Press

Birchtree’s owner Allegra Derengowski is featured in Subkit’s Entrepreneur Stories. Read about her favorite parts of the job!

The city’s Office of Sustainability has introduced the program, called the Philadelphia Food Waste Business Challenge, to investigate ways to reduce restaurant food waste. Run in partnership with the Center for EcoTechnology, the program will provide resources to help participating businesses prevent, donate and recycle wasted food. – Read the full story

This fall we were honored to win the Chamber of Commerce ImpactPHL Award. This goes to a business that is focused on people, planet and profit. Read owner Allegra Derengowski’s take on what makes Birchtree such a special company.

The Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) is a non-profit organization founded by the City of Philadelphia and the Chamber of Commerce in 1958 to support small business and development within the city. Birchtree was lucky enough to be part of their loan program in 2016. Read about our growth journey on their blog. 

In this Interview with owner Allegra Derengowski on weddingventure.com, she shares her passion for wedding catering and has a few tips for picking the right vendors and service styles for the reception.

“Early this summer, we had the honor of being welcomed onto Caitlin’s family farm – a location her and Jason knew intimately – to document them saying nice things to one another and kick off their marriage celebrating alongside close family and friends. It was the perfect summer day and between playing with their dog, to mingling with guests during cocktail hour, we would happily be apart of this type of wedding every day if we could. A modern backyard farm wedding could not be more enjoyable or fun.” -Pat Furey

Lily Szabo Photography captured Christina and Ray’s gorgeous indoor/outdoor wedding at the Asbury Park Hotel in New Jersey. Despite a windy rooftop the day was amazing!

“Imagine, if you will, waiting 30-odd years to have a bite of something that changes your life forever. THAT was what it was like to bite into these gnocchi.” Philly Current Magazine

“You simply can’t go wrong with the local, beautiful, delicious food from Birchtree Catering. For nearly 10 years, this woman-owned company has been knocking wedding and party food out of the park and has received a ton of recognition for its work both from wedding resources such as The Knot and review-based sites such as Yelp…”

“At Birchtree Catering, owner Rasa Stirbys Benefico combined some favorites on her usual catering menu with her own Eastern European family’s Christmas traditions, all in keeping with Birchtree’s emphasis on seasonal, local ingredients. The meal opens with small bites of noodle kugel layered with Lancaster cheddar, Parmesan, and ricotta cheeses, individually baked in mini muffin tins and sauced with a brisket ragu. Next comes a liver pate…”

“Unlike any other industry awards out there, Best of B&B allows vendors themselves to choose the brightest stars (of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze varieties) from among their colleagues. As a result, these honors illuminate the cream of the wedding vendor crop. After all, what could be a more legitimate honor than a pedestal built by your peers?” – Borrowed and Blue

“When a high school romance turns into lifelong love, it’s only fitting that a beautiful, hometown property plays backdrop to the big day. From a rustic yet refined ceremony to the happy tears that followed, every detail is chock-full of personality and love. Ending the evening with Birchtree Catering and sing-a-longs, Julie Cate captured it all here!

“The organic chemistry between this couple comes to play in their very natural garden party wedding that incorporated whimsical DIY elements.  The Awbury Arboretum simply emphasizes the rustic elegance theme, with it’s essential nature and beautiful scenery.  Alison Leigh Photography photographed every precious moment that this couple shared with their family, and friends…”

Kelley and David filled their wedding day with the richest fall color tones, meaning there was no shortage of floral arrangements full of burgundy, blush pink, purple — and berries thrown in for good measure.

BG Productions highlights Birchtree Catering on their blog, showcasing Allegra and Rasa’s take on weddings, food and business. “Whether we’re building a menu, creating a recipe or planning a large event, our inspiration is always simple and grounded – food first! Chef Rasa looks at the process as building relationships with the clients. Ingredients and the roots of different food cultures are combined to best answer the needs of the season, event or specific client.”

