In Your Next Occasion Catering, Chef Liz Hopkinson Combines Passions for Food, Wine and Entertaining.
BUSINESS
In her newly renovated historic location along Beaver Creek, chef / owner Liz Hopkinson has created a space where guests can gather to enjoy atmosphere, signature food and wine combinations, and good company.
A Perfect Pairing
In Your Next Occasion Catering, Chef Liz Hopkinson Combines Passions for Food, Wine and Entertaining.
by Kerri Corderman + photo by Chris Jackson
Picture slices of savory charcuterie next to a selection of local and international cheeses accompanied by a glass of smooth Pinot Noir. These are just a few items from the elegant menus designed by Liz Hopkinson, chef and proprietor of Your Next Occasion Catering & Beaver Creek Speak Easy. Matching food with wine is Liz’ s passion, and her goal in opening Your Next Occasion is to combine good food and good fun. Liz, who previously operated Palate Pleasers Catering and Cortland Mansion, was re-inspired after recently traveling to California and studying at the Perfect Pairing Culinary & Wine Sommelier School. She returned to the East Coast ready to use seasonal, fresh, local ingredients in traditional dishes reinvented with a twist— like her take on a traditional Maryland crab dish: a baby Blue Crab Cake with a corn bread round and Chesapeake aioli. Another popular item, she says, is a fois gras“ pop” that features a cherry on top.“ The way food is presented is signature,” says Liz.
Another important element Liz considers when designing her menus is incorporating ingredients grown locally in the Four-State region. She says she often goes to Hedge Apple Farms in Buckeystown for meats and frequents Mountain Valley Orchard in Smithsburg for fresh produce.“ The menu is very light and uses what the earth has to offer,” says Liz.“ It’ s very California-friendly.”
But menus are not the only thing Liz has been busy reinventing. She’ s spent the last year renovating a historic bed and breakfast on Beaver Creek Road to accommodate her catering business. The home, which Liz says was also once a speakeasy during the Prohibition era, has been fully rehabbed to provide indoor and outdoor event venues. The property features space for cocktail receptions, rehearsal dinners, business meetings, birthday parties, and private food and wine pairing dinner parties. Liz says people may not instinctively consider a space like a historic home for a group business gathering, but that it lends itself well to a relaxed, private space to meet.“ The space is very rustic-chic and features the natural elements of the historic home. It’ s very non-traditional in the sense that it’ s a pleasant atmosphere and is non-stuffy.” And for unique offsite events, Liz offers 3 Barrels for Your Next Occasion— a“ rolling vineyard” and food truck specializing in winefriendly foods.
The combination of Your Next Occasion, 3 Barrels and the Beaver Creek Speak Easy fulfills one of Liz’ s main goals in returning to the area: to create a place where people can enjoy themselves and temporarily forget the outside world. She says it’ s important to her to use her passion for food to make a difference in people’ s lives and help them find joy.“ The atmosphere, the food, the wine, the company is what makes our guests remember their experience,” says Liz.“ This allows for an event to be extraordinary and memorable.” §
Your Next Occasion Catering
301-730-1000 www. ynocatering. com
Hagerstown: The Best of Life in Washington County & Beyond March / April 2013 27