Introducing Our New Venue Finder

Finding the perfect venue for your next celebration  just got easier with Epting Events’ new venue finder! We’ve compiled data on over 75 of our favorite venues so you can easily search for what you’re looking for.

Venue Finder Homepage

You’ll find venues across six different Southeastern states, ranging from different themes, capacities, and event types — plus much more! It’s easy to use, and allows you to select your venue to your exact specifications. Just make your selections in the left-hand column, and the venue finder will filter the options according to your selections. You can also use the search option to find venues that you know you’re interested in.

Once you reach a venue’s page, you’ll find contact information, photos, specifications, descriptions, and a map. You also have the option of sharing the venue on Twitter or Facebook. If you have any additional questions, click on the question mark in the Quick Contact box to send us an inquiry.

Venue Finder – The Hill

We are constantly updating our data and adding more venues to the site, so be sure to check back occasionally.

Feel free to comment with feedback on the venue finder! We are always open to learning how we can make things easier for you as you plan your event!

Happy planning!

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A Blueberry Picking Sunday

Don’t know what other folks do for Father’s Day but my boys and I took off after lunch to pick blueberries. We had enjoyed a great Blueberry Crumb Cake at the Athens Farmers Market that Manny at the Harry’s Pig Shop booth had made and thought we had better stock up on some since they are at the height of the season right now. With the rains that we had last week and the warm sunny weather now, well everything from tomatoes to blueberries are in abundance. It’s going to get hot, real hot before you know it and things start drying up quickly. Better get on it and sons Ashley, Daniel and I picked enough in one and a half hours to last the winter. We will be making blueberry jam today and will probably get 50 or 60 quarts put up and that is not counting what we froze for baking. Every Epting Events brunch will be getting a jar for months to come.

I used a recipe that was Martha Lumpkin’s, written in 1850 which basically says put one cup of sugar to two cups of stewed berries and cook until thick. I do not like to use pectin or sure gel in my jams and jellies, I just like strong thick fruit jam that has not been diluted with too much sugar and water. You really get the flavor of the berries as so much of the water is cooked out by the time it is thick enough to seal in mason jars. Take some Sweet Dairy Farms fresh salted butter and put it on one of Renisha’s (pastry chef for Epting Events) double sized buttermilk biscuits; then put in a teaspoon of Martha Lumpkin’s Blueberry Jam (Atlanta, formally known as Marthasville which was named for young Martha) – well, that’s the cat’s meow. At the rate we are going with this we might make Christmas presents for everyone and all of you can come on by Harry’s for brunch on Sunday and try the Blueberry Jam. I think you’ll love it.

As for anyone that is reading these blogs please let me know the kind of things that you would like to hear about. It has been fun rambling on about some of my daily activities while roaming about the state. Need to tell you about planning a wedding for next June at the Walker Farm. I’ll be rambling about my rambles tomorrow. Most Sincerely, LEE

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Just flew down to Orlando….

Just flew down to Orlando with Ashley, Daniel & Rick to visit an incredible catering operation/ Puff ‘n Stuff .  They have generously shared many ideas that will be helpful in building out our new facility. Can’t wait to get started this summer. Just to let you know, we will be adding a bakery and will soon be interviewing for a Baker/Pastry Chef and a Sous Chef – if you know someone, please pass it on.
P.S.- The garden is producing beans, squash and lots of squash blossoms that we are sending to Harry’s.

We are stuffing the blossoms with Israeli couscous, vegetables and Berkshire Farms sausage– panko battered and deep fried.

It’s something else. Come by. — Lee

Talk about Flower Power!

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Extra, Extra Read All About it…Epting Events

Check out Epting Events in the latest Catersource Magazine! We are thrilled to be able to showcase our unique pieces from some of Athens’ greatest vendors. Special thanks to Chuck and Denise (Cloud9 Event Designs) and Heartwood Furniture Company for all your support and creativity!

To read the whole article, click here.

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Planning Your Wedding Just Got a Little Easier… Thanks to Athens CVB

http://www.visitathensga.com

Planning your wedding means lots of details and lots of stress to create your perfect day. Athens CVB is an amazing resource at your fingertips for your hotel blocks, brochures and guides of Athens for gift bags and out of town guests, group tours and planning activities for your guests before and after their stay in Athens.

Here is the best part, you can email the CVB with hotels you are interested in having a hotel block and they will do all of the negotiating and then send you the hotel information for finalizing any additional details.

Q: What is the process for working with the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau to secure hotel block bookings?

