An “Alice” Event… in Wonderland!

On Tuesday, September 14, the Triangle Chapter of NACE, National Association of Catering
Executives, held their annual Top of the Table event to benefit the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle;
the theme, An Alice Affair, was carried out remarkably to make the night a huge success.
Excitement abounded last week in anticipation of the event; not only do I love Alice in
Wonderland (I made my own Alice costume for Halloween last year!), but this was also the
first social event Katie, our designer, and I, production coordinator, have attended with TGK!

Held in Bay 7 of Durham’s American Tobacco Campus, this year’s event captured what
traipsing around in Wonderland might actually feel like. Multi-colored lights danced across
tablescapes featuring mismatched china, wild floral arrangements, and even meringue
mushrooms! All of the vendors did an extraordinary job of presenting their talent and I could
not stop photographing it all. In fact, as soon as we arrived, I spotted the Mad Hatter and
made it a priority to have our photo taken with him before night’s end.

Among all of the fantastic table top designs, there was one amazing cake that stood alone; it
was a tall, multi-tiered, delightful creation with perfect fondant characters illustrating various
scenes from Alice’s adventures. This masterpiece was created by none other than Donna Ford of Sweet Memories Bakery in Apex, NC. Donna and her team create unique and delicious wedding cakes week after week for North Carolina brides. It’s no “wonder” that she’ll soon make an appearance on The Food Network!

“NACE and the Table Top competitors did a really great job of transforming the venue into a
wonderland. All of the colorful decor and tasty tea party treats made for a thrilling evening!”
Katie says, reflecting on the event.

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