Redirecting to Blue Plate Building

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Founded in 1983, Blue Plate (www.blueplatechicago.com) has come to be one of the most respected and innovative full-service catering operations in the country. Regarded for superb cuisine, world-class venues and unfailingly courteous service, Blue Plate offers a full range of upscale catering services to meet the needs of top corporate, social and non-profit clients.


Based in Chicago, Blue Plate creates more than 4,500 special events annually, from intimate cocktail parties to elaborate galas for thousands. It is the caterer of choice for hundreds of top corporations, cultural institutions and non-profit foundations. On any given day, Blue Plate serves up to 10,000 guests in two dozen locations.


Blue Plate also owns and operates Rhapsody, the critically acclaimed restaurant at Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Symphony Center.


INTERNAL OVERVIEW

Blue Plate’s home is based in a 13,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility. With more than 500 employees, the kitchen is comprised of 75 chefs named among America's best for impeccable cuisine and imaginative presentations. Many of Blue Plate’s chefs have honed their skills in top restaurant kitchens including Spago, Four Seasons, Charlie Trotter's, Rhapsody and Caliterra.


KEY FIGURE

Jodi Fyfe, president, is a highly regarded, 17-year industry veteran, and is a true visionary and business leader. In less than four years, she expertly led the company’s successfully rebranding into four distinct and highly profitable divisions. She created a multi-tiered team ensuring quick and creative responses to clients’ varied and unique needs. Also, she implemented unprecedented training programs resulting in the company consistently achieving its most profitable years.


FACTS AND FIGURES

Blue Plate is home to four separate divisions:


Events by Blue Plate offers a full range of contemporary catering and event services to meet the needs and standards of a diverse group of corporate and social clients.


Weddings by Blue Plate is a team of professional catering and event planning professionals solely devoted to the business of weddings. These experts can bring together every detail, from gourmet cuisine to photography, floral and décor, all in the city's most picturesque settings.


Direct by Blue Plate is dedicated to offering gourmet food right to your door. The drop-off service is a time- and cost-effective approach to catering and includes breakfast favorites, boxed lunches and gourmet buffets for gatherings in the office or home.


Event and Meeting Planning by Blue Plate (e.m.p.) brings to each client a highly experienced team of meeting planners and consultants, time-tested systems, specialized project management tools and other state-of-the-art technologies to plan, coordinate and manage every detail of a corporate event, convention or conference.


EVENTS

In the past year, Blue Plate has hosted:


Tickled Pink, an annual fund-raiser, hosted by Blue Plate for more than 900 guests and celebrity bartenders. It raised around $30,000 for the Y-ME RACE Against Breast Cancer.


Toyota’s Employee Gala in the 24.5-acre Millennium Park, hosted 6,000 employees who enjoyed fondue, “shooters and spoons,” and “Best of the Midwest” small plates. The late night dessert was a pistachio mousse cake and mango-coconut cream in chocolate cups.


Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Women’s Association Corporate Night included lavish cocktails and a seated dinner for 120 corporations on eight floors included three distinct menus prepared in 10 kitchens. Dishes included free-form maki, gazpacho with skewered caprese served in a martini glasses and veal skirt with seared scallops was served.


The Field Museum’s Annual Gala was a King Tut themed-bash in 2006 that had pyramid tents, palm trees and sultry floral displays. The menu offered mummy-wrapped shrimp and individual gold-dusted King Tut chocolate molds filled with mousse.


Chicago Cares’ Serve-A-Thon was held in Grant Park and distributed boxed lunches to 10,000 volunteers participating in the largest community service project.


Make-A-Wish 20th Anniversary Gala was a whimsical evening held under the stars in Millennium Park and surpassed attendance and fund-raising goals.


Allstate’s 75th Anniversary hosted more than 3,000 guests, who celebrated the company’s anniversary throughout three consecutive bashes. The parties included a Roaring ‘20s Welcome Reception at Union Station, the National Conference Gala in Millennium Park and a Multicultural Farewell Dinner at The Field Museum.


COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Blue Plate strongly believes in the importance of giving back to the community. Employees spend significant time with the following organizations that are close to Blue Plate’s heart:


The Hephzibah Children’s Association is a private non-profit agency that cares for children and families. Services include: child welfare, foster care, short-term and long-term housing shelter and family support programs. Blue Plate helps Hephzibah carry out its mission by providing support and in-kind donations including sponsoring and hosting monthly activities with the children, holiday toy drives and parties, birthday celebrations and fundraising events.


The Make-A-Wish Foundation® has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. The Foundation's mission reflects the life-changing impact that a Make-A-Wish® experience has on children, families, referral sources, donors, sponsors, and entire communities. Blue Plate supports by providing in-kind donations including sponsoring and hosting activities with the children, holiday toy drives and parties, birthday celebrations and the annual Make-A-Wish Gala.


Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization ensures, through information, empowerment and peer support, that no one faces breast cancer alone. Blue Plate employees and friends participate in “Carrie’s Crusade,” a team for the RACE Against Breast Cancer, in honor of Jodi Fyfe’s cousin Carrie Kenney, who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2004. In addition, Blue Plate hosts an annual, trendy fundraiser in February called Tickled Pink, which raises money for the RACES.


Chicago Cares is a leader in volunteerism for the city. It provides an opportunity for individuals and businesses to improve the Chicago community through creative, structured group volunteer programs designed to address Chicago's most pressing needs. Blue Plate is a supporter of the Chicago Cares’ Annual Serve-a-Thon, Celebration of Service, Star Awards and THE Event.


AWARDS

Blue Plate was named a “Top 50 Event Planning Company” in the nation by Special Events Magazine in 2006.