Cowboy Wedding Food!

Last night was the second wedding I've been to for two friends from college. I still can't believe my friends are getting married. Some of my girls were there last night, as well so that made it extra special, including all the tables having names of various landmarks in San Francisco. They fittingly stuck all the USF folks at the St. Ignatius table. SUPER CUTSY!

The Los Angeles River Center is such a gorgeous venue! As I'm told, it used to be the Lawry's factory and people could go there for tours and receive samples of spices. The architecture is very much in the style of a Spanish hacienda with large garden, lush greenery, fountains and several areas for a bar. The ceremony was on the side where there were archways. The only major drawback was that the center is right next to the 5 freeway and having something there during rush hour is not a good idea. Much of the sound during the ceremony was drowned out by the trucks and cars whizzing by and hocking at each other. Unfortunately, the person controlling the sound did not compensate for the distruptions so much of the ceremony was left to the audience's imagination.

The Center allows parties to bring in their own caterers. The food at this wedding was one of the most flavorful I have ever had at any wedding! Their chef really went by the title, "cowboy chef"! I thought James was joking when he told us. The spread consisted of chicken and steak fajitas, large salads, refried beans, rice pilaf with black beans, bbq ribs, bbq chicken, chips, dinner rolls, salsa and texas size steamed vegies! It was a mistake getting more of one thing because you had to taste everything! I talked to the chef later on in the evening to make sure to thank him for the spread. He informed me that he has been in the food industry for about 40 years and is now in his retirement phase, sort of. He'll come out and do special occassions every now and then if it fits into his travel schedule. Can we all be so lucky? He also mentioned that he collaborates with the owner of Kalesa Grill in Panorama City and makes some mean adobo. Good thing I got his card for future reference, just in case I ever want to do a texas style Pinoy party. ha!

No idea where the cake was from but that was equally appetizing. It wasn't dry at all and had the perfect balance of sweetness and lightness, not to mention that it was cutely decorated with pink trim on each layer and pearls strung around the trim.

Overall, a very enjoyable experience!