I recently had the wonderful opportunity to sit down in the famous Palm Court and chat with event planner extrodianaire Harriette Rose Katz over afternoon tea. Always camera ready, Harriette looking spectacular as ever turned heads as she walked in to greet me for our interview. In 1978, she founded Gourmet Advisory Services. She combined her passion of the culinary arts and her extensive global travel to form a company renowned in the New York area as the premier event planning company for weddings and corporate high-end events.
What is the most memorable wedding you ever created?
The wedding of my daughter Melissa, who is my only child. Since I was widowed at such a young age, my mother, father and I raised Melissa together. The planning of Melissa's wedding was a joyous time for all of us. We had 241 guests at the Metropolitian Club. The ceremony was in the Great Hall with the processional winding down the beautiful and dramatic staircase. The cocktails were in the West Lounge and the reception was upstairs in The Main Dining room.
Some of the most fun I had was putting together the menu for the dinner reception. For the first course, we bought lacquered mini steamer baskets and served sushi and other Japanese delicacies to each guest inside of them. At the time that Melissa got married, it was the exciting beginning of "tall" food. Charlie Palmer of Aureole provided alternating magnificent, fabulous desserts. After dessert, waiters flooded the floor each carrying a topiary strawberry tree fashioned after a Faberge piece. One was served to each table so that guests could all enjoy the strawberries. While one waiter offered each person chocolate and candied strawberries, the other waiter was pouring delicious dessert wine.
There were so many bands in New York City that I loved, so instead of having one band, we had two of the top NYC bands performing throughout the evening. In addition to being the most memorable event I have ever done, Melissa's wedding was also the most exciting because I was my own best client. Whatever idea I came up with, my client was willing to do, and all of it was done in impeccable taste!
What is your favorite wedding venue in New York? In the United States?
In New York, my two favorites are The Plaza and The Pierre. In the entire country, my favorite would have to be The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida.
What are the top 3 skills you need to have to succeed in the wedding market?
1. Vision
2. Patience
3. Organization
What was the most challenging wedding you ever produced?
My most challenging wedding was a few years ago. We had planned an amazing weekend wedding for 150 people at a grand resort in southern Florida. My staff and I flew down on Wednesday to confirm several of the wedding details and deliveries. The bride, groom, and their immediate families also flew down on Wednesday. It seemed as soon as they landed the weather took a turn…the sky turned black and the weather bureau posted hurricane warnings! All flights were cancelled on Thursday and Friday. The Best Man drove from Washington DC. The poolside welcome dinner we had planned for 120 guests quickly became an intimate dinner for 30 in a banquet dining room at the hotel. From inside, we watched the waves crashing over the sea wall and palm trees being uprooted.
The florist didn’t get all of his flowers in because of the weather. The flights started coming in on Saturday afternoon. The wedding band arrived mere hours before the ceremony began. Actually, most of the guests were able to get on flights and make it down. They ended up having 130 of the original 150 people at their wedding. The ceremony that was originally supposed to take place on the beach at sunset but was moved inside as the winds were still blowing pretty hard. The couple had a great attitude about the entire thing and decided if their wedding could survive a hurricane, their marriage could weather any other storm that came their way. And by the way, they are still married!
How did you get into this business?
I was in the interior design business and managing a furniture showroom when I started organizing their launch events. Soon, the other showrooms began asking me to do their events! I soon realized that my talent and my passion were for the events more so than interior design. This was at a very exciting time for food in New York City and also for me. New ideas, tastes and cuisines were emerging all the time and I found my niche in exploring these food trends and integrating them beautifully into events. I had just met and married my second husband, Dr. Martin Katz, who was also a major food and wine consultant. My business was born in 1978 with Marty’s encouragement, and I continue to be excited by events, food and wine to this day.
If you weren’t the fabulous HRK wedding czar, what would you do?
I would be a chef or own a restaurant or both.
If you were to get married tomorrow, where would you do it? And what would you serve?
The Plaza. The menu would most certainly consist of small plates. Offering a choice of entrées is great at a business dinner, but when people are among friends, I feel very strongly that the style of the food and service should be conducive to sharing and should add to the warmth of the party’s atmosphere.
Waiters would bring out a series of different food items of all different genres and offer everything to guests, letting them try as many or as few as they’d like! Most of my friends love food and dining just as much as I do and it would make me so happy to walk around the room and see everyone talking to each other about what they’re eating, the fabulous presentation of a certain item, asking for a taste of something off someone else’s plate… what a fantastic evening that creates!
What is your greatest success?
My daughter Melissa and my two granddaughters, Gabrielle and Alexandra.
Your biggest failure?
Do I have any? I haven’t found one yet!
Who is the smartest New Yorker you know?
My 7 year old Bichon- Frise Zoe.
If you could pick a dinner partner who would it be?
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
What kind of food do you like?
I am such a foodie. I love all food that is beautiful, unique and tastes delicious, whether it be fancy food or comfort food.
What is your favorite book?
Plum Island by Nelson DeMille
What is your favorite city?
Aside from New York City, which is of course my favorite, Paris also has such a place in my heart. Whenever I travel, whether to the world’s most cosmopolitan cities or smallest hidden gems, the first place I go is the local supermarket or farmers’ market. My favorite thing to see no matter where I travel is the exciting foods that people eat. And I’m not talking about just what they present to the tourists who come to town. I love to see what people eat in their own homes!
I loved going to Buenos Aires and drinking yerba maté tea, going to Italy and eating fresh, gorgeous cheeses, and so many other foods that may not be the fanciest in the world but really help me get to know how people really live their lives wherever they may be.