Our next Full Moon Dinner is July 19th – call 340-777-5464 for reservations!
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Recap : Brugal Carnival Rum Dinner
Saturday, July 2nd, St John Catering teamed up with Glazer’s Premier Distributors to host a Brugal Rum Dinner, and it was so much fun! Below, check out some pictures of the event and a recap of the menu and drink pairings:
We kicked things off with an amuse of Arepa Salad & Tropical Salsa, paired with Brugal Extra Dry Papa Dobles with a Kombucha float
The first course was a Plantain Gazpacho with Conch Ceviche and Coconut Creme Fraiche, paired with a Brugal Extra Anejo Banana Daquiri
The second course was a Mofongo Tamale with Softshell Crab Tempura and Sofrito, paired with Brugal XV Chicha Sangria
Third, Red Snapper with Arroz Morada and Windy Level Salad, paired with a Brugal 1888 Rum Swizzle
The fourth course consisted of Rack of Lamb, Callaloo, and a Garbanzo Dumpling, paired with Brugal Anejo Mamajuana
And the dessert course was Casava Beignets with “Nature Island” Spices and housemade Caramel Rum Sauce, paired with Siglo de Oro with Toasted Coconut Ice and Housemade Coffee Liqueur
We will be featuring a recipe from this dinner on our website (www.stjohncatering.com) – stay tuned to see which one it is!
Going Vegan For The Summer Solstice Full Moon
Last night was special for a lot of reasons, not least of which was the crazy delicious menu that Chef Jeh Roberts orchestrated for our June Full Moon Wine Dinner. Chef Jeh’s daughter Roshan joined us for her first Full Moon Dinner (no wine!), and the free shuttle accommodated all of our St Thomas guests (thanks for making the trip over, STT friends!). Combine the Summer Solstice, a full moon, and a six course wine pairing, and you’ve got all the makings of an amazing night on St John!
The first course was “Fire” themed, and featured Spinach-Quinoa Stuffed Local Flavor Pepper, Socca Cake, Vegan Aioli, and our own Windy Level Hot Sauce. It was paired with a 2015 Montes Outer Limits Sauvignon Blanc
The second course was “Vivacity” themed: an Organic Salad Bundle, Pickled Vegetables, Almond Pate, and Popped Sorghum. It was paired with a 2015 Montes Cherub Rose. This course was plated at each table by Chef Jeh, and then tables served themselves “family style” from the center.
For the third course, our guests enjoyed a “Water” theme: Kelp Noodles with Tsunomata, Smoked Vegetable Broth, Dried Vegetables and Cornmeal Croutons. The pairing was a 2013 Montes Alpha Chardonnay.
The fourth course was “Conservation” – Beet, Sweet Potato, and Bao, paired with a 2014 Montes Outer Limits Pinot Noir
Our fifth course was “Earth” – Vegetable Terrine with Tri-Color Hummus and Mushroom “Soil”, paired with a 2013 Montes Purple Angel Carmenere.
The final course, “Wind”, featured Raindrop Cake with Fruit, Nuts, and Honey. It was paired with Montes Sparkling Angel Brut.
Here at St John Catering, we take pride in the produce our garden provides, an in using as much locally sourced produce as possible. Chef Jeh’s leadership and experience creating vegan menus was a huge asset to the team as we put together this Full Moon Dinner experience.
Our giveaway this month was our Windy Level hot sauce, which we like to call “Wind Burn”… we’d also like to congratulate Adam Keeley, he took home the raffle prize, a bottle of Montes M! Once again, a great crowd plus a great meal equals an unforgettable experience! Happy Summer, everyone!
June’s Vegan Full Moon Wine Dinner Menu!
Take a peek at this month’s menu! Space is still available, call 340-777-5464 for reservations.
Recap : May Full Moon Wine Dinner
Another Full Moon Wine Dinner on the books, and another great success! Thanks to everyone who joined us last night for an Italian inspired menu and wines from AB Cellars. Mark Elia put together great pairings for the menu – below, check out each course, plus some behind the scenes photos!
