TGIF!

Friday was a late start and when I got to Ruth’s Chris, there were freshly baked “Breast Cancer Awareness” cookies to be wrapped and handed out to the neighboring condos and concierge services around Bellevue. Along with the cookies was a flyer promoting our “Thanksgiving Dinner”, which sounds delicious with sweet potato casserole and RC’s sausage and herb stuffing!

Late in the afternoon, we headed over to Oh! Chocolate, a specialty chocolate store in Bellevue Square. We had seen the owner, Nick Masaoka at the Merchant Breakfast and he invited us to the chocolate making class they have at the store. We brought over more flyers for our “Thanksgiving Dinner”, cookies for “Breast Cancer Awareness Month” and a gift card for a drawing to be held in the store after the class.

Five other women and Nick’s brother Chris were there and started off the class with a history of their family’s business and chocolate in general. We got to try a variety of different chocolate, in different stages from nibs, the nutty beginning of chocolate (I think) to delicious chunks of milk and white chocolate. We also spoke with Chris about giving samples of chocolates to different stores and apartment buildings in the Bellevue area. They set two giant cups of melted milk and dark chocolate and array of goodies, pretzels, marshmallows, and oddly enough potato chips, in front of us. Pouring a large puddle of chocolate in front of him, Nick showed us that the chocolate should be cool before dipping.

Heading back to the restaurant, Gracie and I stopped at the Ann Taylor store, to introduce ourselves and follow up with their store re-opening. We had delivered hors d’oeuvres for the re-opening event and wanted to know if she had any other events that needed catering. I love how all the stores in the mall work together when doing anything special to promote each other’s companies.

Meeting with Hotel Bellevue

I'm sad to say, I am starting with dessert because, Hilary had to leave early for class, so she missed dessert. Our guests enjoyed the Caramelized Banana Cream Pie and the Chocolate Sin Cake. As for me, I had our signature Creme Brule...YUM

Here's Hilary with Kaarin, the Social Director at the Bellevue Club, and Heather, the Sales & Marketing Director for The Hotel Bellevue.
Kinda going backwards, but we started with BBQ Shrimp. The BBQ butter that these juicy shrimp swim in, is beyond GOOD!

Thursday: Merchant Breakfast

That's right, BREAKFAST. I don't know if our intern, Hilary, knew the internship included 7:15am meetings. Well, at least they serve breakfast. The managers ath the Bellevue Collection meet monthly to review, "What's New", "What's coming", and other cool stuff.

NW Event Show and lunch at the Parlor

Tuesday was incredible. It was the Northwest Event Show at the Washington Convention Center and it was filled with caterers, reps from different venues, etc. I have never been so full in my life. My roommate came with me, as Gracie was still out of town, and we went around to probably over a 100 stands and sampled the delicious food the caterers had to offer. There were photobooths from production companies, arcade games from Lucky Strike, but the food is what was truly amazing. From "cake pops", balls of cake coated in frosting on lollipop sticks, to the best BBQ in the world. It was overwhelming the number of reps trying to sell their products and network with other companies. I will definitely be going back next year, and my roommate Tia, has proclaimed that "it is the place to go when planning a wedding", (which I completely agree with). From wineries and galleries, to nightclubs and hotels, everyone there is trying to get their company or business recognized and they really have to bring it, because the competition is fierce. Walking around the hall and gazing at the different catering companies really reinforces my dream of going to culinary school and having my own restaurant one day. And by looking at these people, it is a lot of work!

Wednesday was Gracie's first day back. I didn't come in until 10am, which is unusual for me because I am usually here at 8 every morning. At lunch time, we walked over to the Parlor to have lunch with Kayce, the Sales Manager. I had never been there and just assumed it would be typical bar food, nothing special. I was wrong! To start, we had amazing waffle fries with a gorgonzola sauce, pretty much to die for and coconut prawns with a marmalade dip. By the time we had to order, I was already full. I got the pineapple and prosciutto pizza, Gracie had the chop salad, and Kayce had "The Break" pizza, which consisted of many different things including artichoke hearts, chicken and bacon. Needless to say, we had to get to-go boxes because these pizzas could have fed at least 2-3 people. Dessert was fantastic, a fudge sundae with toasted coconut ice cream for Gracie, chocolate tuxedo cake for me, and classic vanilla cheesecake for Kayce.

