August 19, 2009 | Sarasota Herald Tribune

Picnic at the beach

Excerpt:
In this part of Florida, August is the ideal time to organize and host a picnic supper on the beach at twilight. Spread a blanket on the sand, unpack the cooler and invite the flavors of late summer to mingle with the sound of gently lapping waves and the sight of a plump orange sun lazily sinking beyond the horizon.

Because August is National Sandwich Month and the average American eats about 200 a year, putting a muffaletta sandwich on your picnic menu would be appropriate, says chef Larry Barrett, owner of Simply Gourmet catering in Sarasota.

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November, 2008 | Food Arts Magazine

WHITE HOUSE Á LA CARTE

Excerpt:
"If you didn't contribute a couple of tons of money to either side this election year, it's a good bet that dinner at the White House isn't in the cards for you anytime soon. Here's the next best thing: A clever caterer in Sarasota, Florida, is throwing presidential dinners faster than President George W. Bush can say "no wet fish."

You choose the president, and Larry Barrett and his wife and business partner, Jamie, of Simply Gourmet Caterers, will handle everything from soup to nuts. (Make that peanuts if you request a Jimmy Carter presidential dinner - Carter replaced the mixed nuts served at cocktail receptions with goobers almost immediately after checking in to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.)..."

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October 8, 2008 | Sarasota Herald Tribune

New dishes for a new season

Excerpt:
Larry Barrett, who has owned Simply Gourmet for 14 years in Sarasota and for five years in Los Angeles before that, is constantly working on presentation, whether he is serving 15 (his home-party minimum) or 1,000 for a gala served supper. For the season he is doing a lot of high-low, old-new, and he is mining exotic lands for fusion meals with a classical twist.

"What's old is new again," he said, "and the lowly potato is coming up in the cuisine world. It's part of the comfort-food movement, which is still going strong. I'm paying a lot of attention to the potato this season. A meal I know will please is a three-inch-round potato pancake that I lay on a plate. On top I put a piece of steak and to the side a mound of creamed spinach. It's colorful while it combines crunchy, chewy and creamy, and it's definitely delicious, familiar food you want to eat..."

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June 2008 | Style Magazine

Dinner at the White House?

Excerpt:
"Mixing food and theater comes naturally to Barrett, a former actor and producer, who also happens to be a walking encyclopedia of gourmet presidential trivia. Who was the first presidential couple to plate food? The Clintons. Was Richard Nixon into fine wines? Mais, oui. Was Andrew Jackson's Inaugural dinner a sumptuous affair? No, it was a riot. But Barrett will recreate it for you, so long as you don't break the china or bring firearms..."

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May 7, 2008 | Sarasota Herald Tribune

Sarasota caterer recreates notable White House dinners

Excerpt:
"Politics makes strange bedfellows but contributes to spirited food and wine events, as Sarasota caterer Chef Larry Barrett knows. He is capitalizing on the intense interest in politics this hotly contested primary season by offering his clients re-creations of memorable White House dinners, right down to the invitations, flower arrangements, music, table settings and faithful duplication of thežmenus.

On a recent night at the Siesta Key home of Robert and Peggy Waxman, Barrett's Simply Gourmet catering staff re-enacted the 1961 dinner party that President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy hosted for Princess Grace (Kelly) and Prince Rainier ofžMonaco..."

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May 7, 2008 | Sarasota Herald Tribune

Chef Larry Barrett's observations from his study of White House dinners

Excerpt:
"Nancy Reagan tasted the whole dinner from soup to dessert before she approved a menu for a White House dinner. She loved the color red, and her choice of White House china has a strong red color in it and, I think, is one of the most beautiful in thežcollection."

"President Bill Clinton loved junk food and comfort foods. Hillary Clinton was more health-conscious, and Chelsea was a vegetarian. When the first lady would leave town for several days, the president would call the kitchen as soon as he saw her car pull away and tell the chef to lay in a supply of steaks and fried onionžrings."

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April 2008 | Press Release

Food as Theatre-Brilliant Reproductions of Historical Dinners In the Kennedy Style

Excerpt:
Simply Gourmet has taken fine cuisine to a whole new level. Chef Larry Barrett begins presenting Gourmet fare as historical theatre. His signature productions will be based on famous gatherings held during the Kennedy and Reagan White House eras and will feature authentic reproductions of the actual meals served.

>> View the entire press release

January 30, 2008 | Sarasota Herald Tribune

Good things come in small glasses

Excerpt:
"....Apparently, if you give me a shot glass, the creative juices start flowing," said Simply Gourmet caterer Larry Barrett.

Last summer, he e-mailed me about soup shooters, 2-ounce shots of cold or warm soup that had his clients amused. Not long after that he created dessert shooters, layered in 2-ounce glasses and served with baby spoons..."

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January 16, 2008 | Sarasota Herald Tribune

A taste of luxury at home

Excerpt:
"...Larry Barrett, who runs Simply Gourmet catering company in Sarasota, was a personal chef in Los Angeles, where he cooked for Danny DeVito and Michael Douglas, among other Hollywood stars and producers. He tried being a personal chef when he moved to Sarasota but abandoned it in favor of a catering service..."

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December 5, 2007 | Sarasota Herald Tribune

A classic comfort food goes edgy and sophisticated

Excerpt:
"...There's just something comforting and even therapeutic about soup as a first course or as dinner ladled into generous bowls and enjoyed with crusty bread and salad.

We all have favorites -- chicken noodle, velvety tomato, pea soup, vegetable or maybe hearty black bean. But today's international top chefs are experimenting with new soup flavor combinations and they say that serving an unusual soup may be just the thing to spark appetites and lively conversation..."

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June 25, 2006 | Sarasota Herald Tribune

A second act for the Barretts: running a catering business

Excerpt:
"...Seated side by side at a small, round, glass-topped table in the cozy dining area of their Simply Gourmet eatery, they have worked their way through a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water recounting the tale of how an actor from Brooklyn and a dancer from Seattle wound up, well, sharing a bottle of sparkling water in their Sarasota restaurant.

The short version, as Jamie tells it: "So many people don't find a passion. We've found this."

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Simply Gourmet Caterers - Sarasota's Off-Premise Catering Experts.
Perfect food is our passion. We cater weddings, small parties, business luncheons, brunches, corporate retreats, birthdays, receptions and private affairs. Our award-winning catering is enjoyed at many locations including Selby Gardens, Phillippe Mansion, Ringling Museum, Powell Crosley Estate, Crosley Museum, Chelsea Center, College Hall and The Garden Club. We're extremely familiar with most venues from Sarasota, Long Boat Key, Siesta Key, Bradenton and Ellenton to Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Brandon. Delicious food and extreme attention to detail - that's what sets our catering apart.

Simply Gourmet is officially certified by Sarasota County as a Green Caterer.
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