Issuu

BrettonGrassie

HiFriends!

So nice to just sit and write a note for this newsletter; it has been busy but we have lots to share! This letter was to be out two months ago and inside you will see what has kept us so busy.

OOPS! We did it again!! We have a new venue OFFSITE opening at the end of May of 2025 (yes, this month!) Construction is winding down but bookings are happening We are exhausted and so excited! We are giving you a sneak peak in the What’s New section here. Watch for more information soon as we will be holding an open house to show off what it is like to be OFFSITE Remember at the end of summer 2024 where we gave away a $30,000 wedding with some amazing vendor partners, to celebrate Venue 308's 5 Anniversary? It happened! Andrea & Kyle are married (they grace our front cover this edition!) You will see some behind the scenes of the wedding in our Style portion of the Style & Substance section t h Also in that same section we are sharing that we have in-house and onsite catering NOW Food services with Substance! Our team is growing so meet Garret from Food Works [craft catering] here

Speaking of team, our HUGE differentiator is our people so go meet the amazing Amanda, in our Who dis section We love her and you will read why!

Oh - and take a peek at the Industry Spotlight! We had a great chat with Tamara at Bake my Day and are inspired!!

Whew - that is it for this Edition but let’s chat more!

“You are part of the company we keep...and we look forward to our upcoming shared events and to the success together as a community!”

WHAT’s

New?WHAT’s

It all started with the desire to have a full service kitchen that would bring consistent food excellence to guests of our existing three venues (Venue 308, The Brownstone and Studios at Vic Park YYC). Thanks to a willing landlord, a creative broker and many conversations with a trusted caterer, we not only have a kitchen and a caterer extraordinaire, but we also now have a fourth venue. We may be crazy or we may be smart, but my goodness we love what we do.

Renovation construction is done (thank you Leading Edge Developments) and we are doing finishing decor to be ready to show off our newest, happy place; OFFSITE. A bespoke bar, a 15' X 24' private boardroom, a commercial kitchen, event and patio spaces. Come visit OFFSITE!

We have too much to share for this small space so, to find out more as we launch Email us at hello@offsiteyyc.com to take a tour or chat about our new approach to events.

Let’s Work

Let’s Me

Let’s G

Let’s Celebra

Let’s Netwo

Let’s Catch Up

Let’s Pl

Let’s Pl y

Style

Venue 308 celebrated its fifth anniversary by partnering with some our favorite professional wedding vendors, to give away a $30,000+ valued wedding Of front cover is graced by them and here f f thi “ d f el” day

Style galore, thanks to these amazing vendor touches (tap on logos to see more about each

Hue Florals

Substance

After running venues for six years, we realized that having an onsite food service is key for our corporate and social wedding clients. However, we did not want to take away the catering/choice creativity from the venue experience

Enter Garret, who owns and operates Food Works [craft] Catering Garret was looking to grow and have some stability in his business, and we were looking to bring a classically trained, young and brilliant chef, to be our exclusive onsite caterer without hotel or restaurant pricing PERFECT!

We renovated more space and built out a commercial kitchen (easier said than done), has all the approvals and is fully operational, thanks to Garret entering with his equipment and team We couldn’t be happier Onsite ince February, Food Works has a robust schedule and their team has become an important part of ours. Book your event with ease and watch for event coming up that feature Garret and his food magic.

We added SUBSTANCE to our venues - and it is delicious!

WHOdis?

Meet:Amanda

Role: I have three roles! I am the Communication Associate for our catering clients, the Coordinator of our Month of Coordination Team AND, I work in our Administration Team as Assistant

What two adjectves would you use to describe yourself?

Two adjectives I would use to describe myself are: Organized and Patient.

What is your best piece of advice for couples for their wedding day?

My best piece of advice for couples on their wedding day is to not sweat the small stuff, everything works out in the end - enjoy every moment!

When not busy with the venue and catering work, how do you like to spend your time?

