Are you planning an end-of-summer bash? A Labor Day party? Are you gearing up for some tailgating? If so, consider taking the pressure off by calling the caterer.
Countryside Meats & Deli, 781 Highgrove Place, Rockford, has always been in the business of catering and can provide everything you need – including the grill and the cook – or you can pick up the food and serve it yourself.
Julie Edwards, catering manager at Countryside, says the most important thing is to set a time and date, even before deciding the number of people and what’s on the menu.
Edwards’ specialty is helping people to plan events and to know how much food to order. Numerous factors must be taken into consideration.
“You just have to make an educated guess and it’s always better to have too much food than not enough. Our food is made fresh to order, so leftovers will be good in the refrigerator for a few days,” she says.
Cheesy potatoes, barbecued pork, Italian beef and a variety of pasta and vegetable salads are among best sellers, but people have a nearly endless variety of foods from which to choose at countrysidemeat.com.
There’s a breakfast/brunch menu with egg, sausage or French toast casseroles, a choice of quiche, an assortment of pastries, fresh fruit, bacon and a sausage apple ring.
Buffet menus feature roast beef, hickory-smoked ham, baked chicken, turkey breast, Italian beef, lasagna, mostaccioli, meatballs, six varieties of potatoes, beans and vegetables. There’s a hot and cold hors d’oeuvres menu, a wide choice of party trays with meat, shrimp, vegetables, sausage and cheese, relishes, and fresh fruit, in various sizes. The dessert menu includes cookies, brownies, turtle bars, lemon bars, cheesecake and carrot cake squares, and dipped strawberries. There’s also an assortment of dinner rolls to choose among and several picnic packages for outdoor fun.
“We love what we do and always try to be as accommodating as possible,” says Edwards.
For more information, call Countryside at (815) 399-8660. ❚