“The 2015 Best of Philly issue is out, everyone, and in it, you will find a bajillion businesses (yes, we counted) recommended by the Philly Mag staff to make your life easier and more enjoyable here in the lovely Philadelphia region. And luckily for us wedding types, you’ll find quite a few awards in this issue bestowed upon local businesses that you’ll like to know about especially when it comes to all those pre-wedding parties you’re going to be throwing—or rather, that will be thrown in your honor—in the coming months…”

We were honored to work with Martha Stewart Weddings and give some tips on our favorite upcoming food trends!

“Birchtree Catering says family style eating will take over in 2016. Couples want beautiful, well-presented food that feels more like an intimate dinner party than anything else…”

“We recently partnered up with Birchtree Catering for a portfolio shoot highlighting some of their dishes available for weddings and events! This shoot was photographed at Globe Dye Works in Philadelphia…”

“Today we have a gorgeous rainy day summer wedding to inspire you! From the incredible bouquets by Love ‘n Fresh Flowers to the intimate stone barn ceremony to the candlelit dinner under a clear tent (under the pouring rain!), Naomi and Grant’s celebration will convince you that rain on your wedding day certainly means good luck…”

“Sending your guests home with locally-sourced edible wedding favors is a delightful way to say “thank you” to friends and family, and reminds everyone that local food gifts are a delicious and eco-friendly option! You can find a variety of pre-made food favors online, or even make your own, but your caterer is also a potential resource for sourcing local options. Birchtree Catering in Philadelphia focuses on using fresh and local food when possible, including in their wedding favors. Here are some of the delectable treats they offer their clients as examples of what you might ask for from your caterer…”

“The Birchtree team loves tailoring menus to incorporate favorite dishes, family recipes, or cultural themes important to each event. With their “food first” mentality, they only use the best ingredients available, and they provide exceptional service and full planning to make it easy for their clients to enjoy the entire process…”

“Emily Wren had this idea to translate a rich palatte + the lighting of the 17th century Dutch Masters paintings to photos. ‘Most of these historic paintings feature still life with food that is over-ripe or peaking. Birchtree Catering and Cake Life Bake Shop wanted to capture that feeling of abundance and decadence with seeping or oozing honey dripping down the cake, and marrow bones on pewter plates…'”

“On Friday September 18th, Greensgrow Farms and Birchtree Catering teamed up to put on an event to showcase the talents of local vendors to potential clients in the area.  About thirty vendors posted up throughout the garden and warmly welcomed guests. The farm was transformed into a dreamy, fun, and romantic environment as the vendors made it easy to envision beautiful and memorable events coming to life in this space…”

“We’ve got a gorgeous vineyard wedding for you today on our wedding blog! Filled with pops of plum softened by pretty peach. Apart from the beautiful setting, it is filled with gorgeous stationery, florals, and a delectable spread of appetizers – finished off by a crepe cake!…”

“Spring is in full swing + today’s adorable editorial is guaranteed to put you in a cheerful mood. The ladies of Falls Flowers conceptualized a sweet, garden setting, with the idea to welcome the spring season with a Peter Rabbit-inspired editorial…”

“With spring in the air, I am loving a beautiful garden wedding. This Philadelphia wedding from Peach Plum Pear Photo is full of so many great details. A great way to tie a wedding together is with a repeated motif and I love that this couple chose a wreath design for all their signage. It makes everything look so cute and put together…”

“Giving a subtle nod to the city we fell in love in was also important; we chose a caterer sourcing local ingredients and seasonal inspired dishes like duck cassoulet plus served our favorite Philly gelato.”

“We wanted the wedding to feel elegant and intimate. Having delicious food and great music were our top priorities. We also aimed to have a very locally sourced wedding and found wonderful Philadelphia area vendors to partner with.

“Foodies, we think you’re gonna like this one. This collab between the folks at Birchtree Catering and Love Me Do Photography was inspired by the rich colors, soft light, and fanciful designs of Scandinavia. (They especially fell in love with the fantastical paper cuts of Hans Christian Anderson, which inspired all those fabulous DIY design elements.) The whole shoot is pretty sweet, but the real showstopper is definitely the colorful feast of local ingredients. We’ve got one word for you: yum…”

Greenhouse Tonic

“Herbs and cucumbers make this a refreshing drink for an outdoor wedding.”
—Allegra Fasnacht, Birchtree Catering, Philadelphia