Amuse Bouche : Grilled Flatbread / Fig / House Ricotta / White Balsamic Reduction
Paired with Valdobbiadene Prosecco, Trentino Region
First Course : Lobster Bisque / Clam / Wild Local Thyme / Shrimp Oil / Coconut Foam
Paired with Tribbiana Trebbiano, Pisa Region
Second Course : Seared Local Tuber Gnocchi / Garlic Braised St Croix Jackfruit / Malabar Honey / Sorrel Puree / Local Yucca Flower / Infused Salt
Paired with Poggio ai Ginepri Rosata, Bolgheri Region
Intermezzo : Mutiny Rhum Lemongrass-Coconut Gelato
Third Course : Plantain Wrapped Monkfish / Windy Level Pumpkin Caponata / Basil / Balsamic Reduction
Paired with Langhe Nebbiolo, Piedmont Region
Fourth Course : Fungi Explosion Ravioli / Mixed Wild Mushrooms / Thyme Beurre Rouge / Parmesan / Micro Greens / Shaved Black Truffle
Paired with Scopaiolo Red Table Wine, Pisa Region
Fifth Course : House Made Cannoli / Amaretto Ricotta / Toasted Almond / Cinnamon / Trebbiano-soaked Apricot
Paired with Vin Santo Sangiovese, Pisa Region
And of course, the night wouldn’t be complete without a group photo!
Next month’s Full Moon Wine Dinner will be a vegetarian menu, so stay tuned for more details!
Recap: April Full Moon Wine Dinner
Tastes of the Iberian Peninsula at Windy Level
Well, if you missed last month’s Full Moon Wine Dinner, all we can say is, we’re sorry! It was a delicious, whirlwind trip through the culinary variations of the Iberian Peninsula: Spain, Portugal, the Coastal Regions, France, and the Moorish influences. Check out the menu and some photos below!
SPAIN : Spanish Vegetable “Paella” / Squid Ink Rice / Saffron Creme
PORTUGAL : Portuguese Pulpo y Caldo Verde / Iberico Shoulder / Kale Chip
COASTAL : Branzino de la Costa Mediterrania / Aioli / House-grown Tomatoes
FRANCE : Rabbit Galatine / Duck & White Bean Boudin Blanc / Parsnip
MOORISH INFLUENCE : Braised Spiced Apple / Fig / Mascarpone Ice Cream
The May Full Moon Wine Dinner is Sunday, May 22nd (we’re looking at you, STJ & STT service industry peeps with Sundays off!), and the menu will be Italian with some Caribbean twists. Check in on our Facebook page this week, we’ll be posting the full menu soon, and there are a few changes to the format this month!
Remember, you can follow us on Twitter @stjohncatering, and Instagram @mathayom for behind the scenes photos and a sneak peeks at upcoming events!
Recap : March Full Moon Wine Dinner
This post was supposed to go up yesterday but, technology. So instead we’ve got a Good Friday post! Enjoy the course by course recap of the Wine Dinner menu below.
The evening kicked off with passed appetizers and sparkling wine – in keeping with the “Old World vs. New World” theme, guests sampled Champagne Pol Roger Brut Reserve, NV and Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, Napa, North Coast, 2013. The appetizer offerings included Beef Plantain Tostone Cups, Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Crab, and cheese boards with dried & fresh fruit, mustards, spreads, nuts, & pickled vegetables.
The first course was a Local Tuna Nicoise Carpaccio with cured egg yolk, fried caper, roasted olives, lemon emulsion, duck fat potato, & a tomato “tartare” of red beets, avocado, pumpkin, micro greens, scallion & tuna oil. Wine pairings for the course: Sancerre Blanc, Eric Montintin 2012 (Loire Valley, 100% Sauvignon Blanc) and Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley 2014.
With the second course, technique was front and center: Bacon Caprese, Smoked Tomato & Proscuitto Cups were composed of mozzarella and ricotta burrata, tomato, basil, & apple smoke contained by shaved Serrano ham, served on a slate plate with house bacon lardon, pesto, grilled crostini & tomato powder. Wine Pairings: Domaine D’Arton – Hautes D’Arton Cotes de Gascogne 2013 (Colombard/Sauvignon Blanc blend) and Sterling Sauvignon Blanc, Napa, North Coast 2013.
Following a pineapple & celery intermezzo, the third course was a fish course – Ginger Fish in Rice Papillote with curried peas & carrots and coconut scallop crudo. The Wahoo was wrapped in rice paper parcels with ginger & zucchini scales, and the scallop crudo was accompanied by coconut milk, ginger juice, avocado puree and paddlefish caviar. Wine Pairings: Domaine Jean-Pierre Eleven Chablis 2012 (100% Chardonnay) and Cuvaison Chardonnay, Napa Valley, Carneros, 2012.
The penultimate course featured a Petit Filet with Oxtail Ragout, wild thyme, crispy corn agnolotti, corn puree, micro greens, & preserved lemon. Wine Pairings: Cahors Chateau de Cedre 2012 (Malbec, Merlot, Tannat blend), and Archival-Ferrer Malbec, Argentina 2013.
Saving the best for last is the real deal – we wrapped up the evening with a dessert course of Foie Gras Creme Brulee & Berries, with spiced tulle crackers, almond brittle, seared foie gras, port redux, & our own Windy Level mint! Wine Pairings: Monbazilliac – Domaine de L’Ancienne Cure 2010 (Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc/Muscadelle blend) and Ice Wine Reisling, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, 2013.
