Excerpt from:
Turning a Simple Party Into a Gala
by Patricia Brooks
appearing in The New York Times - Sunday, May 21, 2000

Chris Bracken, owner of Culinary Concerts in Madison, likes to make an elaborate shellfish bar, raw and cooked, for a summer party. "I use nets, old granite pails, lobster traps and old bricks, sometimes even arrange a 12-inch white trellis in a pot of geraniums, to create a rustic, homespun backdrop," he said. He then cooks one or two types of clams, citrus-grilled shrimp and crab cakes in an old iron skillet, and also serves raw shucked oysters and clams...

...Culinary Concerts of Madison has been catering the Connecticut Arts Gala in the parking lot of the Bushnell in Hartford for six years, with sit-down dinners for 450 or so guests, but Mr. Bracken said he enjoyed small events, too.

David Kehlenbach, Executive Chef for Culinary Concerts, said that in summer, "We use more citrus marinades, and focus on color and textures on platters to be visually inviting." On Culinary Concerts' agenda for July is a three-day family reunion at the shore, with 80 adults and 30 children.

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