Vendor Spotlight- Shully’s Cuisine & Events
Welcome to our first Vendor Spotlight Series! We are excited to start showcasing some of the best vendors in the industry. Let me start by introducing Nina Darling with Shully’s Cuisine & Events. For the past few years, I have developed a great working relationship with Nina and the rest of the Shully’s team. I personally find myself drawn to them because they share the same commitment to excellence and loyalty to their couples as we do at Blue Fancy. Shully’s is a local family business that offers plenty of service options for your wedding day. From off premise catering, to in house catering at their 2 venues, The Watermark and ATS (stands for Shully’s Across the Street). Let’s get started with some Q & A and get a sneak peak of where it all began for Shully’s Cuisine & Catering.
Share with us the history and story behind Shully’s Cuisine & Events.
My parents started Shully’s Cuisine and Events 38 years ago! My parents were both in the food industry, my dad a chef and my mom working for her Aunt and Uncle’s restaurant in Milwaukee. They were engaged after 6 months of dating and married 6 months after that. They actually catered their own wedding with the help of friends and family. They moved to Thiensville in 1985 (just a few months before I was born) and we all lived next door to where Shully’s currently is. Our family lived upstairs and the business was downstairs. My parents purchased the original Shully’s, where we are now in 1992. They’ve been slowly adding on different venues (The Watermark and ATS) over the years. We however are mostly known for our off-premise catering – as this is how the business originated. My siblings and I all have joined Shully’s in the last 6-7 years. We all came from different careers/areas in the US. I was a 2nd grade and 5th grade teacher before I became an event planner. My brother Jacob worked in NYC with Major League baseball and my sister Hadley went to culinary school in NYC/Italy and was a chef at Girl and the Goat and Roister in Chicago. Fun fact about my sister Hadley, she won a Michelin star while she was on the opening team at Roister.
What sets you apart from other vendors in the industry?
This is always such a hard question to answer because I have a lot of respect for our fellow vendors but I believe it’s our attention to detail, our thoughtful staff and gourmet, restaurant-quality food is what sets us apart from others. We believe in providing fresh food for our clients. We bring a full kitchen with us wherever we cater so we can cook our food fresh, on-site. Our chefs are amazingly talented and there is a standard of excellence that is expected in the kitchen and all aspects of Shully’s.
What do you love most about working in the events industry?
I adore getting to know our clients! Planning a wedding or any type of special event is such an honor – guests are asking us to be a part of some of the most memorable days of their lives. Oftentimes, Shannon and I are the last people who get to see the bride walk down the aisle – how special! I’ve done many weddings over the years but I still find myself tearing up as they begin their walk. Another fun part of the business is being part of the full circle of life! I just had a former bride reach out to us to help plan her baby shower!
What is your favorite dish on your catering menu?
I have probably eaten 100s of Chicken Piccata (perhaps even 1000s!) in my life and every time I smell it baking in the oven – my mouth STILL waters! My dad learned this particular chicken Piccata recipe when he was working at Grenadiers in the 70’s and he still makes it the same way all of these years later! I also really love our gazpacho soup shooters in the summer with basil infused olive oil – there’s nothing more refreshing and elegant on a hot summer day!
Is there anything else you would like us to know about Shully’s Cuisine & Events?
We are a family-run business and we adore being creative! We are happy to write custom menus for our clients. We adore getting to know them so we can write and design a menu that is custom-made for them. We’ve also learned in 2020 that all events don’t have to be the same format – we are happy to help with your in-person or virtual event for 2 people to 1000s of guests.
To contact Shully’s Cuisine & Events about their services please visit their website, Shully’s Cuisine
Photographers, Michelle Kujawski Photography & Elizabeth Haas Photography
