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| Gourmet Cafes by Kim Urquhart Often, the most memorable part of a party or event is the food. Add a unique catering station from Gourmet Cafes – like a luscious chocolate fountain or a delicious dessert – and the event becomes unforgettable. For more than a decade, Gourmet Cafes has been adding flavor to special events around Atlanta. Specializing in gourmet catered food and beverage stations, Gourmet Café provides the equipment and trained personnel, from blenders to baristas, to perk up a party. “Everybody wants their party to be different, and we add that special aspect to an event,” says Owner and President Doug Lueder. From cappuccino bars to sundae stations, Gourmet Cafes can complement a caterer’s food presentation or spice up an individual’s drink and dessert needs. “We provide a good service to other businesses, because they may not have staff on hand or these specialized types of equipment,” says Lueder. He estimates about 75% of Gourmet Cafés’ business comes from corporate clients like hotels, event planners and catering companies. The remaining 25% is direct to consumer, he said, “where we go to their home or business for a party, usually reception style events.” Lueder says Gourmet Cafes’ newest, and most popular, offering is a cold slab sundae station. This is similar to the concept of the style of ice cream made popular by Marble Slab Creamery. “You have a frosty cold marble slab that keeps the ice cream cold while mixing in goodies, like Gummi Bears or M&Ms. We set it all up in a beautiful table top display, and people pick out what they want on their sundae,” Lueder explains. The made-to-order treats are prepared by a Gourmet Cafes sundae chef in black tie or casual dress offering an array of ice cream flavors, fresh fruits, candy and sundae toppings. The station also features a high-volume Vitamix blending machine for unlimited milkshakes or smoothies. Lueder recommends this station to add an especially unique touch to an event. “I don’t think anyone else is doing it,” he says of other catering companies. Another station that never fails to amaze guests is the popular chocolate fountain. Gourmet Belgian Chocolate fondue cascades down a tiered fountain surrounded by fresh fruit and goodies such as marshmallows, pound cake and pretzels for dipping. “Chocolate fountains are still intriguing people,” Lueder laughs. “Of course, everything is good when dipped in chocolate!” Other stations offered by Gourmet Cafes include a smoothie bar, featuring all-natural blended treats bearing names like Mango Madness and Georgia Peach, or frozen alcoholic beverages like margaritas and daiquiris. “The beauty of using the VitaMix machine is we can make [the drink] by the blender. So we can easily do strawberry margaritas, traditional lemon-lime margaritas and peach margaritas, no problem, all day long,” Lueder says. A cordial milkshake station is another option for upscale specialty shakes such as Kahlua Strawberry or Bourbon Cherry. These drinks are a popular pairing with Gourmet Cafes’ desserts, featuring mini-pastries and petit fors, which are also available as a station. To sweeten the deal, Gourmet Cafes makes the entire process easy for clients to fulfill all their party needs. As Lueder explains: “Basically, the client can email us through the web site or call us. We then select a date with the client, confirm that the equipment and personnel are available, send them a confirmation sheet, and we bill the client directly. When it’s time for the event, I show up myself to supervise the entire process. We bring the equipment and personnel and get everything stocked up. When it’s over, we break it all down.” He adds: “We try to make it as turnkey as possible.” Not sure if a smoothie station or cappuccino bar would best suit an event? Gourmet Cafes can help with the decision process, too. “We can definitely offer lots of advice,” Lueder says. “If clients are looking for a more food-intensive event, we work with all the large catering companies and can offer lots of referrals.” Gourmet Cafes, with an office based in the Woodruff Arts Center, is also a regular at Atlanta cultural events. The company currently operates the café at the High Museum of Art, which offers sandwiches, salads, soups, coffee and pastries for museum visitors. Gourmet Cafes also operates the gourmet coffee and snack service for the Atlanta Symphony, Alliance Theater and Atlanta Civic Center events. Lueder explains that while the catering aspect of his business is “the primary focus, we also have retail facilities which gives us visibility” as well as a continually trained staff. Lueder, a hospitality graduate of the University of Tennessee, has been active in the Atlanta catering scene since 1993. The current incarnation of Gourmet Cafes was formed about two years ago. “I’ve really put a lot more focus on growing the catering business,” he explains. And as its tag line claims, Gourmet Cafes does it all: From a cup of coffee to the whole café. Gourmet Cafes is located at 1280 Peachtree Street NE in Atlanta. Visit their web site at www.gourmetcafes.com or call (404) 643.3165 for more information. |
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| From top: Chocolate fountain; Ice-cream slab; Proprietor Doug Lueder with Cappuccino; Adult smoothie bar. |
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