Casual Friday Pop-Up Shop Now Open

If you can't get a hold of the MDPR team this afternoon, we apologize. We're indulging in some much-needed retail therapy at Casual Friday's new pop-up shop!

You probably recognize the space at 1872 N. Damen in Bucktown as the former home of Von Z. Founder Jenna Zielbauer closed the boutique's doors to focus on growing her wildly popular apparel line Casual Friday.

The line is comprised of a stylish spin on everyday basics available in ten colors. Jenna coined the phrase "comforchic" to describe the shirts and we can attest that these are the comfiest tees we've ever come across!

We also fell in love with the eighty relatable phrases such as, "In Case of Emergency Please Save my Shoes," "Wirkin for a Birkin," and "Caffeine Cupcakes and Chanel." Check out more of their chic shirts on Instagram at @CasualFridayApparel.

The pop-up will be open through July 26. After that, stay tuned because Casual Friday will be holding monthly pop-ups throughout the city. You can also shop online at casualfridayshop.com. 

We're Hiring a Social Media Manager!

THIS  POSiTION HAS BEEN FILLED. Exciting news! We're looking for a skilled, enthusiastic Social Media Manager to join the MDPR Team immediately. If you think you are a good fit for the position and would like to apply, please email your resume and at least one writing sample to emily@monikadixonpr.com with the subject 'Social Media Manager'. Please include a brief cover letter in the body of the email explaining why you are a qualified applicant and why you would like to work at MDPR. We look forward to hearing from YOU soon!

Monika Dixon Public Relations creates integrated marketing communication programs using the client’s business objective as a foundation.

MDPR implements custom marketing and social media strategies specifically tailored to clients’ unique needs. Leveraging expertise in media relations, promotional event planning, strategic marketing, and experience in the lifestyle and retail industries, MDPR brings an extensive network into play to generate dynamic results in name recognition and brand awareness.

Monika Dixon Public Relations is seeking an experienced Social Media Manager (SMM). The SMM will develop, strategize, create and execute the social mediapresence for the MDPR company accounts as well as 6+ clients on multiple platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. This includes the creation of written content as well as accompanying graphics/images. All strategy, campaigns, contests, promotions, editorial calendars and daily content are the responsibility of the SMM to be approved by MDPR's CEO. The SMM will maintain and build the social presence of MDPR clients with engaging, relevant content as well as constant interaction with clients' social communities and potential customers. The SMM will be in constant contact with clients to discuss new social media pitches, strategies, etc, so candidate must be comfortable communicating ideas via email or face-to-face. Creativity is key, because the SMM works almost independently to constantly create fresh, engaging content for a range of clients in a range of fields on a daily basis. The SMM will also contribute to MDPR's blog and various client blogs and will be involved in various other MDPR projects, including event coordination and live posting from events. Passion for social media is a must!
Requirements:
-At least 6 months of professional social media experience
-Bachelors degree in communications, public relations or related field
-Strong writing and editing skills
-Ability to multitask, juggle many projects at one time and to handle unexpected work at moment's notice
-Very independent worker who is self-motivated
-Creative thinker who can execute ideas both through copy and graphics
-Graphic design experience (Photoshop is a plus)
-Must know the best practices for various social media networks and stay current with changing trends and technologies
-Willingness to work outside of office hours when needed and attend client events
-Extremely well-versed in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other social media platforms
-Previous experience with email marketing tools like Constant Contact
-Versed in Blogger in order to contribute to MDPR blog and client blogs
-Effective communicator
-Experience analyzing and reporting social media metrics
-Previous experience within the lifestyle industry is a plus
-Familiar with Eventbrite.com and WordPress to update MDPR website
-Must be available to occasionally attend evening and weekend events

Never A Dull Moment In The Windy City

The cold days of Chicago winters can make you reluctant to leave the house. Our lovely city lends plenty to do even on a cold weekend. We’ve found some fun events that are worth bundling up for. Music, theater, ice skating, you pick! Get out and have some fun before the hectic holiday week ahead.

