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Photo: Courtesy of Creative Edge Parties
NYC is a party Mecca with events ranging from small, stylish get-togethers to opulent soirees with mile-long guest lists. In a city that is renowned for being the standard for the trendy, the flashy and the bizarre, every event has to meet and exceed guests’ expectations.
Fortunately, the West Village catering and event planning company Creative Edge Parties prides itself on offering the best, most innovative services in party planning. The operation is headed by Carla Ruben who is part of the exclusive society of event industry innovators, The Chosen Few.
Ruben began her path to party planning greatness in her own kitchen more than 20 years ago when she first opened her catering company.
“I started it out of my studio apartment and I initially did all of the cooking. Then a friend of mine came and said, you know, ‘I can cook.’ and I said, ‘Yeah, we can do this, we’ll cook!’ Then it grew into a much, much bigger business and we really started to focus on the quality of the food, versus just making sure that the food was being kept hot. And that was a new message to the food and catering industry in New York. So that was the premise, which doesn’t sound that complicated but it wasn’t being done and people were taking those shortcuts. So I really focused on the food’s quality and really bringing restaurant-quality food to the event experience.”
Creative Edge also incorporates its refined and creative approach into the presentation of the food.
“I think that we were the first to really combine the importance of food and design presentation, so we put a lot emphasis into the way that we present the food. The first thing you do when you look at food is that you eat it with your eyes and then you put it in your mouth, so that sort of sets us apart.” says Ruben.
They even have a 10,000 square-foot design lab where chefs and designers work together to marry aesthetic and taste in a way that can please their varied cliental.
Another way that Ruben and her team remain versatile with their cuisine is through their Creative Edge Culinary Council; a global exchange program that allows top chefs from around the world to immerse themselves in the New York catering scene, while sharing their unique culinary artistry.
“We started the council as an exchange program for top chefs from around the world to come over and learn about catering in the United States,” Ruben explains, “And at the same time, it’s a really great way for my team to sort of stay on top of their game and to learn new techniques and trade recipes. It really keeps us at a restaurant-quality level.”
Creative Edge offers many other services to help clients with the daunting task of creating an exciting and unique New York event. Despite Ruben’s extended involvement in the catering game, she still strives to bring a fresh approach to every event.
“After 25 years, what really gets me excited every day is ‘Okay, how can I do this completely differently than yesterday?’”
Learn more about Ruben and other event industry greats on The Chosen Few’s website. You can also learn more about Creative Edge’s many catering and event planning services on website. True to the company’s brand, the website is visual, interactive and will definitely have you coming up with excuses to plan a fun catered celebration with them.
-by Johanna Silver