A: First, contact the CVB and be prepared to share the following information:

• What is the date and location of the ceremony and reception?
• How many guests do you expect? How many of those do you estimate will need to hotel rooms? For how many nights?
• Do you have a preference about hotels in Athens?
• Do you have any special requests (e.g. bridal and/or family suite; banquet room for brunch the date after)?

Then:

• The CVB will contact the hotels of your choice to inquire about availability and rates then get in touch with you to communicate what we have learned.
• You will consult the summary of responses from hotels with the groom and your families to determine your preferences based on rates and availability.
• Please get back in touch with the CVB to let us know what you have decided.

Q: How does the contract process with Athens hotels work?

A: The CVB will put you in touch with the respective sales manager(s) for the hotel or hotels that you have chosen. we will step aside at this point. Here’s what will happen next:

• The hotel(s) will contact you to ensure that they have all necessary details and contact information regarding the event. You will need to provide a credit card to secure the rooms but *you are not responsible for the booking of the rooms.*

• You will finalize your requests regarding room types and the exact number needed.

• You will establish a cut-off date; after that date, neither the rate nor the availability can be guaranteed. *Be sure to communicate both the hotel name(s) and the cut-off date to your guests.*

Q: How can the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau help me with my planning
2-4 weeks before the big day?

A: Contact the CVB to request free Athens travel literature to provide to your out of town guests. Examples include:
Athens Visitors Guide
Flagpole Guide
Local maps, regional brochures, etc.
Please allow three – five business days to fulfill the request.

AND, check out the CVB Online Calendar of Events.

• You can enter the dates your guests will be in town for your wedding.

• Then, click on the printer-friendly button for a list of events to send to your family and friends or post on your wedding website. You’ll want to share news about hip and happening cultural events taking place in town during your event!

As I’m sure you are already experiencing, wedding planning is very time consuming, and to have free help is quite possibly the best thing! Contact your local CVB, and see how they can start helping you!

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And the Winners are… Ashley Epting + Allison Hayn!

Blane Marable Photography

Blane Marable Photography

We cannot thank everyone enough for their support of Ashley and Allison while preparing for Athens’ Dancing with the Stars for Project Safe! They won the Judges’ Choice Award AND Audience Favorite, the first time in Dancing with the Stars’ history!

In case you missed their award winning dancing check it out here. To see that we’re telling the truth about their phenomenal win, click here. To see all their hard work and practice, click here.

Proudly and collectively, the 2011 Dancing with the Stars team raised $92,100 as of Sunday night. But wait, they are trying to reach $100,000 by Friday! All of the participants are asking everyone who voted to see if they can find a friend to MATCH their donation.

We appreciate the support and are very grateful for all of our friends, family, the Classic Center, Dance FX, Center Stage Catering, Wingate Downs and Project Safe!

Way to go Ashley and Allison!!

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Not Since You Coupon Code!

If you haven’t had a chance to come by Epting Events or Harry’s Pig Shop yet to purchase your copy of Not Since You, there is a special coupon code for $3 off offered at Film Baby! Enter: nsyvalentine at check out to redeem this offer until February 28.

P.S. Order soon so it is here for Valentine’s day!!

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Meet the Team: Chef de Cuisine, Eddie Russell

We are very pleased to announce a new member of the Epting Events’ family, Eddie Russell. Eddie will be working in the kitchen, designing menus (stay tuned for our new 2011 menus!) and in the field at your wedding or event.

Eddie is part of a group called The FourCoursemen, which hosts five course dinners twice a month for 28 guests. The FourCoursemen also has a pilot airing on the Cooking Channel for the last time tonight at 9:00 PM and then four hours later at 1:00 AM EST. For our Athens readers, that’s channel 168 for Charter, 232 for DirectTV and 113 for DISH. For more details on the show, visit the Cooking Channel blog.

1. What made you decide to become a professional chef?
I took a year off before I went to graduate school and started cooking at Five & Ten, and after doing it for a while it’s what I fell in love with.

2. Where did you receive your training from?
I would say I was self-taught. Hugh Acheson was my mentor at Five & Ten, and I learned a lot from working in their kitchen.

3. What’s your favorite meal to cook?
I don’t really cook for myself, but if I had to choose my favorite meal to cook and eat is anything Vietnamese or Thai.

4. Do you have a favorite gadget?
This is cheesy but any shun knife made by Kershaw.

5. Where do you get inspiration from for new recipes?
The cool thing about being a chef is you can really get inspiration from anywhere; any meal you eat, reading magazines, and talking to people.