Thursday:

Your Go-to Holiday Cocktails at Epic (Epic, 112 W. Hubbard St.) 6pm-9pm

Adler After Dark (Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.) 6pm-10pm

Miracle on Wells St. (Second City) 8pm

Alan Gresik (Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway) 9pm-1am

Friday:

Elizabeth and James Trunkshow (Krista K Boutique, 3458 N. Southport Ave.) 11am-7pm

Andrew Belle (Space, 1245 Chicago Ave.) 8pm

Photo via Goodman Theatre Facebook

A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.) 8pm

Blue Man Group (Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halstead) 8pm

Saturday:

Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier (Navy Pier) 10am-10pm

What the Tour Guide Didn’t Tell You: A Chicago Revue (Second City) 4pm

LivingSocial Chicago Beerfest (Union Station Great Hall, 500 W. Jackson Blvd.) 7pm-10pm

Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl (420 W. Diversey Pkwy.) 8pm

Sunday:

Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light (Museum of Science and Industry) 9:30am-5:30pm

The Bad Plus (Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Ct.) 4pm

Dinner at Vie (Vie, 4471 Lawn Ave.) 6pm-8pm

Hey Cowboy (Bub City) 9:30pm

Which hot spots will you hit this weekend? Share them with us by leaving a comment or by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR!

By Marisa Coulter, MDPR Contributor

Handy Twitter Tools

Public relations is a mixture of social media, marketing, event planning and so much more.  With social media being such a huge part of day to day life, I wanted to share some helpful Twitter tips that won’t only make managing your personal account easier, but tips that will work wonders in dealing with managing your clients’ accounts, especially when staying on top of search terms and hashtags can seem like a full-time job!

Check out these sites that make tweeting, tracking and reporting as easy as a click of a button:

Click to Tweet: This twitter tool provides the press and media with content and also encourages them to tweet about your story quickly while maintaining your preferred message.  All you have to do is go to the site, compose the tweet and then embed the link in the press release or pitch.  How easy could it get!

Mobile Alerts:  One of the best features to Twitter is the mobile alert.  You are able to set up alerts that will be sent directly to your phone via text message for any brand or person you follow. 

To set up Twitter alerts, go onto the Twitter feed for the person/brand you would like alerts from, click on the little icon of the person’s head and the last option in the dropdown menu is “turn on mobile notifications.” Once you set up the first one with your phone number and the times you want to receive the texts, the rest are just a click of a button!

Twilert:  This website is super helpful because it is basically like Google Alerts for Twitter!  You can set up any search term or hashtag and you’ll get a daily email with all the tweets containing that search item.  This tool is really great if you’re keeping tabs on your clients because any news tweeted about them is sent directly to you!

Tweet Reach:  This tool is a great reporting system for tweets.  You choose any hashtag or link that you want to track and you are quickly able to pull a Tweet Reach report to measure the number of tweets, their reach and other cool stats.  It even includes pie charts and a printable PDF that you can send to your clients.

Tchat: This tool is for those who participate in Twitter chats.  If you’ve ever been a part of one, you know how confusing and annoying it is to constantly refresh the tweets with the desired hashtag.  Well Tchat is the saving grace to chats on Twitter.  The site allows you to input the conversation hashtag and then easily follow the chat by logging in; if you want to chime in, all you do is compose the tweet and the hashtag is already attached!  Brilliant.

Try out some of these Twitter tricks and I promise, tracking, researching and tweeting will become a million times easier.

Do you have any other tools that might make social media easier to manage?  Let us know by leaving a comment or by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR!

By Ashley Siech, MDPR Contributor 

Propel Forward By Writing Effective Emails

Email has overtaken the telephone as the primary communication tool in the business world. Whether we are looking for a job, trying to keep in contact with clients or simply trying to expand our network, we typically send a quick email. The only problem with sending emails is that a lot of people don’t know how to send a good one. If your email is something someone actually wants to read, you’ll get the response you desire more quickly.

Read on to gain some insight about sending an effective email and increasing your chance of receiving a positive response:

1. Be Concise
If you have to send an email that’s paragraphs long, it might be easier to pick up the phone. Not only are long emails unenjoyable to read, but people will most likely skim them and miss some important points. Try to limit your emails to 50 words or less. If you have to type a long email, try bullet points or bolding important parts.

2. Include a Clear Action Item
If the email you are sending does not have a clear action presented, there is no way for the person on the receiving end to reciprocate! If you are emailing simply to introduce yourself, make sure you have an action, like questions, in mind. You ultimately want to give that person a reason to respond and continue the conversation.

3. Do Your Research
Almost anyone will be willing to help you out if you have done something to help yourself out first.  The most important research you can do when sending an email is finding out the name of the person who will be receiving the email.  Don’t start your email with the generic “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Hello Blogger.”  Most emails that start with a generalized greeting will be sent straight to the trash.

