for a special occasion when a high level of decorum is expected. Of course, we would argue that respect for the food in front of us and the person that prepared it are fundamental to daily living.

Cheers & Bon Appetit,
Chef Monique

Crave Culinary Arts is a Crave Culinary Arts is a Private Chef and Event Planning Boutique serving South Carolina and beyond. Our private & personal chef service and event planning pursuits provide on-site feasts and extraordinary events ranging from intimate hors d’oeuvres, wine tastings, and small dinner parties to thematic social events, intimate weddings, noteworthy celebrations, and more.

As a private chef and boutique catering service we have to adapt to the amenities available at each client’s chosen venue. From faulty gas grills to non-working ovens and doorknobs, we’ve worked in our share of kitchens that required creativity to execute a flawless meal. Thankfully, The Leavenworth Lodge is now on our list of recommended venues in Kittitas County with a kitchen that boasts “two of everything” and dining space for 40 guests. Other desirable amenities include plentiful natural light throughout the lodge, an expansive 3,000 square feet of outdoor space, a game room and, of course, an outdoor hot tub with gorgeous views.

Our recent experience with dinner for a corporate retreat at The Leavenworth Lodge was truly a pleasure. Working with Nathan Newell was a joy and he made sure that the lodge met our needs in creating a memorable night for our client.

Cheers & Bon Appetit,
Chef Monique

Crave Culinary Arts is a Crave Culinary Arts is a Private Chef and Event Planning Boutique serving South Carolina and beyond. Our private & personal chef service and event planning pursuits provide on-site feasts and extraordinary events ranging from intimate hors d’oeuvres, wine tastings, and small dinner parties to thematic social events, intimate weddings, noteworthy celebrations, and more.

A themed dinner party always allows for the mind to roam and conjure up the best way to satiate your guests. A recent menu of a Paris excursion is included here to help entice you to plan a fabulous soiree as well as a link to a stellar dinner party description from the 1970′s hosted by none other than the Rothschilds. Click this link: here to read about: “A Surrealist Parisian Dinner Party chez Madame Rothschild, Circa 1972″

Cheers & Bon Appetit,
Chef Monique

Crave Culinary Arts is a Crave Culinary Arts is a Private Chef and Event Planning Boutique serving South Carolina and beyond. Our private & personal chef service and event planning pursuits provide on-site feasts and extraordinary events ranging from intimate hors d’oeuvres, wine tastings, and small dinner parties to thematic social events, intimate weddings, noteworthy celebrations, and more.

Truly stellar and adventurous client’s of Crave, Kat & Armen, embarked on a culinary odyssey prepared and presented by Crave Culinary Arts in their home. Thirteen courses, one hundred and forty three plates total for eleven guests, each paired with hand selected fine wine and a final single malt scotch & signature handmade chocolate truffle pairing. The food selections were fashioned after the traditional French menu gastronomique with multiple small courses featuring the land and the sea. The menu was named after the famed gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. Who said “Tell us what you eat and I will tell you what you are”. We made his namesake proud this night.

Cheers & Bon Appetit,
Chef Monique

First Course: Amuse Bouche – Eggs Arpege Soft Cooked Egg Yolk, Sherry Creme, Maple Syrup, Chives

Second Course: Hors d’oeuvres: Waygu Filet Oscar Crostini

Third Course: Potage – Five Star Forest Mushroom Soup

Fourth Course: Poisson – Slow Roasted Salmon, Fennel Aioli, Tobiko Caviar

Fifth Course: Entree – Tartare De Boeuf with Quail egg yolk

Sixth Course: Releve – Duck Two Ways

Seventh Course: Sorbet – Yuzu, Grapefruit & Champagne Float

Eighth Course: Roti – Roast Squab with Bacon, Grapes, Fig & Red Wine Reduction

Ninth Course: Legume – Purple Spring Asparagus, Wild Morels, Morel Cream

Tenth Course: Entremet – Baby Spinach Salad

Eleventh Course: Savoreaux – Cheese delicacies with D’Anjou Pear

Twelfth Course: Dessert – Chevre Cheesecake, Honey Poached Apricots, Lemon Thyme Shortbread

Thirteenth Course: Grande Finale – Single Malt Scotch and Truffle Pairing

Thirteenth Course: Grande Finale – Single Malt Scotch and Truffle Pairing

Crave Culinary Arts is a Crave Culinary Arts is a Private Chef and Event Planning Boutique serving South Carolina and beyond. Our private & personal chef service and event planning pursuits provide on-site feasts and extraordinary events ranging from intimate hors d’oeuvres, wine tastings, and small dinner parties to thematic social events, intimate weddings, noteworthy celebrations, and more.

Crave Culinary Arts is proud to be a part of Kittitas County, Washington with our boutique private chef company being centrally located in Roslyn, Washington. The local area not only provides an abundance of beautiful outdoor scenery, intimate cafes and a variety of seasonal festivals it also is host to amazing venues for all types of celebrations. At Crave Culinary Arts we have the pleasure of cooking at some of the most scenic properties in Washington. Come take a look with us!

