“The earliest archaeological evidence indicating wine that might have been made from domesticated vines comes from a pottery jar, dated between 7400 and 7000 years ago, which was found at the Neolithic site of Hajji Firuz in the northern Zagros Mountains.”
—Cambridge World History of Food, Volume One (p. 730)

“Whilst the Greeks on the whole are responsible for initiating specialized viticulture which ultimately spread throughout the Mediterranean and into France and Germany, the vine is indigenous to Asia Minor and it was probably among the people of that area that viticulture had its true beginnings. We know from their texts that the Hittites were enthusiastic vine-growers and wine-producers. Viticulture was known in Mesopotamia as early as the third millennium BC, and was probably well under way in Egypt even before dynastic times. Although the vine is not indigenous there, pictorial representations appear in tombs of the earliest dynasties and the Pyramid Texts indicate at least six varieties. All large gardens grew grapes along with dates and figs, but the wine still had to be imported from Syria and Palestine, where viticulture was of primary importance. So wine remained in Egypt a drink for the rich, with beer and water for the peasants, until the arrival of the Greeks in the Hellenistic period. Mesopotamia too, whilst producing wind from a very early date, did not make sufficient for the masses…There is some dispute about the antiquity of wine-drinking in Crete and the Aegean, and it has been postulated that beer was probably drunk prior to wine…Wine-production in Italy is thought to have been initially introduced by the Etruscans.”
—Food in Antiquity (p. 167-169)

“Unlike brewing, wine-making is a natural process which does not strictly require any human intervention–in fact, apes Often seek out fermenting fruits. To make wine, all that is needed is for the juice of a ripe grape to come into contact with airborne yeast. Wine-making, then, was not ‘invented’ by man: humanity’s role is a more modest one, to refine and guide…From prehistoric times onwards, wine could be made wherever people and grapes coincided. Yet there is little doubt that, of all the vitis species, vitis vinifera is the most suitable for wine. Vitis vinefera is believed to have originated south of the Black Sea in Transcaucasia, now the disputed territories of Georgia and Armenia, since this is the area that had the greatest variability of human population at the time and was therefore where humans were most likely to have started using it…Archaeologists assume that by 7000 BC previously nomadic farmers in the Near East had taken up grain-farming and stock breeding. Domesticating fruit trees involves a different kind of existence. The first wild fruits to be domesticated in the Near East were the fig, the date, the olive and the vine…Deliberate cultivation of fruit trees such as the vine therefore presupposes a fully sedentary way of life and a complete social and economic system, with one generation leaving property to the next. This stage was probably reached in the 4th millennium BC or possibly the 5th…However, cultivation of Vitis vinifera is not necessarily the a same thing as wine-making…Archaeologists have found remains of presses dating from the Bronze Age (i.e. c. 3000 to 1050 B.C.). Finds of empty grape skins together with pips and stalks at Myrtos, Crete, from the early Minoan period (i.e. c. 3000BC) are proof of wine-making as opposed to the production of table grapes. That the earliest piece of evidence is not a grape skin or a stalk or a pip at all; it is a wine stain. In the early 1970s a Persian amphora dating from 3500BC was found at Godin Tepe, Iran. Recent chemical analysis of the red stain inside has shown that it contains both tannins and tartaric acid, suggesting that the amphora must have had wine in it.”

Not in your budget this holiday season? No problem. Book with us during the month of January or February and receive an instant 20% discount off your food order!

For details and more information, please give us a call or visit our main website to book an event.

Jazzmania 2011 is the Jazz Party of the Year and will feature food from around the world from Sargent’s Fine Catering, complementary wine and beer from Lipman Brothers, and music from some of Nashville’s finest jazz artists. Cuisine will include: Asian chicken skewers, spring rolls, Argentinean grilled beef with chimmi churri, ceviche, homemade salsas, vegetable curry with basmati rice, coq au vin, salad bouquets, classic southern pies and more.

For more information please visit www.nashvillejazz.org

The Havana themed dinner consisted of:

Black bean salad with mango and shrimp
Pineapple jicama slaw
Arroz con pollo
Grilled flank steak marinated in adobo with chimmi-churri
Sweet potato fries and banana molasses ketchup served in bamboo cones
Marinated vegetables
Individual lime-mousse Charlottes topped with mango coulis

For more information on Chukkers for Charity and sponsors, please visit www.chukkersforcharity.net

• whether you are dealing with a legal, legitimate company,
• whether that company has safeguards and insurance coverage for its clients, their guests and employees, and…
• whether someone is assuring the quality and safe preparation of the food that is served to your guests.