4. Use Flattery
When using flattery, make sure it’s real, authentic flattery— we can all determine fake from real. Don’t be afraid to mention if you’re a huge fan, think this person is interesting or if a company is your dream employer. Not only does true flattery make the other person feel good, but it also shows that you are enthusiastic and an engaged person who goes after what you want. After all, you are writing emails in order to get where and what you want, so you might as well put in these simple efforts to make sure they get noticed!

Do you have any other tips for successful emails?  Share with us by leaving a comment on this post or by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR!

By Ashley Siech, MDPR Contributor

A Week of Glamour with Joanna Krupa & Morgan Marie Beauty

Our weekend event posts usually consist of what’s happening all around Chicago, but today we want to share some upcoming events the MDPR team is looking forward to next week!

Monday, November 4:

Monday is the season finale of The Real Housewives of Miami and what better way to watch the last episode than with the star of the show herself, Joanna Krupa! We can't wait to watch her tie the knot with longtime fiancé, Romain Zago.  

What makes this event even more amazing is all of the great sponsors!  The evening wouldn’t have been possible without: Acchaa Spa, A Mind and Body Total Fitness, Citizen Stone, Christian Karin, Fly First, Leah Chavie Skincare Boutique, ParadigmNext, Sugar Hills Bakery, Public Hotel and CS Brides. 

To purchase tickets, visit privateviewing.eventbrite.com. Proceeds will benefit Joanna’s charity, Angels for Animal Rescue.  

Let's send well wishes to the new Mrs!

Tuesday, November 5:

Our second event of the week is just as exciting—the ladies of Morgan Marie Beauty are throwing a preview party of their first ever holiday collection!  The beauty line will be introducing a limited edition palette of 5 shadows, 2 blushes and a bronzer, an invisible blotting powder, 10 new lipsticks and 6 new lip glosses. All MMB products will be available for purchase, so you can event knock out some holiday shopping. 

Guess will enjoy makeup touchups and tips, raffle prizes and signature cocktails and sweets! The ladies will also be revealing the first face of Morgan Marie Beauty! Can you guess who it is?

We hope to see you next week! 

By Ashley Siech, MDPR Contributor 

A Less Stressful Email Inbox

We've all experienced it. We step away from our desk for a total of 20 minutes and BAM! -- just like that, we have an inbox full of emails urgently awaiting our attention. And the anxiety ensues. 

Well, me might have a way to ease this never-ending cycle called we've dubbed 'e-problems'. 

Enter Mailbox, a new iPhone and iPad app that works alongside Gmail to create more user-friendly, anxiety-reducing email experience. 

Mailbox is navigated almost entirely with a simple swiping motion:

-Quickly swipe right to archive. 

-Long swipe right to delete.

-Swipe left to snooze an email.

-Long swipe left to add to a list.

Yes, you read correctly. You can snooze an email to be re-enter your inbox at a later date and time that you designate. This is perfect for important messages that aren't necessarily urgent. 

For those that dislike Gmail's email threads as much as we do (is it not impossible to follow a string of conversations!?), you'll love the format of Mailbox. Conversations are displayed in a more chat-like layout, with the thread in chronological order. This way, you can catch the conversation in the sequence it occurred rather than begin at the end as in Gmail.

One warning: do not be alarmed when you see the number on the app icon indicating the amount of emails you have awaiting you. The number indicates how many total emails you have (read and unread), as opposed to Gmail's count of only unread messages. 

We're definitely give this app a try! Anything to make looking at our inbox a little more bearable. 

Giving it a try yourself? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR! 


By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director

The Latest Social Media Updates

One thing I especially love about social media is that the different platforms are constantly rolling out new updates that better (or, in some cases, worsen) their respective experiences. Social media is always changing, which is exciting. But those changes require constant researching, learning and adjusting. Just when you feel like you've mastered it, it goes and changes on you. To keep you in the loop and to hopefully ease the transition tension a bit, I've recapped the latest social media updates that you might want to know about. 

1. Pinterest - Now when you pin a story or article, in addition to the photo and link, the author's name, article title, brief description and a larger link will appear. This should encourage the pinning of more articles, as users do on Facebook and Twitter. 

2. Facebook - Made an error in your status update but noticed just after you clicked 'Share'? Delete no more. You can now simply click the arrow in the top right of the status window and select 'Edit.' It's about time!

3. Twitter - Photos embedded in tweets are now larger, creating a 'bold visual focus on the media.' This is great news for those who tend to put out very visual-heavy content.

