Take the Cake and Ricci & Company: The Delicious Truth
At Michelle Durpetti Events we LOVE our sweets, whether it be peppermint patties or dark chocolate with almonds, we can’t get enough! That’s why we’re so excited to give you the scoop on two of our vendors for An Evening in Eden that will always satisfy your sweet tooth! Chris Rebollo of Ricci & Company and Mary Winslow of Take the Cake dish about what it is like to work in this delicious field.
First up, Mary Winslow tells us all about her favorite creations Take the Cake has produced:
What’s your favorite kind of cake?
My favorite kind of cake would have to be chocolate fudge cake with salted caramel filling and crème brulée!
What is the most elaborate cake you’ve done and what made it so over the top?
We did a five foot wedding cake where the separations were trimmed with a variation of blue crystal prisms that were illuminated from behind.
Next, Chris Rebollo gives us a dose of the family history behind Ricci & Company:
What led you to your craft?
Ricci and Company was founded by my great-grandfather in 1919 and I am proud to say that we are still family run and owned today. I was literally born into the business (I am 4th generation), as my mom jokes from a cashew barrel. We still pride ourselves today with supplying both our retail and wholesale customers with a consistent high quality product. We’ve been at the same location in River North for over 90 years.
Imagine Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. If you were on a tour of the Ricci & Company factory, what nut would you sacrifice the final prize for?
Although we are not as magical and fun as Willy’s place, we offer great tasting and fresh products which have been putting smiles on people’s faces for over 90 years. If I had to sacrifice the final prize it would have to be for our Chocolate Covered Cashews. I can’t seem to grow sick of them and I still sneak a few every day.
Since Ricci & Co. has been nice enough to supply our sample candy table at our launch event we wanted to share with you some tips we’ve come across while designing our candy table that will hopefully help all of you in the future!
1. Apothecary jars (or other containers) can be incredibly large so to save money on candy for the “display” elements of the table (the candy that guests will not get to dive into) try inserting a styrofoam center and filling candy AROUND it.
2. Buy candy in bulk! You can get some great deals on custom M&Ms and other delicious treats if you skip the bag and purchase per pound!
3. Use candy containers that are less typical like shovels and pails for a beach themed wedding. Don’t be afraid to make your candy table stand out!
- Apothecary Jars @ Smitten Boutique: 10 for $200
- Chocolate Covered Cashews @ Ricci & Co.: $5.75 per pound
- Beach Pail and Shovel @ Birthday in a Box: 1 set for $4.29
As always, we are so grateful to all the vendors who are helping us make An Evening in Eden as great as it can be and we really appreciate all the unique (and yummy) attributes they bring to the table! Visit us again to hear about some vendors that are cool as ice!