Cheers & Bon Appetit,
Chef Monique

Leavenworth Lodge, Leavenworth, Washington

Flying Horseshoe Ranch, Cle Elum, WA

The Teanaway Grange

The Cattle Barn at the Ranch on Swauk Creek

J. Bell Cellars and Lavender Fields

Huntley Lodge

The Big House Lodge

Elk Landing at Suncadia

Crave Culinary Arts is a Crave Culinary Arts is a Private Chef and Event Planning Boutique serving South Carolina and beyond. Our private & personal chef service and event planning pursuits provide on-site feasts and extraordinary events ranging from intimate hors d’oeuvres, wine tastings, and small dinner parties to thematic social events, intimate weddings, noteworthy celebrations, and more.

When most people think of a formal dinner party, an image of men dressed in stuffy tuxedos, stiff butlers with sour looks on their faces, and miserable guests who would rather be anywhere else often come to mind. But that’s not the reality.

Formal dinner parties don’t have to be intimidating or awkward. In fact, they can be quite fun if you know what you’re doing. Special occasions, like holidays and elegant dinner parties, require a more formal table than the traditional five-piece place setting. Luckily, the modern art of table setting is quite simple once you understand a few basics.

Once you realize table setting is based on logic, things become less intimidating. For example, you begin eating a meal by using the flatware at the outside left and right, and then work toward the plate as the meal proceeds. Stemware is set above and to the right of the dinner plate; bread-and-butter plate sit above the plate and to the left.

Flatware should align with the bottom rim of the charger, a large plate, which will be removed after everyone spreads his napkin on his lap. The water glass stands above the dinner knife, white wine to its right, and red wine top center.

Soup is served in a heated soup dish, atop a dinner plate, and eaten with the soup spoon, at outer right. When every guest has finished and laid his spoon, bowl up, across the upper right hand corner of the plate, the plate, bowl, and spoon will be removed. The bread-and-butter plate and butter knife remain.

A midsize plate arrives bearing the fish course. Use the short, broad fork at outer left and the fish knife at outer right. When they have finished this, or any other, course, guests should place their silverware diagonally across the plate — handles at 4:20 and knife blade facing in.

Course two has been cleared, leaving the table set for the main course. The large dinner plate may be brought in either bearing a portion of food or empty, if food is to be served at the table. In either case, the plate should be preheated unless the main course is served cold. Eat with the dinner fork and knife.

We hope you enjoy this table setting primer and good luck to setting your next formal dinner party.

Cheers & Bon Appetit,
Chef Monique

Crave Culinary Arts is a Crave Culinary Arts is a Private Chef and Event Planning Boutique serving South Carolina and beyond. Our private & personal chef service and event planning pursuits provide on-site feasts and extraordinary events ranging from intimate hors d’oeuvres, wine tastings, and small dinner parties to thematic social events, intimate weddings, noteworthy celebrations, and more.

Here at Crave Culinary Arts we have enjoyed many elegant, refined dinner guests with perfect manners and then we have had to endure some real doozies. We won’t name names but we had one, less than gentleman rest his well polished Corinthian leather loafers on our supremely set table, there was the toe nail picker, the woman who chose to eat most of a five course dinner with her fingers, and the man that retired from the dining table only to return in his boxer shorts. The list goes on but you get the point.

These manners detract from the behind the scenes effort our staff goes to in order to ensure a sublime culinary experience with a meticulously set table, impeccably dressed service staff and a five star meal diligently prepared to please the palate.

Social decorum in the United States has been waning for some time and the long ago days of elegant table manners seemingly fades into the distance. Today, we’re offering the ten most basic table manners that should be used in most settings; a fine dinner on the town, a notable social gathering and even in your own home.



TOP TEN TABLE MANNERS: (copyright of The Emily Post Institute) emilypost.com

1. Chew with your mouth closed.
2. Keep your smartphone off the table and set to silent or vibrate. Wait to check calls and texts until you are finished with the meal and away from the table.
3. Don’t use your utensils like a shovel or stab your food.
4. Don’t pick your teeth at the table.
5. Remember to use your napkin.
6. Wait until you’re done chewing to sip or swallow a drink. (Choking is clearly an exception.)
7. Cut only one piece of food at a time.
8. Avoid slouching and don’t place your elbows on the table while eating (though it is okay to prop your elbows on the table while conversing between courses, and always has been, even in Emily’s day).
9. Instead of reaching across the table for something, ask for it to be passed to you.
10. Take part in the dinner conversation.

When you choose propriety in social settings you elevate yourself from low standards to elegance in the stars! Later we’ll focus on the “well set table”. In the meantime, cheers to choosing refinement and good manners.

Cheers & Bon Appetit,
Chef Monique

Crave Culinary Arts is a Crave Culinary Arts is a Private Chef and Event Planning Boutique serving South Carolina and beyond. Our private & personal chef service and event planning pursuits provide on-site feasts and extraordinary events ranging from intimate hors d’oeuvres, wine tastings, and small dinner parties to thematic social events, intimate weddings, noteworthy celebrations, and more.