4. Twitter - A new push notification sends recommendations when several people in your network either follow the same user or RT the same tweet. Use these recommendations as they are tailored specifically to you! This ensures you're as informed as possible about what's trending amongst your connections.

5. Instagram - If you have the new iOS 7 software and updated your Insta app, you may have noticed an aesthetically altered layout and feed. Photos and videos are larger and profile images now appear in the shape of a circle. 

6. Facebook - Only three days old, this new Facebook update is not yet accessible by all users. The revamped graph search will allow users to search for topics within status updates, posts and comments. Searching by time periods or locations is now possible as well. (Something along the lines of 'Posts by my friends from last week.') This update puts Facebook on a more competitive level of play when it comes to being conducive to real-time conversations. In other words, it's striving to compete with Twitter in this department. Whether or not it can remains to be seen.

I'll be back next week with some more social media related news for you to consume, but until then, if you have any news of your own, questions or tips, please feel free to tweet us at @MonikaDixonPR. Or Instagram...whichever you prefer. And please share this if you found it helpful!

By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director  

#AlliumGoesPink

As September comes to an end each year, we look forward to watching businesses throughout the city get into the spirit of October. And we're not just talking about the spirit of fall, Halloween and all things spooky. While we love the influx of pumpkins, the spirit we're referring to is that of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We love the bright shade of pink that paints the town all month long.

There are always a slew of creative and inspiring events around the city that promote the message of breast cancer awareness, but one that particularly has our attention this year is #AlliumGoesPink.

As part of the 'Think Pink' movement to support breast cancer research, Allium restaurant at the Four Seasons Chicago is offering specialty menu items in a pretty shade of pink. Throughout the month of October, Allium is serving a 'Pink A'Peel' Martini for $14, with 50% of the proceeds benefiting the Lynn Sage Foundation. A pink cupcake will also be added to Allium's menu for $4, 100% of which will go to the same organization. 

To kick off this powerful initiative, Allium is hosting an #AlliumGoesPink launch event this Thursday, October 3rd from 6:00 - 8:00pm. Guests can look forward to Laurent Perrier Rosé, the 'Pink A'Peel' cocktail, small bites and mini manicures courtesy of our spa. Allium is simply asking that guests provide a $35 donation at the event to be awarded to the Lynn Sage Foundation.

Getting pampered while supporting this most-deserving cause? Sounds like a win-win to us!

How are you doing your part to spread the pink love this month? Tweet us at @monikadixonpr or comment below to let us know!

By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director

#SMWChicago

As a Social Media Week (known to those savvy as #SMWChicago) newbie, I attended this weeklong production with no expectations or previously acquired feedback. I went in blind. I left with renewed, even enhanced, vision. Vision for social media strategy, that is.

While I'm constantly immersed in the world of social networking, I never rule out an opportunity to learn more, research more and expand my skills. That's the nature of this industry. It's constantly changing, so the learning and application process simply never ends. And thus, my desire to strengthen my knowledge follows suit.

If you were not able to attend #SMWChicago - a weeklong production of events, lectures, promotions and seminars hosted by Zocalo Group and Tribune Company, I've compiled a list of helpful tips and facts I took away from the eight seminars I attended. As there were many, many lectures I could not attend, I also scoured Twitter and pulled useful information that was live-tweeted by eager attendees during the events. In no specific order or correlation, here are some quick tips via #SMWChicago. Remember, these are just general tips and might not be the best practices for your specific social media purposes.

Random Facts:

• When it comes to social content, CADENCE is key. If you don't know what it means, click here. In other words, you should always have a 'steady drumbeat of content.'
• Sweepstakes or contents often help gain short term rather than long term fans. 
• Brands should not feel obligated to speak out socially during or following a tragedy. If it doesn't somehow directly relate to your brand, it doesn't make sense and might look like you are simply trying to piggyback off of someone else's misfortune for your own benefit. 
• Consumers see 2,904 marketing messages per day. Of those, they only pay attention to 52 and will only remember four. Be strategic and smart with your messaging.
• When determining social strategy, three crucial questions to ask are: 

1. Who are we and what is our voice? 
2. Who is the audience? 
3. What are our key objectives? (i.e. More foot traffic in store, Increased sales, More likes)

• Social content should be only 10% about your brand, products and promotions. The remaining 90% should be content related to your consumer's overall lifestyle.
• Always carry out the over-arching brand message in all content, even if the post is not directly about the product or brand. 
• An effective way to interact with consumers and followers is to crowd source. Ask your consumer to share moments of them using the product or service. 
• When writing copy, to avoid sounding inhuman, ask yourself: "Is this how you would say this to a friend?"
• Why 140 characters on Twitter? It forces creativity and self-editing.
• Terms to know:
• Viral Coefficient: The number of people that a new user shares content with.
• Cycle Time: The length of time it takes that user to share the content.
• Four criteria to consider when creating social content:
• Nostalgia
• Humor
• Identity - Will sharing content make the user look good?
• What's Hot - What's trending/popular?
• Use lists with odd numbers. We gravitate towards odd numbers and 80% of users only read headlines. 
• No more than two sentences per paragraph.
• Always try to use a photo or graphic when posting on Facebook. 

