All our Salsas and Guacamole is homemade and very authentic

Salads, choice of dressings, Pasta with Basil Cream Sauce and Grilled Chicken Breasts of Chicken.
As you can see, we put as much effort in the display of our food as we do the taste.

Lords Park Pavilion. Elgin, Illinois.

Several ala carte salads.

A few more photographs of our displays and presentation of our catering productions. Our food is as good as it looks, as our business cards read, "Indescribably wonderful".

A party set up and displayed in a home. Presentation.

We dress professionally.

We dress, act, and look professional at your function.

Would you like to have an outdoor function? We can do that. This was a bridal shower.

A simple selection of various breads, sliced at angles, and spilled out of tipped baskets to create a plentiful bounty look.

Grilled vegetables and a basket of red potatoes used a display props.

An extra large bowl of salad, mixed greens, cucumbers, tomato onion, and a basket of bread.

Breakfast? We Can Do That!

A few photos from a breakfast we recently catering. Plenty of options available including French Toast, pastries, and even an Omelette Station! Please scroll down this page to see more photos of our catering productions and displays. 847.767.4459 for more information.

Fluffy Scrambled Eggs, Crisp Bacon, and Country Sausage.
Always in a chaffer to keep the food at the proper temperatures.

Fresh Display of Seasonal Fruit. Always a nice addition to any function.

Display of Apple Turnovers, Bagels and Cream Cheese, Muffins and Powdered Donuts.

"Eating With Your Eyes"

Fresh Fruit and Display of Cheese, Imported and Domestic.

One of the first things we learned in the food service industry was presentation. As a mentor used to say, "People eat with their eyes, before they eat with their mouth." This is why we take great pride not only in preparing great food but presenting it a way that makes it "indescribably wonderful!"

Note the use of risers and props in our displays.

Another angle of our Fruit and Cheese Display

The Grilled Vegetable Platter with the use of fresh vegetables and a basket as props.

Grilled Shrimp Cocktail
"Indescribably Wonderful!"

Elgin Public Museum and "De La Cocina al Ojo" Exhibit

Mandoline Vista Catering was honored to be selected to provide some authentic Mexican appetizers for an art exhibit at the Elgin Public Museum. It's a wonderful exhibit in the EPM located in scenic Lords Park in Elgin, Illinois.

We were able to provide roasted vegetables, salsa verde, salsa rojo, and fresh guacamole. Our header page is a view of our display.

Here is a link regarding the story that ran in the Elgin Courier News. A log-in is required but can be done in minutes via your email or various social media passwords.

Courier News Story "Elgin Museum Go-ers Can Get Eyeful of Food Photos"

It's easy to get additional information on booking a party with us! Just send us an email at mandolinevista@gmail.com or give us a call at 847.767.4459. We can cater your need with just a simple fruit platter or a full plated dinner.

We'd Be Happy to Tend To Your Event

We have posted several pictures over the last few months of some of our menu items anddisplays. Please feel free to comment on any post on this site or call us for more information on menu's or booking a party. We travel well and as the subject line states, we would rather stay to tend to your function. Our goal is to tend to your event so that you can spend more time with your guests.

A different take on Au Gratin potatoes. These are Boursin Cheese Au Gratins

We can make good use of any prop we may see fit!
This picture is from a recent wedding in a home. Love Is All You Need.

Our famous Grilled Shrimp Cocktail.
Rarely will you find Shrimp Cocktail quite like this.

We stay and tend to your function. We know it is important to you. We are not about just dropping off food in tin foil pans. We can do "Drop Off" catering, if you would like, fruit trays, Pinwheels, etc.

 To follow up a little on the above photo. We would *rather* stay and tend to your event so that you can spend more time with your guests. We do, however, understand that sometimes all you need are a few things dropped off. We can do that as well. Sometimes it's just setting out a few trays that we have meticulously prepared or we can leave detailed instructions as to how to prepare the food we have prepared for you.

We can make any office luncheon a plentiful bounty!
A recent party at a Law Office in Elgin.

We will bring chaffer dishes, baskets, linens, and any needed supplies
for your function.

We can also be reached by email at: mandolinevista@gmail.com

Presentation, Presentation, Presentation

 We specialize in the presentation of our catering productions. An adage we learned long ago was that "people eat with their eyes before they eat with their mouth." While our culinary delights are indescribably wonderful, they are also artfully displayed.

One recent display. Pinwheels artfully layers, Bruschetta, and
Fresh Fruit and Cheese.

If you would like to book a party please do call us at 847.767.4459. 

We can also be reached via email at: mandolinevista@gmail.com

Our famous Ground Turkey
Meat Balls. We serve them with Cranberry Orange Glaze
or a Citrus Barbeque Sauce.

Keep Mandoline Vista in mind for your next event!

With the spring season here and Graduation "season" coming up, please keep Mandoline Vista Catering in mind when looking to book your next function. We can Keep It Simple, or put on the Fancy Pants and prepare a wonderful meal of your choice. See our Facebook Page of photos (linked to the right & "Open to the Public") for more photos. To book a party, ask a question, or go over some menu ideas, please call us at 847.767.4459. Here are some recent pictures.

The use of risers, floral arrangements, baskets and other props make this more than just "brownies"

A nice salad arrangement, choice of dressings
and a buffet of delicious hot food.
Contact us for some menu ideas
847.767.4459

Fresh Carvery of Flank Steak, Grilled Shrimp, Bruschetta, Fruit & Cheese, Grilled Vegetables
The use of greenery, baskets, linen, risers, add so much more to your dining  experiecne
than just some foil pans on a table.
We tend to the little things!

