The Hungry Olive gets dressed up for the holiday season!

The Hungry Olive is getting ready for the holiday season with jars and bags of your favourite items to take home. All of our jellies, jams, chutneys, and rubs are made in-house, and we offer only freshly roasted whole bean coffee from the Waterloo Coffee Company. We use many of the jams and jellies in our deli sandwiches or as spreads and dips for our signature canapes.

Items coming soon:

Spice and seasoning mixes
Grilling rubs and marinades
Wine jelly
Traditional Christmas cake
Themed gift baskets - coffee, culinary, and barbecue

Stop by the Hungry Olive at 35 Cherry Blossom Road in Cambridge to see our selection.

Souper Sampler in Cambridge

On Saturday October 23, 2010, Select Service participated in the Mayor's Souper Sampler to benefit Meals on Wheels. Chef Kelvin prepared our signature smoked corn chowder, which won an honourable mention from the panel of judges. Thanks to the great support from the people of Cambridge, Souper Sampler raised almost $8,000 in support of Meals and Wheels and More.

See the article the Cambridge Times wrote about this event here
Pictured in the article picture are Victoria and Kelvin from Select Service, ladling out soup to guests.

Country rustic themed wedding at Buffalo Farm in Cambridge

Congratulations Danielle and Dave! On Saturday September 25, 2010, Select Service catered their wedding and reception for about 200 guests at Buffalo Farm in Cambridge. Following the ceremony, guests were treated to signature lemonade cocktails in mason jars along with passed canapes. The cocktail hour featured a wine tasting table, cigar rolling station, and photo booth. Dinner was a food station buffet with braised short ribs, beef tenderloin, Saltimbocca chicken, risotto cakes, a made-to-order pasta station, and refreshing salads. Dessert included the couples' cupcakes (some available in gluten-free), as well as an assortment of individual pies, tarts, and turnovers. The late night tables were the real showstopper, featuring a retro candy buffet, sugar cereal bar, mini slider burgers, mini Pogos, KFC, freshly popped theatre style popcorn, caramel apples, and cotton candy. Rental items, linens, and tent were provided by Affair Rentals. A big thank you to Whitney from Bliss Events for her outstanding work as lead wedding planner.

The tables were set up communal-style, a nice change from traditional round tables

Each place setting included a copy of the full menu, so guests could look forward to the treats ahead

The centrepieces included baskets of apples (to feed the horses), and mason jars with red, yellow, and orange flowers

Two stuffed buffaloes framed the head table. Real buffalo could be seen out in the fields

Napkin rolls with custom-printed bands and a stalk of wheat complete the table setting


Our team gets ready for dinner by pouring wine and water for guests as they are seated. Pouring at the table ensures everyone is taken care of, and there are fewer opened and unfinished bottles than if bottles were placed the table


Pies and tarts set out on the dessert buffet station


Catherine attends the cupcake display to direct guests to their favourite flavour. The high heel shoes were gluten-free, and cowboy boats were the regular cupcakes


Tammy helps guests at the coffee and tea station. We kept it open all night to fuel the party, and provided to-go cups for guests to take a cup on the way home.


The full bar inside the barn (limited bars with beer and wine only were available inside the tent from two horse stalls. Regular and pink lemonade were available to mix with cocktails, and pretzels and curried nuts were provided at the bar for snacks in between drinks.

A photo booth was set up all night long for guests to take candid shots for the couple

The inside of the barn, where the ceremony and the dance were held. Chandeliers provided a touch of glamour to the rustic setting.

The late night sugar cereal bar, featuring Cap'n Crunch, Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes, Alpha Bits, Reese Puffs, Lucky Charms, Corn Pops, and Sugar Crisp.

Colourful bowls and a milk dispenser completed the fun late night help-yourself

Late night retro candy buffet, complete with small cellophane bags for guests to fill and take home. In the background, you can see the favour table with boxes fill with house-made donut holes for the trip home.

The buffet featured Tootsie Pops, Flying Saucers, Wax Lips, Love Hearts, candy necklaces, Twizzlers, gum balls, Rockets, Fun Dips, and Lifesaver mints


The popcorn station, freshly popped in front of guests.


The candy floss station, with cones of cotton candy set up in mason jars for guests to take, alongside caramel apples.

Vote for us in the Cambridge Times Reader's Choice Awards!

Select Service Caterers has been nominated for three categories in the Cambridge Time Readers Choice Awards for 2010! Register to vote for us HERE

We've been nominated in the following categories:

-Best Catering Company - Select Service Caterers of Fine Foods Inc.
-Best People - Chef - Kelvin Lewin
-Best Sandwiches - Local - The Hungry Olive

Thank you for your support! Voting is open from Friday September 24 until Sunday October 3.