“But they were cheaper…”.  Let’s face it – if a business is not properly licensed or listed with the Tennessee Secretary of State*, it means that they are also “off the radar” of many of the other agencies that exist to reasonably protect the consumer, and therefore they do have a lower cost of doing business.  That strongly implies that their kitchen and facilities are probably not inspected by the health department for proper food storage, preparation and safety; that they are not charging and/or paying their fair share of sales taxes (which our state government depends upon); and they probably don’t have insurance (or are under-insured) to cover any mistakes that might happen – to your guests, your property or their employees/subcontractors.  If you are having an event at your home, just talk with your insurance agent about the exposure and potential liability that your own homeowner’s insurance coverage may have to pay – plus your out-of-pocket deductible – if an “incident” occurs!  That will also have an impact on future premiums that you pay- just not worth saving a few bucks per person on an event.

Sargent’s just catered a seated dinner for a political event at the Tennessee Governor’s Mansion.  Several weeks prior to the event, we were contacted by the Office of the First Lady to provide evidence of compliance with Federal, State and local business regulations, including our Federal Tax ID number, a current Tennessee business license, our TN Department of Revenue Tax ID number, our current county business license, our current Food Service Establishment Permit from the Health Department, and proof of current liability, automobile and workers compensation coverage.  No problem! All items were promptly submitted, verified and approved, and frankly we were delighted to see the new administration of Tennessee doing a “Due Diligence”** investigation and verification on Sargent’s operations!

Have you done your Due Diligence on your prospective caterer(s)?  You may be very surprised at what you find!  While there are a number of legitimate competitors in the Middle Tennessee catering market (some we have worked with and can recommend), there are also many who would not pass the criteria above. We have found that a number of established caterers don’t even have a current business license listed on the Tennessee Secretary of State Business Search website – as an example, type in “Sargent’s Inc.” to look at us – we are the first listing), while others have been in and out of business several times.  Some caterers have no listing at all – they can’t be found!

“But they were listed in the Yellow Pages…” or “They had a website…”.  This is not a bona-fide endorsement of their business.  Note that in Tennessee, it appears that there is no requirement to provide any proof of a business license prior to advertising with the Yellow Pages and similar printed or online directories.  The internet is even more prone to deception and rouge providers.  So don’t presume that they are legal just because they have a phone book listing or a website.

Sargent’s does provide automobile, professional and general liability insurance coverage of $2,000,000, along with state-required workers compensation insurance on all of our employees and subcontractors, which is included in our costs. Such insurances provide coverage to client property, vehicles, services and personal injury, and can indeed result in higher labor costs when compared to other, sub-standard caterers and staffing-providers who do not provide these levels of required and voluntary protection. Copies of our certificate of coverage are available upon request. For the record, our insurance history has been rated “excellent” in all categories, due to our continuous practice of proper risk-management procedures. Sargent’s has prided itself – deservedly – for almost 29 years in the pursuit of providing our clients the best possible food, service and individual attention for your dollar.

* Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance protects the interests of consumers while providing fair, efficient oversight and a level field of competition for industries and professionals doing business in Tennessee. Divisions include: Consumer Affairs, Insurance, Regulatory Boards.

** Due diligence is a term used for a number of concepts involving either an investigation of a business or person prior to signing a contract, or an act with a certain standard of care. From TN Online website.

-HORS’ DOEUVRES-
Gravlox with goat cheese mousse on pepper toast
Mini open-faced Reuben sandwiches with Thai remoulade
Rotolo crostini- Fresh mozzarella, roast tomato and pesto set atop a garlic toast round

-ENTREES-
“Good Luck” Cheesy beef casserole (3^rd Place submission by Alice Essary)
Roasted pork loin stuffed with field greens, mushrooms, roasted tomato and cherries
Slow cooked southern chicken and rice

-SIDES-
Sweet corn pudding
Squash and zucchini casserole
Sunrise mashed potatoes- Sweet potatoes added for golden color

-SALADS-
Local Field Pea Salad with artichokes and sweet peppers and herb vinaigrette
Seven layer salad
Shrimp, cucumber and artichoke salad

-BREADS -
Cracklin’ cornbread (2^nd Place submission by Julie, Neil, Bryanna and Jaclyn Sherman)
Aunt Pat’s homemade yeast rolls
Cheddar biscuits

-DESSERTS -
Chocolate cobbler (1^st Place submission by Beth Rader)
Lemon bars with blueberries
Berry cobbler- Served with vanilla ice cream