Ways to increase SEO with social:

• The first 40-42 characters of your Twitter bio are extremely visible to search engines. The first 27 are like 'rocket fuel.' Choose these words wisely, using crucial keywords. 
• 'Write for human beings first but understand the rules of the robot.' - Amy Guth 
• Use Twitter lists to your advantage:
• When you create a Twitter list, an additional URL is created to be picked up in searches.
• Choose title effectively, using keywords you want to be picked up in search engines. (ex: Social Media Editors)
• Each time a member of your list tweets, it sends that to search engines. 
• Inactive members bring your SEO for Twitter lists down, so remove members that don't tweet regularly. 
• Make your list public so that search engines can see it. 
• Regularity of content rather than volume is more favorable on Twitter.
• Twitter Rule of Thirds
• 1/3 of the time, share your own content.
• 1/3 of the time, share information related to your experise that you did not create.
• 1/3 of the time, interact with users. (RT, thanks for RT-ing, engage in conversation, etc.)
• When uploading images/videos to Flickr, YouTube and Pinterest, rename the file to the name of the person (people) in the photo or the name of the event. (ex: Monika_Dixon.jpg) File names are very visible to search engines.
• On LinkedIn, it is very important to fill out all information on your profile. The 'Summary' section is most visible in searches, so use keywords, and make sure they are at the beginning of the text. Write the 'Summary' and job descriptions section in third person. It may feel awkward, but this is helpful with SEO.
• Things you must know about Google+
• The 'Story' section is very visible in search. Make sure this is complete with keywords, written in the third person and is made public. 
• Build a profile, even if you are not ready to use it socially. Simply having the profile will help with SEO.
• Twitter and Google+ are the most important social media platforms to keep current. Inactivity on these hurts SEO the most. 

Live Tweet Tips:

As a parting gift, I wanted to share this video, which includes some really fascinating statistics about social media. Prepare to be amazed!

To get the full effect of #SMWChicago, visit their website, or search the #smwchicago hashtag to see the bits of wisdom that attendees felt was important enough to share with the Twitterverse. 

And as always, if you have any questions, please ask by commenting below or tweeting to @emilycleary10!

By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director

iOS 7 Update

Well, by now you've probably heard all the buzz about Apple's most recent mobile software update - iOS 7. Sure, you've heard the 'buzz', but chances are you aren't quite sure what all the fuss is about. Lucky for all of us, Mashable pulled together a list of features boasted by the update. This should help you decide if you're ready to download or if you'd rather just stick to what you know. 

This is just the shorthand version, so if you want all the juicy details, you can read the whole Mashable article here. 

1. The Look - Brighter, more colorful, cleaner, sleeker with a top-to-bottom renovation.

2. Control Center - A new location and totally reorganized. The control center is not only the place to do everything from switching to Airplane mode to adjusting brightness, it is now also home to the calculator, alarm clock and more.

3. Lock Screen - Colorful with a new design and updated buttons.

4. Gestures - Now, swiping allows you to do so much more, including swiping away Safari browsers to close.

5. Animations - Subtle animations make everything so much more fun.

6. Font - Helvetica Neue is easy on the eyes.

7. Wallpapers - Beautiful new images offer more variety when it comes to assigning a background photo.

8. Spotlight - Now accessible from any screen by swiping your finger from the top of the screen downward.

9. Zooming - A feature with mixed reviews, tapping an app now opens the content by zooming out from the icon.

10. Photos - Pictures are now organized based on time and place, so locating images is much simpler. And the mosaic display is nice to look at. One of our favorite new features - pick and select effects and filters before a picture is taken.

11. Weather - Hour-by-hour predictions scroll in a row, a lighter background and more functionality. Moving graphics across the top also show current weather in a subtle, but visually appealing way.

