An award ceremony honoring the best and brightest “storytellers”, the Star Awards are the most prestigious awards in Minnesota’s special events industry. CRAVE Catering submitted applications in 7 categories, some in tandem with other event professionals, some as independent submissions. We waited months before finally receiving word from the Star Awards Committee that we had been nominated in all 7 categories. As first time participants, we were delighted to receive this news! High-fives flashed around our offices, we were thrilled!

On March 27, 2015, we were all prepped and ready. We had arrived in our finery, gathered together in the photo booth, and toasted to our potential victory. We had schmoozed and tried all the hors d’oeuvres. We were ready to hear the results. As we sat down at our table, we noticed that we were placed in the very front center of the room. Was this a good sign or a bad sign?

As it turned out, it was a great sign. As they began to announce the winners, our staff clapped and whistled with delight. We were called up no less than 5 times! CRAVE Catering was honored with the Star Award for Best Specialty Item, Best Menu Innovation, Best Creative Solution, Best Off-premise Catered Event, and Best ISES Team Effort, where we were honored along with talents from several other vendors including: Meet Minneapolis, Ultimate Events, Mintahoe Catering, Event Lab, Show Core, and Metro Connections.

As the night wore on, we shook hands with many talented professionals awarded with equally prestigious honors. We were thrilled as The Wedding Guys won the category Best Wedding Budget under $50,000, featuring a catering spread from yours truly. Additionally, we loved seeing the successes of our friends Laurie Falk of Lauren B Photography, Susan Diamond of Jigsaw Unlimited, and the talented designers at FESTIVITIES, as they took home awards. We are so thrilled to have been so successful in our first year of application, and can’t wait to see what we come up with for next year’s applications!