Mandoline Vista Catering Productions December '11

Are you looking for an economical way to entertain guests? We can provide the professionally prepared food and displayed in such a way to make most cruise ships envious. We take the time to meticulously prepare your event with the utmost care and in a very professional and cordial manner. Here are a few pictures from one of our most recent events. Thanks for stopping by, thanks for taking a look. Impressed? We thought so.

Tilted basket of bread

Note the use of props in our displays.

Brownies and cheesecake on a mirror as opposed to some tin platter

We can make any table look like a plentiful bounty!

Platter of Grilled Vegetables displayed on a ceramic platter (NOT plastic)

Arrangement of domestic and imported cheese & fresh fruit.

Please see the right margin for information to make preparations for your next event. You can reach us by phone or email. Please visit our Facebook Mandoline Vista Catering Page. that is set for the "Public" for similar pictures. We are insured and have all the necessary Health and Sanitation Licenses.

Catering Productions December 2011

The holiday season brings Christmas Parties, Madrigal Dinners and all sorts of Festive Activities for the rest of us.  Mandoline Vista Catering is no exception. Here are a few recent photos of our catering displays from recent catering events from December 2011. Please see our contact information in the right-hand margin to book your party or event. Also, the link for the Mandoline Vista Facebook Page is set up for the "Public" to view. You don't even have to be our "friend". You can see more photos of our eye appealing displays there if you click on the highlighted link. Thanks for visiting. Stay hungry!

View of Fruit and Cheese. The chaffer has risotto.

Bruschetta (foreground) and Melange of Grilled Vegetables.

Caesar Salad and Carvery Station

Fruit & Cheese, Grilled Vegetables

Crab Cakes.  Wonderful.

Another view, the sauce for the Crab Cakes is Mango Coulis

Villa Verone Person of the Week

As we explore scenes from an Italian Restaurant in Elgin we find a great place, Villa Verone. Villa Verone is nestled on a small city block on Douglas Ave. A great place for dinner, the occasional live band, or even just to stop for a drink or even a gourmet cup of coffee. After all, we all know that coffee just tastes better in a ceramic cup and a saucer.

Around this time last year, the owner, Pietro Verone began the idea of having an "Elgin Person of the Week" each Thursday night. The EPOW (as it has become known as) is just a great occasion to honor someone or organization in town with a night of friendship, conversation, camaraderie, some appetizers, drinks, and karaoke. It was with great honor that I was chosen for this event on July 21st, 2011. Thanks to Pietro and all the staff at Villa Verone for letting me, on behalf of Rediscover Records, be the guest of honor. Thanks to all of those who attended, thought about attending, or even wished they had intended. I even tried my hand as bus boy and bartender to help out. When I couldn't even make a kiddie cocktail I was kicked out from behind the bar!

I was even coaxed into singing karaoke for the first time in my life. While I may have strummed, fumbled my way through a song or two on my guitar at an open mic, I had never sung karaoke to "canned" music. With a person with very little range, is there something in a person's range who has no range? I looked through the karaoke handbook and found one song by Kris Kristofferson, "Why Me". It was the only Kristofferson song in the entire book of literally thousands of songs! Fortunately, or unfortunately, depends how you look at it, it was one I thought I could sing.  While thankfully, there seems to be no evidence, other than a phone photo or two, of video of this strange singing occurrence. Truth be told, it was probably just okay, I probably just sounded like a guy who never sang karaoke and rarely sings in public.

Here is Kris Kristofferson with the original version of "Why Me".

Lords Park Museum "Reflections of Mexico Art Exhibit"

On April 9th 2011 we had the honor of being asked to participate in the launching of "Landscapes of Mexico". "Landscapes of Mexico" is a photo exhibit in the Lords Park Public Museum to showcase Mexico's Biodiversity.  The exhibit runs until May 29th, 2011. Please make time to visit the exhibit. The Lords Park Museum is conveniently open on the weekends from 12-4 Saturdays and Sundays.


There were also distinguished guests there including; Ed Schock Mayor of Elgin, Federal Judge Manuel Barbosa, President of LULAC Helen Lopez Strom, Manuel Rodriguez-Arriaga the Consul General of Mexico, and local Historian E.C. "Mike" Alft. Other notable guests included Elgin Chief of Police Jeff Swoboda, Elgin Commnunity College Trustee John Dalton, and Elgin Councilwoman elect, Anna Moeller. In addition, there was a crowd of over 100 people to enjoy the festivites. The Folklorico Ballet was fantastico. A very special thank you goes out to Peggie Stromberg and the staff at Lords Park Museum for having us. Great hosts!


We were flattered to able to supply the Hor d'oeurves for the event. Here are a few of the photos from the event. Most of these feature the idea of different props in our display to reflect the theme of the event. There are various native to Mexico bowls used for the food, Mexican books, coffee cups, a Cafe Tacvba CD, and various Elgin History items from our own collection.

Chips and roasted tomato salsa

Since this was an Elgin event, we often use appropriate props like a menu from the Elgin National Watch Factory "National House" from Thanksgiving 1921

Full view of the display. Grilled Shrimp Cocktail, Fresh Fruit
and Sliced Cheese, Medley of Grilled Vegetables

Black and white view of the display, just for a different look

A nicely skirted table (Thank you Peggie Stomberg and EPM)
with a full view of two of the art pieces,
"Reflections of Mexico"

Once again, the use of props appropriate for the event, Spanish - English books,
Mexican rock band Cafe Tacuba CD's, Elgin History Books

Los Chivas!  Viva!

Just another look at the utilization of props in our Catering displays.