12. Folders - Now there is no limit to the number of apps you can fit into a folder, which makes for a much more organized home screen.

13. Ringtones - New tones are actually bearable.

14. Email - Noticeably and remarkably faster.

15. Preview of Open Apps - Double-click the home button and view all applications, webpages and programs that have been recently opened. Simply swipe an app off the screen to close it.

16. Calendar - Simplified and more useful, including convenient scrolling from month to month. 

Sounds enticing, right? Let us know what you think of the new software or share some iOS 7 tricks with us by tweeting to @monikadixonpr or commenting below!

By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director

Work Out With Public!

With #EXPOSURE2013 coming to an end on Saturday, some of you may be looking for ways to keep up your workout routine this fall.

We're excited to announce that our go-to trainer Alex Vasileski is now offering personal training at Public Hotel! (1301 N. State Parkway in the Gold Coast)

This is a great option for those of you who don't like working out in crowded gyms. Alex's 60 minute sessions get you one-on-one attention to help you reach your fitness goals all in the privacy of the hotel's gym. It's one of our favorites in the city and it has an awesome view. We couldn't think of a better place to workout!

To schedule a training session with Alex, contact Public's front desk or concierge.

By Allison Sickert, MDPR Writer

It's the Little Things

What do diamonds and luxurious bites have in common? They both require inspiration and a creative vision to be brought to life.

Dana Gordon, the founder of Dana Rebecca Designs and chef Elaina Vazquez, the founder of Boutique Bites, work in totally different fields, but both share an artistic vision that has made their companies so successful.

We wanted to find out just how creative Elaina could get. Could she blow us away with bites inspired by something as small as a piece of jewelry? We asked her to pick her favorite Dana Rebecca pieces and craft an edible creation to go with it.

Elaina Vazquez. Photo by Marcin Cymmer.

The result was a stunning display of sparkle, gold and caviar. Proof that it's the small things that inspire inventive design. To learn a little more about Elaina, we asked her about the design process, sources of inspiration and what she loves about her job. Now dig in and enjoy this visual feast.

MDPR: When did you found Boutique Bites? How did you start experimenting with bite sized food?

I started Boutique five years ago when I was 26 with the vision of bringing fine dining to catered events. I started experimenting with miniaturizing everyday foods like cheeseburgers and hotdogs and quickly became known for my stylish mini bites. 

I developed the concept for Boutique Bites while I was living in Las Vegas working for Joel Robuchon. I wanted to bring beautiful, stylish, upscale food to catered parties.

Heart-shaped croque monsieur sandwich.

Photo by Marcin Cymmer.

MDPR: Tell us about the process of designing an event. Where does your inspiration come from and how does it all come together?

The inspiration always starts with the client and what they are envisioning. For wedding clients, I ask them what their favorite restaurants are, what the feel of the event should be, etc. Once I have a good idea of the type of food my client is looking for, I design a custom menu and proposal for their event. From there we put together the design concept for the event. How should the food station look? Would lucite chairs work best in the space? Should we use textured linens? All of these details start taking shape and we work with the client all along the way to execute their vision. 

I source inspiration from fashion and lifestyle magazines, Pinterest, jewelry, plateware in stores, flowers and many other places. 

Risotto filled mushroom cups with edible gold. 

Photo by Marcin Cymmer.

MDPR: What have been some of your favorite creations?

My mini lobster tacos and mini cheeseburgers are our best sellers for hors d'oeuvres and I still love them. The day we figured out how to make mini Chicago-style hot dogs that taste like the real thing was very exciting. We make the buns in my kitchen. I also love my truffle mac n cheese bites. 

Purple potato chips with osetra caviar and gold dust.

Photo by Marcin Cymmer.

MDPR: What do you love about your job?

I love how different every event is which really gives us the opportunity to come up with new ideas consistently. I also love working with so many talented people in this field. 

Lobster tacos.

Photo by Marcin Cymmer.

MDPR: Your bites not only look amazing, but taste great as well. Tell us about the ingredients you use.

Thanks! Taste is the most important part of any dish, so we work on the flavors first and presentation second. I love to use ingredients that are slightly unexpected, like saffron in the polenta, edible gold on the risotto and caviar on potato chips. I go to Green City Market when I can to buy local produce. The rest is sourced from farms and purveyors.

Beet crostini with gold dust.

Photo by Marcin Cymmer.

If you have a favorite dish you would like to see bite-sized tweet your idea to us at @MonikaDixonPR and @BoutiqueBites.


By Allison Sickert, MDPR Writer