Hazy Meadow Ranch, a hidden jem of Lakeside.

Many San Diegoans have heard of Hazy Meadow Carriage company, they have been providing horse drawn carriages for weddings in the area for the past 20 years.  What many don’t know is that Linda Hayes has turned her ranch in to an amazing wedding and event venue. Set in the mountains of Lakeside, this venue provides a completely private and serene setting for your wedding or corporate event.

I could not get over the gorgeous views of the massive mountains and blue sky all contrasting against the lush grounds, Linda has thought of everything! Starting at around $2,000 for the day, Linda provides a well groomed lawn, a house with bride and grooms quarters ( complete with pool table and black jack!), horse drawn carriage, parking, restrooms, the ceremony site and reception site. Guest will never forget your wedding as Linda has made Hazy Meadow adorable. Check out the cute western themed housed, what great photo opts! Linda has even strung cute ping-pong lighting through-out the trees, making it very romantic at night – you can actually see the stars here !

I really think this venue would be great for a casual do-it-yourself indie wedding or a grand wedding with a southern slant, or even a corporate ho-down. Hazy Meadow has hosted parties as small as 50 upto 450! If you get a chance, you must meet with Linda and talk a walk around the area. When you do you may stumble among a wild peacock or two. If you contact them, please mention that Eco Caters sent you!

The Los Angeles Catering Division of Eco Caters loves this Mid-Century Modern Eco-Friendly Catering Venue

Marrakesh House is a spectacular eco-friendly venue on a secluded hillside in Culver City. The 4,300 square foot Mid-Century Modern stunner is threaded with Moroccan design and contains several ideal indoor/outdoor settings for weddings, rehearsal dinners, cocktail parties, corporate events and other social gatherings.   The venue can seat up to 150 guests seated and upwards of 300 for cocktail parties

The number of green elements infused into the house are endless! To start, the solar-paneled roof, powered by Mitsubishi Electric,  produces enough energy to supply approximately 60% of the house’s electricity.  Dig deeper and you’ll find all the wood used in the house is FSC certified (Forest Stewardship Council).

A two panel solar thermal array which can heat water for four people on average and an on-demand hot water heater is used in the kitchen.  The cabinets in the kitchen and bar are made of FSC formaldehyde-free bamboo and toilets in the house are low-flow to reduce water consumption.

Step outside of the Morocco-themed rooms and you’ll find the the organic living food garden.  The three-season garden, designed by Christy Wilhelmi, is filled with a variety of edible plants, housed in wood planters post-consumer milk crates. An organic garden wouldn’t be complete without a compost bin, worm bin, and chicken coop. The Marrakesh house has it all!

You can tour the property by contacting Laura Gatewood at laura@firecircle.com.  They are available for tours Monday through Friday 11am – 6pm and Saturday 11am – 4pm.

Some “Good to Know” Venue Information

• Fantastic interior 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound
• Two projectors and screens perfect for presentations, slideshows, and screenings
• Beautifully landscaped grounds and organic garden
• Side Stone Terrace overlooks Los Angeles and the Santa Monica mountains
• Back lawn features a gorgeous artisan teahouse
• Azure courtyard wired for 5800 watts doubles as a spacious dance floor
• Easy off-site parking and shuttle services for large events

Eco Caters, Los Angeles Catering Division, recommends Wright Ranch Malibu – “Where the ocean meets the sky” – for any event from photo shoots to weddings.

Wright Ranch offers the ultimate Santa Monica Mountains atmosphere – specializing in chaparral, mature oaks, magnificent sandstone rock formations, unsurpassed views of the Malibu mountains and coastline. Also includes a picturesque pond and an earth tone concrete house-in-progress designed by Eric Lloyd Wright that can be utilized in a multitude of ways. Ample parking and privacy.

This Malibu Catering location is fantastic for its complete privacy, elegant natural beauty and versatility – perfect for a gathering of friends, a meditation retreat, a music concert or a corporate meeting. Their facilities also includes a prayer wheel overlooking the Pacific and an outdoor deck with outdoor kitchen and two restrooms.  Great way to save some money on rentals.

Many couples choose to marry on their sacred prayer wheel (pictured above) overlooking the ocean, while others might want to say their vows next to the picturesque pond or the famous “split rock.” Move to the outdoor gathering deck for your reception, or linger for hors d’oeuvres while taking in the breathtaking panoramic ocean view. We love their outdoor kitchen and seating area with west facing mountain view.