From beginning to end, the evening was full of good company, laughter, and delicious food and wine. We celebrated a birthday with some guests from the States, got creative with our tasting notes on the wine selections, and even managed to get a pretty excellent group shot! We look forward to our next Full Moon Wine Dinner on April 22nd – hope you’ll join us!
Exciting New Happenings at Windy Level
St John Catering has grown up a lot since 2003. We continue to cultivate new skills and explore new techniques, trends, and opportunities, the ultimate goal always being the best catering experience possible for our guests. For most of the last 13 years, that’s meant bring the experience TO the guests – in villa fine dining, family style and gourmet drop off, wedding & event catering, private jets, charter boats – you name it, we’ve catered it.
This year we’ve got an entirely new set of experiences to offer at our new home base, Windy Level, on St John. For those of you who’ve been familiar with our fair island over the years, you may know Windy Level. The space has a long tradition in the local community and has grown through various iterations over the years. We’re excited to begin this new part of our journey in a space that caters to family and community fun.
Our first event will be this month’s Old World vs. New World Full Moon Wine Dinner* on March 22. Guests will enjoy five courses, each paired with an Old and New World wine, in addition to pre-dinner treats and beverages and an Intermezzo course.
We look forward to hosting monthly full moon dinners as well as pig roasts, birthday parties, wedding receptions, community events, and so much more. Whatever your event idea, we encourage you to consider Windy Level as we continue to built St John memories for years to come. Stay tuned to see more photos of the space and our upcoming events!
*$150 per person, the doors open 03/22 at 6:15 and dinner begins at 7:00 pm. Call 340-777-5464 for details.
Finding the Booty
The tale of the Java Booty Rub dates back to the year 2010, when Chef Mat was busy working to create a signature hot sauce, and was confronted with the new regulations of the TSA that denied liquids over 3 oz. Still wanting to make sure that visitors were able to take home a memorable (and tasty) reminder of their stay on St. John, Java Booty Dry Rub was born.
The treasured Java Booty Rub
Drawing inspiration from this Thai background and wanting to create a flavor profile that excited all parts of the tongue, Mat spent hours measuring and adjusting and a week of tasting to make it perfect. The end result is a smokey, earthy, sweet and spicy rub that works on any protein or vegetable and will please a wide audience of diners.
After gaining popularity during private diners, weddings, and other functions, there was a demand for Java Booty with locals and tourists alike. With that, the rub was packaged and offered at Starfish Market in the Marketplace, and most famously at St. John Spice in Wharfside Village, where about 100 pounds are sold annually. There are even diehard fans in the state that receive Java Booty by the pound in the mail.
So much flavor in this little cup!
Wondering what the secret is? We can’t give it all away, but the stars of the mix include coffee, smoked salt, coco powder, brown sugar, chili, paprika, cinnamon, and SECRETS! The current proprietary blend does contain semolina flour as an anti-caking agent, however a gluten-free mix is in the works!
To get your own taste of this treasure, book with us today and request it on your protein! Stuck stateside for awhile? Send a message directly to mat@stjohncatering.com and inquire about having some sent to your doorstep–just in time for summer grilling!
Can We Be Gluten Free?
Yes!
We work around food allergies and aversions every day in the kitchen. We can easily tweak menus for those who avoid gluten by using alternative starches like rice or potatoes, or grains like quinoa. If you check out our Guest Selection Formal Menu selections for our In Villa Private Chef Services, you will see that most of the dishes that are offered only need small changes to make it appropriate for a gluten-free diet.
Or, let us do what we do best and use our creativity! Selecting the Chef’s Choice option, we are able to use our skills to create something exciting with the most fresh ingredients.
That’s what Gluten Dude, the celiac food blogger, did on his trip to Virgin Gorda in the BVIs (we work on all of the Virgin Islands) this past December and he was NOT disappointed! In fact, he was so impressed he gave us quite the shout out in his blog.
Those who suffer from food allergies are at the mercy of a busy, distracted kitchen whenever they go out to eat and although your server may alert them, the chance of cross contamination is exponentially higher than when being prepared by a private chef. Gluten Dude opted to have a chef for multiple meals.He mentioned the ease of not having to explain his allergy every time they went for food and that he “Never got glutened. Heck…I never even got a stomach ache. Crazy, right?”
From breakfast with complete with GF pancakes to lunch where “we were met with one glorious creation after another” and even a round of sunset appetizers before dinner and dessert, Mathayom was able to impress in every course.
If you have a sensitivity to gluten, be sure to contact us for some of the best gluten-free dishes on the island.
St. John Catering 