I could not have had a more filling couple of days, from trying EVERYTHING at the event show to having a 4 course meal at the Parlor. I did bring left-overs home, and my 3 roommates loved me for it.

Today, Gracie and I are meeting with the Hotel Bellevue manager and marketing director at Ruth's Chris, so I get to enjoy a lunch where I work as well. Can't wait!!!

This Past Week…Hectic Hilary

How hectic has the last week been…Gracie left on Wednesday to visit her son in Arizona and from then on, it was nonstop running back and forth between school and Ruth’s Chris. Wednesday came and went with a flurry of phone calls and emails with vendors. The Networking Meeting at Lucky Strike was incredible, talking with different managers from restaurants and establishments in the area. It was amazing to hear about everything that these people do to market and promote their businesses, all the while learning about what to do and what not to do. The Hyatt, Palomino, The Parlor, and The Melting Pot managers and sales people were all in attendance and all were interested in promoting their business together. I got a lot of information that day, and as this happens quite often, I hope to be able to go back and learn even more from them.

Thursday was my first official day on my own (without Gracie) at Ruth’s Chris and it was very Internet oriented, as I am in charge of the Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn Pages. Trying to come up with new catchy phrases every day is a putting my creativity to the test, but it’s always good reassurance when people comment on what I have written.

Friday entailed a lot of emails back and forth between Gracie and myself, trying to get the final design for the Bellevue Collection cards ready, but we finally did it, and I can’t wait to see how they turn out! This was my first design project and I think it went very well, with the help of the Kinko’s design program of course. I also went to different Event Rental Stores and picked up catalogs and linen samples to show the customers of our new catering service what each has to offer.

Coming up:
-Lunch at The Parlor with Gracie and Kayce
-Candidates Forum at Bellevue City Hall

And it’s Monday again…

An early morning at Ruth’s Chris with Gracie entails a caffeine fix and a start on the week’s activities. After preparing the paperwork for the coming week’s events, I am enthusiastic about the project I have just been assigned. Looking through the Promotions Guide, there are so many events I would love to plan, but I think two should be plenty of work. A “Cocktail Club” that would take place once a month and two “Tequila Tastings”, one with Tapas, caught my eye. Now I just have to decide which ones and start working with Scott, our beverage manager to get in contact with the vendors. Such an exciting start to the day!
Next, I learn that we will be having lunch with Kayce and Crystal from “The Parlor” and discussing the co-marketing promotion through Facebook. It’s all about technology now, and I need to whip out those eye-catching tweets and inspirational status updates! Get ready to be drawn into Ruth’s Chris for those sizzling steaks and delicious chocolate sin cake. RC (Ruth’s Chris) is currently working with the Bellevue Collection on multiple projects, one being the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk in Downtown Bellevue. By offering 10% off Lunch or Dinner to the participants, RC is able to get great exposure as one of the contributors to the charity. In addition to the walk, we are working with the Bellevue Collection to participate in their VIP Passport, a marketing tool showcasing different stores in the Bellevue area and I have been put on the project of designing the “promo card” RC is offering. Putting my design skills to the test, we shall see how it works out. And, with the help of my roommate Lanai, I will design a card that will be included in a package given to guests at hotels in the area. Can’t wait!!!

What a start to the week! But, with RC and Gracie, everyday is an adventure and this week will be amazing, I just know it!

~Hilary

Project Greenlight Fall Fashion Show

Friday night, Gracie and I headed over to the Bellevue Club for the Project Greenlight Fall Fashion Show. Benefitting “Hope For All”, an organization that grants bucket list wishes to terminally ill cancer patients, the show was incredible. It showcased local designers as well as Jimmy Choo, Piazza Sempione and Built for Men.

We enjoyed the cocktails and apps before the show began, especially the two types of bruschetta, one with blue cheese and the other a more traditional style. Along with that, there were crab cakes, bacon wrapped sirloin, and other delightful goodies. I had to enjoy them for the both of us, as Gracie had just had her wisdom tooth pulled.

We spoke with the event coordinator from the Pike Brewing Company who was there displaying their different beers. Milling around, we gazed over the prizes being raffled off, a good way to get exposure for different products and companies.

This was an amazing experience as I have never been to a fashion show before. Benefitting a good cause, the event exposed different companies as sponsors, and provided an opportunity for companies and coordinators to interact and create relationships with one another.

Coming up:
Networking Event at Lucky Strike