Time was, we’d sing “Going to the Chapel” en route to a wedding. Today, we’re going to the botanical gardens, vineyards, forests and eco-conscious settings with natural light.
Wedding venues are trending away from traditional settings in favor of unique and romantic, fairy tale locations that reflect personal expression, sustainability, and immersive guest experiences. We want non-traditional urban venues, with edgy aesthetics and visually striking backdrops where the beauty is inherent and does not require elaborate décor. Post-pandemic there is desire for intimacy and personalization. How about dining in a luxury tent or a small rustic cabin?
We don’t want common; we want extraordinary. Treeline Catering's motto, "If you can dream it, we can create it," has attracted a history of high profile celebrity clients and royalty among those who seek personalized experiences in unique settings, from pastoral to urban, whether at a stadium, in a private jet, on a polo field, or at an intimate gathering in cottage country.
Fancy a barn wedding? In the heart of Niagara wine country, amidst literally one million peonies, is a working flower farm called Little Barn Co. With the added wow-factor of its large modern church window, this newly-built-barn evokes timeless elegance. Inside, the ambience of soaring ceilings and wood beams, with a fireplace lounge that exudes warmth and the glow of the hearth, inspires rustic charm and countryside romance. Each season offers a different setting for the fairy tale wedding.
The Bancroft Polo Farm in Kettleby, Ontario, just north of King City, offers a stunning, 130-acre parcel of land for a mix of elegance and rural vibes with an epicurean bent. If clients want an exposition polo game before dinner service, or horses in the wedding photos, it’s all on offer.
There are two sacred tenets: food must be beautifully presented and taste delicious. But, gone are the days when catering was just about food and beverages. Now, what we crave in a catering service is one that focuses on the experience—of which food is only one component. We want a catering service that shares the romance with us and values the quality of the moment, which is as integral an ingredient as any other.
According to Joshua Hendin, owner and founder of Treeline Catering, the idea is to combine setting and quality-dining created efficiently and eco-consciously. Hendin describes his shop as a Design Forward + Environmentally Sensitive Hospitality Agency. The experience is built by careful planning with his clients; everything the guests touch and see is curated. An important mandate at Treeline Catering is that nothing arrives to their prep kitchens frozen in a box from some unknown source.
Choosing to do without large scale suppliers Treeline is a pioneer in environmentally-sensitive catering. Its chefs go directly to the source to buy products, preferring to find the local purveyors of fresh seasonal ingredients for each event, so that farm-to-table is not a cliché—it’s what actually happens.
A part of Treeline’s taste-making is Hendin himself, who pulls inspiration from many sources: he’s comfortable solo camping in Algonquin Park, kite surfing giant waves in Cabo Verde; riding a horse in a polo match in Argentina, flying a helicopter, or winning a 1000-mile off-road race in the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. This is a man who brings his personal experience and imagination to the drawing board.
Weddings, galas and large events, charter aviation and private celebrations all see menus inspired by the Pacific Northwest but also include many North American & European classics. All of it is crafted from scratch in their West Toronto kitchen, and what follows is a two-decade reign as one of the best reviewed caterers in Ontario. Foodies enjoy the interactive food stations where they can watch the chefs at work—whether shucking oysters, building pasta dishes, or bruléeing desserts.
Established in 2007, Treeline has cemented long term relationships with Cirque du Soleil, Air Canada, and many other multinational organizations. In doing so they’ve cemented a reputation for being that rare spot where reliability and creativity meet.
Imagine a wedding in a field of one million peonies, or at a polo field alongside an exhibition match, or on a private jet. As soon as we say, “I do,” the sky’s the limit.