A Connecticut hospitality group is off to a filet mignon kind of year.
First, Riverhouse Hospitality’s on-the-go catering arm, Riverhouse Catering won the state’s Caterer of the Year Award, and second, they’re bringing back “The Lady Kate” riverboat for public and private dinner events, including weddings.
Scott Dolch, president and CEO of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, which bestowed the recent honor through their Crazies award, said Riverhouse Catering is one of the best not only in Connecticut, but the region. Dolch, who does not have a vote in the award, said the company is also proactive in in lobbying for legislation that helps the industry.
Above all, it’s the passion for making clients happy, he said.
“They treat each client like they’re their only client whether it’s a 25-person baby shower or a 400-person wedding,” Dolch said. “That dedication is where they continue to excel.”
Riverhouse Hospitality managing partner Trevor Furrer said in a wedding, it’s all about bringing couples’ “dreams to life and making them reality.”
“It’s such a major milestone. You have one chance to make it right,” he said. “Things can always go wrong, but ideally no one knows about it.”
The catering arm of the award focus on is that part of the business where the team goes on the road to a venue to make the event magic with exquisite from scratch food and atmosphere.
Three Riverhouse Hospitality partners, left to right is Jim Bucko, Mark Poole, Trevor Furrer. (Riverhouse Hospitality)
But the hospitality group of which Riverhouse Catering is a part is much broader, as they also have two stationary venues, at which events are catered by them. Those are The Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station in Haddam which sits atop the banks of the Connecticut River across from the historic Goodspeed Opera House and The Society Room of Hartford in Hartford, described as having a dramatic sweeping staircase, marble, limestone, brass and bronze accents, “in a sitting right out of The Great Gatsby.”
“We’re caterers at heart across the board,” Furrer said.
Also, the hospitality group purchased and is restoring The Lady Kate river cruise boat that has sailed the Connecticut River for decades previously under various names, including Camelot cruises and The Lady Katharine, a nod to the late actress and Connecticut resident Katharine Hepburn.
Their Riverhouse Cruises, with and without diners being served, depending on the occasion, will take in the beauty of the general area and sights along the way will include Gillette Castle, Haddam springs, the Swing Bridge, Goodspeed Musicals (Goodspeed Opera House). Also are the sights of ospreys and eagles.
A tent wedding by Riverhouse Catering. (Courtesy)
“It’s a new place to celebrate,” Furrer said of the boat, noting weddings will be held there as well..
Catering off-site is a whole different animal than catering from a set venue filled with extra challenges. Cooking in a big kitchen, walking out the door and serving a crowd is much easier, Furrer said.
They cater events at all kinds of unique locations: parks, vineyards, the Wadsworth Atheneum mansion and in yards. He said planners walk the client through the options and when it comes to yard events or weddings let them know how complicated that can be because there’s a lot to consider, including availability of bathrooms if there is a septic system, mud, uneven ground.
“The unique challenge to a caterer is how do you cook 300 meals, serve them at the same time and do it perfectly?” It’s tricky, he said, to serve 300 steaks and have them of the same quality.
They need to bring all the equipment, including a mobile kitchen and there’s no room for forgetting an item.
“These chefs are a different animal than a restaurant,” Furrer said. “To do it encompasses logistical challenges. When it’s a big event there’s no room for error.”
Brides and grooms in online reviews of Riverhouse Catering rave about the food, service, planning team.
Another wrote, “The food was delicious, service was impeccable, and just the overall value of what they provided was truly unmatched.”
The food was called, “exceptional” and “incredible.”
As for the Lady Kate, Furrer said the 110-foot boat stopped cruising at the beginning of the pandemic. His group bought her and sent her to Rhode Island to have the outside restored. She recently returned to Connecticut where her inside will be restored over winter with and is planned to launch in April.
The Lady Kate boat, part of Riverhouse cruises. (Courtesy)
The Riverhouse hospitality event empire was started in 2007 when three managing partners built Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station and soon added Society Room of Hartford, formerly an Irish pub in Hartford.
The three managing partners from the beginning have been Furrer, his brother in law, Mark Poole and their friend, Jim Bucko. They all specialize in certain areas.
The new ballroom at The Riverhouse at Goodspeed. Courtesy)
Later they started Riverhouse Catering, “where we took the show on the road,” Furrer likes to say often.
For 30 years they bought their desserts through Creative Cakes by Donna and added that to their portfolio a few years ago when Donna retired. They kept her name as an honor.
Cake made through Riverhouse Hospitality’s Creative Cakes by Donna Arm. (Courtesy)
Furrer said another factor that sets their businesses apart is depth of experience because they have little employee turnover in an industry where that’s usually high. He said for instance, the general manager of Riverhouse used to be a server, he said.
“That experience leads to guiding people to have that perfect event, ” Furrer said. “Our job is to take you through it, To make sure it fits with your dream.”
Furrer said they are “incredibly proud’ for the Crazies Award because it’s “really an award for our staff.’”
“It’s a lot of work to get the part where you get nominated. To win was very special,” he said.