A couple important items to know: Seating is 200/250 people maximum.  The parking lot holds 100 to 125 cars.

http://www.wrightranchmalibu.com/Wright_Ranch/Home.html

Smog Shoppe – LA’s Greenest Urban Oasis – Los Angeles Catering Needs

Smog Shoppe is a 6,500 square foot, solar powered urban oasis located in Culver City with a plethora of plants, gardens, vintage furnishings and eco-friendly features, which pair great with our Los Angeles catering company. Using less energy than a two bedroom home and with over 90% of Green salvaged and locally produced materials, Smog Shoppe supports green events and will introduce clients to green caterers, planners, stylists and other resources. Similar to Marvimon, this space can be used for anything from a production studio to a community center. Built out of an old automotive center in a central location, Smog Shoppe can be accessed by bike or public transport. If you are looking for one of the most sustailably designed green venues in the United States for any sort of eco-friendly green event, consider Smog Shoppe for your event. And if you are looking for one of the most organic, local http://www.smogshoppe.com/.

Eco Caters has been doing organic catering events at the Smog Shoppe for a while now and we are a perfect match.  Eco-friendly, high end, modern yet rustic could describe both Eco Caters and the Smog Shoppe.  What the attracts the Smog Shoppe customers to Eco Caters is our philosophy and our great tasting well thought out menus.  So if your event is being held at the Smog Shoppe, the greenest venue for Los Angeles catering, then consider Eco Caters, the greenest caterer, for all organic catering sourced from local farms.

Marvimon is an exquisite eco-friendly venue in downtown Los Angeles open to events, exhibitions, productions and fine living. Seven thousand square feet and a versitility like none other makes it possible for any type of event- from a production studio to a gallery. This centrally located space is convinient to access from any type of public transport and is actually a reinvented, almost abandoned old building. In addition to this, Marvimon Productions strives to be energy efficient by utilizing as much sunlight as possible, and in 2008 will be solar powered making it quite an amazing green venue. It supports green, eco friendly events and of course, recycles. So if you are an eco friendly company looking for a fantastic venue, or just a company looking to go a little greener, consider Marvimon Productions. Check it out at http://www.marvimon.com/.

Eco Caters has been providing organic catering events at the Marvimon and it has become a great partnership between a green and organic catering company and a green venue.  In addition to just being green, both of us are very modern and high end, making our clients very much aligned.  We hope to do many more green events at the Marvimon and will recommend this venue to all of our Los Angeles clients!  If your are considering the Marvimon for your next event then consider Eco Caters to provide all organic catering.

Eco Caters, an Organic Catering company, provided fresh food for a beautiful outdoor event.

Although this event was held in January, San Diego was still warm enough for guest to enjoy this outdoor venue. The menu was a lovely mix of winter comfort foods. Guest started with a savory Winter Greens Salad with Apple, Walnuts, Feta and Pear Vinaigrette. The Organic buffet served Herb Roasted Chicken, Roasted Salmon with Garlic, Thyme and Lemon, Julienne Squash and Carrots, Truffled Smashed Potatoes, and White Rice.

After the meal guest walked the grounds of this Coronado staple.  The Coronado Community Center features  space to have your entire wedding either indoors or out, or both! Newlyweds can enjoy a quick walk to the beach front for amazing post-ceremony pictures, while guest enjoy a real California experience. This venue also had state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment for conferences and meetings. All tables, chairs and dance floors come with the price of the venue rental!

If you are looking for a unique outdoor/indoor venue this could be the spot. Read more about it here.

On Spetember 13 Eco Caters brought a taste of Eco Caters to the Quail Botanical Gardens, one of San Diego’s premier eco-friendly venues, yearly fundraiser – the Gala in the Gardens. The event is Quail’s major fundraiser for the year. We are one of Quail’s top caterers because of our dedication to the environment and serving healthy organic food. You can find out more info about Quail at http://www.qbgardens.org/.  We recommend their beautiful space for your next green event or for any event in which you looking for a scenic floral backdrop.

On the menu were 2 organic raw vegan hors de oeuvres and one seafood option. We served fresh cucumber cups with mango, jicama, lime and chili powder which is always a big hit at every event. Next we had some organic cherry tomatoes from Tutti Fruitti farms stuffed with raw cashew cheese. This was great to give everyone a little taste of something different and to satisfy the raw vegans in the crowd. Finally we served up our signature hors de oeuvre – seafood sausage with homemade spicy mustard and radish sprouts. This is made with shrimp, scallops and dover sole and served on a water cracker.

The event went very well. Everyone enjoyed our fresh, organic food and a lot of people signed up to receive our monthly recipe email. If you are interested in getting our monthly organic recipe please send us an email at info@ecocaters.com and we will add you to the list.

Quail Gardens and Eco Caters have formed quite a nice partnership over the past 2 years and we will continue to provide organic catering to the clients who are looking for great tasting cuisine for their next event at Quail.