When I’m not working, I like to spend most of my time outside with my family. My boys are very active so we like to go camping, to the zoo and travel when we can!

Get to know Tamara of Bake My Day

1. You renovated a small house in Ramsay, here in Calgary, for Bake My Day to call home. Can you share a bit about your design ideas and uses there and what couples will see when they make an appointment with you? We opened the Cake Studio in Ramsay in 2021, it's hard to believe it's already been 4 years! The house that we converted was built in 1906 and has so much character, I'm glad that I could breathe some new life into it My vision for this space was to not only have a commercial bakery for my team and I to create all our cakes, but also a spot that showcases Bake My Day's style! Because we are custom-order only, we don't have a storefront, but the cake studio is open for our customers to pick up While they're here, they have a view into our open kitchen to see various parts of the baking and decorating process. We also have a cozy consultation space for wedding clients. This is where I meet with couples for them to taste some flavours and discuss design details. We have a wide range of display cakes and pictures to showcase different design techniques and styles

2. Your artistry and execution are so incredible! Was there a defining moment in your life when you knew that baking was your calling?

Thank you so much! I always loved baking when I was growing up, but never considered it as a career option I also never thought of myself as artistic until I started working with cakes - it's incredible how such a specific (and delicious) medium brought out my creative side! In 2009, I was in my second year of university for a science program, working part time at a cake shop when I realized I loved my job far more than any potential path I saw coming out of school So I took some time off, travelled the world, and then never went back to uni! I moved back to my hometown of Calgary to attend the Baking and Pastry Arts program at SAIT. I started Bake My Day in December of 2012, selling holiday cookie boxes The rest is history!

3. What are some unexpected challenges you found you have had to face during your career?

I think the biggest challenge I've found is figuring out the balance between running a business and fueling my love of creation I enjoy the more "business-y" side of things (managing employees, finances, etc) and have learned so much as Bake My Day has grown over the last 13 years. I also still love designing, baking, and decorating cakes. So finding the balance between the many hats I wear can be tough (not to mention finding time for my personal life!). Every time I think I've got a handle on things, the business keeps growing and new challenges pop up Thankfully, I've been able to hire talented people who excel at different roles, so as the years have gone on, I've learned to trust my team to take on more and more.

Photo credit: @Na Lia Weddings

Photo credit: @Revel Photography

4. Without giving away your trade secrets, of course, can you tell us a bit about what special ingredient or technique that you find that makes all the difference? The BAKE MY DAY differentiator, if you will!! No secrets here, I'm an open book!! I think there's 3 main things that set Bake My Day apart Firstly - flavour and quality are so important to me. I truly believe there's no point in a pretty cake if it doesn't taste good. To maintain this quality, we always make everything in house, with fresh ingredients, and bake as fresh as possible for optimal taste/texture! Secondly - attention to detail I'm anal when it comes to design, even on the most simple cakes My team has learned to decorate cakes with the same level of detail, ensuring every cake has a "boutique" feel And thirdly, customer service - I appreciate each and every one of our clients immensely. And when it comes to custom designs, working with the client to ensure their cake suits their event is so important Whether it's a birthday, a baby shower, or a wedding, it's such an honour to be a small part of our customers' life events, and I strive to ensure that we go above and beyond their expectations!

5. What are the 2025 and 2026 trends that you are seeing and excited for? Oooo there's so many! Vintage piped designs are still very trendy, and we still love this style - each cake is a bit different and unique! In that same vein, bows and pearls are popping up more and more. I love a modern tall cake adorned with vintage accents like this Wafer paper decor is becoming more popular, and it's a fun medium to work with We can use it to achieve a wide range of styles, from very soft ruffles to abstract geometric accents! I'm also excited to see more modern and colourful designs for weddings! The cake is a great way to inject a pop of colour into a couple's big day, and some fun personality with abstract accents, funky piping, long stemmed sugar flowers, etc