By Laurie Whittier
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

In summer 2007, Duffy and Shala Deardorff were planning their 50th wedding anniversary bash at an area restaurant. But after touring Wind Crest at the community’s grand opening a month before the party, they reconsidered.

"When we saw what we had right here at Wind Crest, we thought: ‘Why would we want to have this party anywhere else?’" says Mrs. Deardorff.

They chose to have it at the Fly’n B Café, one of several venues for catered events at Wind Crest.

"The size and the feel just fit perfectly with the Mexican fiesta theme we chose for our anniversary celebration," Mrs. Deardorff says. And Catering Coordinator Mia Baca was incredibly accommodating.

"She managed to work in everything we asked for, from our favorite dishes to the table decorations to the buffet table presentation," Mrs. Deardorff says. Baca even had mariachi music playing.

Events made to order
"A few hours before the party, we saw her hand-folding 60-plus napkins," says Mrs. Deardorff. "She took away all the stress of party planning so we could sit back, enjoy our guests, and have fun."

And that’s exactly what Baca intended. "We want to make it easy for our residents to entertain and pamper their loved ones," she says. "They’ve done their cooking, and we don’t want them to have to bother with that anymore if they’d prefer not to."

Between the café, the roomy Fireside Restaurant, the private dining room, and the lounge, Baca and her team can cater special events for as few as 16 or as many as 250 guests. "We can put something nice together for as low as $15 per person," she says.

Buffets and sit-down dinners are common, but gatherings featuring hors d’oeuvres (with or without bar service) or specialty items like desserts are growing in popularity.

Front-door service
Baca even "caters" to residents in the comfort of their own homes, from organizing full-fledged dinner parties to delivering the entrée, which she says is especially convenient around the holidays.