August 28, 2010 wedding at Victoria Park Pavilion

Congratulations Melissa and Nick! On August 28, 2010 they tied the knot at Victoria Park Pavilion with 98 of their friends and family. The room was decorated with refreshing citrus colours, a perfect backdrop for the late summer wedding. Chair covers and sashes were provided by Decorating Dreams.

The centrepieces tied in to the colour theme with lemons and limes

One of the passed canapes offered during the cocktail reception - our signature fresh spring rolls with sweet chili dip

Pink lemonade and classic iced tea were available for guests to help themselves

Katharina balances a tray of wine as she heads back out to the reception. As you can see from the salad plates behind her, the small kitchen space included at the Pavilion is no problem for Select Service - we make our own kitchen space in the hallway.

The guests are all seated for dinner - a choice of chicken or vegetarian was offered. Melissa made paper carrots to identify the vegetarians at each table - a different take on the traditional coloured sticker system, and very easy for our staff to get the right meal to the right person.

Catherine and Jonathan are ready at the bar.

A pie buffet was offered for dessert, featuring chocolate ganache, berry, strawberry rhubarb, apple streusal, pecan, and lemon.

Tammy attends the pie buffet to offer ice cream on the side. Coffee and tea were available for guests to take back to their table and fix up just the way they like it.

A traditional late night selection with cheese and fruit was brought out at 10:30.


Tammy creates cappuccinos to order alongside the cheese display for guests who were dancing the night away.

Stand-up Reception with Passed Canapes at Victoria Park Pavilion

An elegant alternative to the traditional sit-down dinner for your wedding, stand-up receptions allow your guests to try a variety of flavours and tastes all in one meal. For a meal replacement (a reception held over the dinner hour), you'll want to choose 10-12 different types to offer your guests. You'll have fun choosing the best menu to serve at your event, we have more than 200 different canapes available, and we're always creating new ones. Our staff walk them around to all of your guests so no one is missed, and everything is served fresh from the oven, or is assembled on site at your event.

Joseph models the miniature pizzas with tomato, thyme, and Parmesan

Chicken satays with spicy peanut sauce are just about ready to go out

Cherry tomatoes stuffed with artichoke, basil, and garlic

A great space for a stand-up reception. We added high bar tables at one end to encourage guests to stand and mingle, and place a few tables and chairs at the other end for limited guest seating.

Our signature Premium Coffee and Tea Station, complete with rock candy demitasse sticks

Wedding brunch

On Sunday August 22, we catered a relaxed day-after wedding brunch for about 60 guests.  Held inside the host’s home, we set up a buffet table in the dining room with breakfast pastries, salads, sliced deli meats, and fresh fruit.  In the kitchen, we created a live-action omelette bar accompanied with breakfast sausages, bacon, and home fries.  A great way to wind down after the big day with your friends and family.

 

Taste Local! Taste Fresh!

Join us on Sunday September 19 for the Taste Local! Taste Fresh! festival. Local restaurants are paired up with local food suppliers to create tempting 2-bite appetizers that showcase the amazing food available in our region. This is our third year supporting this great event, and this year we are paired up with Gillespie Garden, a farm store in Cambridge.

Tickets are still on sale for this event, but only 400 are available, and last year they were sold out. If you buy your tickets before August 31, they are $65, and they are $75 from September 1.

This year the event will be held at Riverside Meadows Park, in St Jacobs from 2-5. We hope to see you there!

Summer barbecue buffet at Hauser Hall

Our popular barbecue buffet with chilled salads presented for 60 guests at Hauser Hall in August 2010. The buffet was set up to be double-sided to avoid the line-up that often happens with a traditional buffet. Our granite slab is used on the buffet in place of a traditional chaffing dish to keep the meats hot.

Janeth is busy getting everything ready for the meal. We cook on-site at every event, so we arrive in the afternoon to set up our kitchen space and start cooking before your guests arrive.

Erika and Imogen are ready for guests to enjoy the buffet.


"T" shaped buffet allows guests to serve themselves from both sides. Labels were included with every item, and our team attends the buffet to answer any questions.


Juicy strip loin, sesame and soya chicken skewers, cedar planked salmon, baby potato skewers, and grilled summer vegetable skewers.


Plating for dessert. The menu featured a buffet dinner and served dessert, classic strawberry shortcake.

Moroccan themed buffet

A buffet dinner for 60 people held at the host's home, featuring a Moroccan themed menu. We roasted a Mechoui lamb roast on a spit during the afternoon, and the menu featured chicken with olives and preserved lemon, carrot and raisin salad, orange and date salad, exotic spiced cous cous salad, layered tomato and cucumber salad, and apple and quinoa salad.