You know you’ve succeeded in the catering
business when the rich and famous are feasting on your specialties.
So when Backstreet Boy Nick Carter asked for more tuxedo chicken
– fried chicken nuggets covered in black and white sesame seeds
and served with honey mustard sauce – Bruce Kessler, owner of
Brooklyn-based Julienne Catering company, knew he had created
a hit menu for the boy band’s June 14 "Never Gone"
record release party.
Famous clients, like the Backstreet Boys event at Manhattan’s
trendy nightclub Suede, make Kessler’s catering world seem larger
than life.
Open since September, Julienne Catering is the Carroll Gardens
branch of Kessler’s Manhattan-based, 6-year-old CEO (Catering
and Entertainment Organization) Group. Julienne’s bread-and-butter
comes from catering three or four times a week at various types
of venues, particularly A-list parties and concerts. Past events
have included parties for model-actress Grace Jones and pop group
the Black Eyed Peas, among many others.
"It’s hard to start a business in a residential neighborhood,"
Kessler told GO Brooklyn. "The core of my business is corporate
entertainment."
Although Julienne is nestled in Carroll Gardens, amid rows of
brick townhouses, its bright orange-and-blue color scheme, peeking
out from the corner of Clinton and Nelson streets, gives it away.
The colorful sign and awning let you know that you have arrived
at the right place – and not just somebody’s cheerfully decorated
front yard.
But in addition to being a catering company, Kessler’s new Clinton
Street outpost is also a cafe in the making. At the moment, there’s
no indoor seating, but the restaurant’s front patio, which can
squeeze in 10 guests, is open to the public during the summer
months. The bright-blue swing chair is a crowd favorite.
"Mothers with newborns love it," said Kessler of the
vintage metal swing, which, he said, he found three blocks away.
The mismatched, worn-out tables and chairs, and the blue carpet
underneath, are put together in a way that gives the bright and
sunny patio a trendy, artsy vibe that’s cozy, too.
"I want to have a SoHo feel and bring it to Brooklyn while
maintaining a neighborhood atmosphere," said the owner.
Things weren’t always so bright and sunny for Kessler. His catering
business, which was once located blocks away from the World Trade
Center, lost between $150,000 and $200,000 in the year following
the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Kessler estimated.
Upon receiving long-awaited government aid, Kessler moved CEO
to 580 Broadway in SoHo before opening the Brooklyn location
and turning the Manhattan office into an event-planning company.
He named his catering company and cafe after his girlfriend’s
7-year-old son, Julien. He modified the name into a French culinary
term by attaching the "-ne" at the end. (To julienne
vegetables is to slice them into small sticks.)
Relaxing in Julienne’s front garden with soothing jazz tunes
in the background – Kessler’s current music of choice – while
nibbling on a fresh salad or a tasty sandwich, makes for a perfect
way to spend a lazy summer afternoon. And every Sunday, from
1 pm to 4 pm, a jazz guitarist, Shogo Kubo, provides live entertainment.
Kessler chose to focus on serving foods he loves; Julienne’s
menu consists primarily of bistro food with a touch of Asian
and Latin flavor. He says that although he’s not labeling his
cafe a health food place, his products are made from fresh ingredients.
"Fresh Food Fast!" is the company’s motto.
In addition to breakfast basics like muffins, hot oatmeal and
a wide range of omelets, Julienne offers soups, ciabatta bread
sandwiches, paninis, quesadillas, and specialties like the chorizo
in puff pastry with Dijon mustard or chicken porcupines (cubed
chicken lightly fried with sliced almonds) and served with honey
mustard. And let’s not forget sweets, such as mini cheesecakes
or Julien’s favorite, freshly baked cookies.
For their catering events, Julienne has a special menu featuring
a vast selection of hors d’oeuvres that includes barbecue chicken
with crumpled Stilton in blue-corn shells, smoked turkey, hummus-stuffed
mini pitas, sweet potato fritters with creme fraiche and, that
Backstreet Boy favorite, tuxedo chicken.
The buffet dinner menu offers grilled chicken served three different
ways. It can be prepared with pesto cream, portobello mushrooms
and white asparagus or Provencal-style with tomatoes, olives
and capers. Cajun-style grilled chicken with crispy shallots
and peppercorn cream is also an option. Vegetarian selections,
grilled salmon or tuna and herb-roasted Cornish hen are represented
as well. Julienne’s specialty food station menu features three
different types of cuisines: "When in Rome," "Southwestern
Tex-Mex Fiesta" and "Mediterranean Mezze Bar."
The menu is sweetened with cream puffs, Napoleons, eclairs and
other finger pastries, along with strawberry-, blueberry- and
chocolate-swirl mini cheesecakes, chocolate and walnut brownies
and cookies with chocolate chips, peanut butter chunks, oatmeal
and raisins, or macadamia nuts.
That Tuesday, Julienne Catering satisfied Backstreet Boy appetites
twice in the same day, having provided its services earlier in
the day at an event sponsored by Teen People magazine in honor
of the members of the band, which once claimed a fan base of
hundreds of thousands of screaming teenagers. For the party celebrating
the release of their comeback, "Never Gone," the Backstreet
Boys’ choice of hors d’oeuvres included spicy tuna, salmon and
California sushi rolls, bite-size phyllo dough cups stuffed with
portobello mushrooms, spinach and feta cheese, assorted bruschetta,
vegetarian spring rolls and Florida crab cakes with sunshine
aioli, made with lemon, ginger, garlic and a food coloring tint
to give it the "sunshine" hue. The dinner was served
buffet-style and it featured, among other things, grilled chicken
and salmon.
But you don’t have to be a star to eat like one in Brooklyn.
If you can’t manage to get a seat in the limited outdoor garden,
Julienne’s crew of five employees will prepare your food to go.
Or get it delivered anywhere in Carroll Gardens or Red Hook.
(Although Kessler mostly caters corporate parties and entertainment
events – feeding an average of 300 mouths at a time, he makes
deliveries to local residents for orders of $10 or more.)
And come winter, he intends to turn the front patio into an enclosed,
heated garden. Kessler’s plans for the future include expanding
the Julienne cafe and opening a restaurant and wine bar either
at the same location or elsewhere in the neighborhood. But one
thing is certain: Kessler wants to stay in Brooklyn.
Said the Boerum Hill resident, "I’m committed to Brooklyn,
because my roots are here."
Julienne Catering (543 Clinton St. at
Nelson Street in Carroll Gardens) is open Tuesday through Friday,
from 8 am to 7 pm, and Saturday and Sunday, from 10 am to 6 pm.
Sandwiches: $5-$7.50. To order, call (718) 935-1161. Catering
menu prices range between $18 and $28 per person for hors d’oeuvres,
depending on number of guests and items selected. Buffet dinner
starts at $29 per guest and includes an entree, side, salad and
dessert. For more information visit www.juliennecatering.com.
For special events planning call (212) 334-5454.