6. Tell us about The FourCoursemen.
Damien and I have been friends for 14 years. When he moved back to Athens; him, Patrick and Randy started cooking together. One night, I came down and we started cooking, and haven’t stopped since. We have added two more of our best friends, Matt and Nancy. Now we have a whole team of friends who help us out, and hopefully will never stop doing dinners in Athens. We like to think of ourselves as an underground restaurant.

7. What convinced the Cooking Channel to do the show?
We were featured in Food & Wine in the Thanksgiving issue of 2009, and that brought us to the attention of a few folks. The great guys at Two River Pictures believed in us and helped put our name out there. The Cooking Channel seemed interested, and we’re hopeful that something will happen in the future after the pilot airs tonight one more time. (It has aired over the past couple of months almost 15 times!)

8. Describe your favorite meal.
When The FourCoursemen went to Chicago in 2009. We had the greatest dining experience of my life at Alinea. We had a lot of great food in Chicago, but this restaurant made our trip. (It was a twelve course tasting menu, so Eddie won’t go into the details.)

Eddie has already enhanced our customers’ menus with our Executive Chef Janice Witcher, and we can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us! Welcome to the team Eddie!

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Project Safe’s Dancing with the Athens’ Stars to End Domestic Violence!

Save the Date for Dancing with the Athens' Stars! Image by Steve Richard (www.steverichard.com)

We need your help to end domestic violence! Project Safe has teamed up with local Athens’ stars and dance instructors to bring us our own Dancing with the Stars competition. Voting is now open for your favorite dancing couple! Our very own, Ashley Epting, is dancing with Allison Hayn on March 6, 2011 at 7:00 at the Classic Center.

Ashley Epting and Allison Hayn (Photography by Wingate Downs)

It is vital for the Athens’ community to join together to help support the families and women in need of Project Safe’s services.

Project Safe is a lifeline for many individuals; whether they need a safe place to sleep away from their abusive partner, a protective order, a new set of clothes from the thrift store because they left home with only the clothes on their back, counseling or often times a fresh start. The facility provides childcare, college tuition, counseling and transportation, and outreach resources.

By November 30, 2010 they had already received 1823 crisis calls, assisted 1138 new clients at the outreach office and maintained a 94% occupancy at the emergency shelter.

It’s frightening to think this could be happening to our parents, children, friends, coworkers and relatives. Together we can put an end to domestic violence, by joining together to provide resources and strength to people who are in need of these services. Without the financial support for Project Safe, it’s hard to tell what might be in store for these individuals.

Every vote, every show ticket and every sponsorship dollar has a direct and meaningful impact on a woman or child trying to escape violence at home.

So please go to Project Safe’s website to vote for your favorite Dancing with the Stars’ Star. Remember you can vote more than once!! Buy your ticket now to see all of Athens’ favorites breaking it down, and we’ll see on March 6!

We thank you for your support!

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Vintage Green for Your Holiday Tree

“This holiday season try your hand at “Vintage Green”. Start a new holiday tradition by bringing back some old ones. Use Grandma’s old costume jewelry and raid the button jar to decorate the tree and create your own ornaments. Make a stocking to hang by adding some ribbons and bows to that one purple knee sock that has lost its mate. Incorporate fruit, nuts and candies into your holiday décor. That way, you can snack on the decorations or when the season is over you can throw it on the compost heap. Use those old magazines and scraps of wrapping paper to make folded paper ornaments, or revive some of the old family photos by turning them into ornaments with a festive paper frame. Get creative and have fun! Come up with your own way to keep tradition alive with “Vintage Green”.”

– Bart Scott and Leigh Frazier – Epting Events Floral Department

Our Arizona Blue Spruce tree is designed around the vintage green concept. For starters, the tree is sourced locally from a small tree farm five minutes up the road. Leigh and Bart took our old wedding magazines, and made origami ornaments, rolled the pages to make paper beads added with beads from Leigh’s grandmother’s collection to make a garland, and the tree is topped with an paper origami star. The tree is placed in an Amish country sleigh, Lee Epting purchased years ago in Pennsylvania at an auction. We also used the sleigh on our award-winning Christmas float this year (not to brag or anything).

Before you look at the pictures, let me again remind you I am not a professional photographer, and I could not be any more envious of those that are, especially while trying to capture the beauty of this tree!

Abby Buss Photography

Abby Buss Photography

And since my pictures unfortunately do not do this tree justice, you must now come eat at Harry’s and poke your head in!

We encourage you to look around your home, and see how can you use things you already have to make your home a little more festive for the holidays!

P.S. Stayed tuned for the blog post on how to tie beautifully amazing bows like Leigh Frazier!

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