ACE Awards 2024: Catered Micro Event of the Year

Arkansas philanthropist and social media influencer, Cat Sims, co-hosted a dinner party with Vibrant Occasions in her home with some of her best content creator friends called Dinner on the River, to aid in raising funds for her latest campaign. Sims was chosen as a participant and dancer for the 2023 Dancing with Our Stars Gala in Little Rock, Arkansas to raise funds for the Arkansas Chapter of the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Dinner on the River served as her kick-off celebration for her latest journey for the organization and its mission.

Arkansas philanthropist and social media influencer, Cat Sims

Since there several fashion influencers and social media content creators in attendance the menu had to not only be delicious but also visually appealing for social media sharing. Chef Serge Krikorian with Vibrant Occasions Catering created a mouth-watering menu of the utmost sophistication for the affair. Stationary hors d’oeuvres were placed in the form of burrata, shrimp cocktail, hummus shooters and yogurt parfait with granola and fruit. The Vibrant Occasions staff then served passed hors d’oeuvres of tomato bisque, mini lox and bagel and cheese-stuffed mushrooms. The gourmet dinner started off with a first course, strawberry salad with fresh strawberries, cinnamon sugar-candied walnuts, grape tomatoes and feta crumbles, dressed with strawberry and white balsamic vinaigrette. The second course consisted of cabernet-braised beef short ribs, mashed Yukon Gold and roasted broccolini. Guests enjoyed blueberry mousse cake, baklava and blood orange mascarpone panna cotta for dessert.

Tomato bisque shooters

Chef’s kiss!

All photos courtes Lori Sparkman Photography

The place setting

Stationary hors d’oeuvres were placed in the form of burrata, shrimp cocktail, hummus shooters and yogurt parfait with granola and fruit

Shrimp cocktail

Hummus shooters 

Mini lox and bagel

 Yogurt parfait with granola and fruit

Cheese-stuffed mushrooms

The first course consisted of strawberry salad with fresh strawberries, cinnamon sugar-candied walnuts, grape tomatoes and feta crumbles, dressed with strawberry and white balsamic vinaigrette

The second course consisted of cabernet-braised beef short ribs, mashed Yukon Gold and roasted broccolini

Since there several fashion influencers and social media content creators in attendance the menu had to not only be delicious but also visually appealing for social media sharing

 Guests had the option of three different desserts, including a blueberry mousse cake

 Guests had the option of three different desserts, including a  blood orange mascarpone panna cotta 

 Guests had the option of three different desserts, including baklava

Submissions Now Open

It's once again time to celebrate the best of the best! Submissions are now being accepted for the Catersource 2025 Achievement in Catered Events awards (ACE)!  We invite you to submit your best work from the past year. Join in the excitement and the spirit of our industry as we celebrate the hard work and exceptional accomplishments of our peers.

The categories for 2025 are:

To submit an entry to this year's ACE awards, please visit our awards portal at https://ace-gala.awardsplatform.com/

Important Dates

If you are interested in entering in the Gala awards instead, you can enter the Special Event 2025 Gala awards in the same online portal as the ACE awards. Catersource + The Special Event will run February 24-27 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Both the ACE and Gala awards will be presented during the conference at a to-be-determined location in Fort Lauderdale.