I think we have gone to the last graduation party for the year and the last one was for my nephew.  I am basically retired, but I try to help out a store if I can, and the week up to my nephew’s graduation was a killer.  I have almost lost my “sea legs” when it comes to retail and here I was almost working fifty hours in five days, the only saving grace was that I was working inside and not out on the pavement as this additional time to work coincided with an art fair and sidewalk sale.  They had the good fortune that it did not rain, but the temperatures and humidity were classic Michigan.  I arranged to leave an hour earlier than planned at the store, which was not a problem, the problem was that the store is so far away from our home that my Bride drove me to work, dropped me off and made the day of it with a former co-worker who is now retired and widowed, so they went out for a leisurely lunch and of course some shopping in another state.  When she picked me up to go to the party I was still fresh as a daisy considering that I had worked nine hours in a shirt and tie and sport coat (my usual attire for work), but the daisy wilted within a half hour of arriving at my Brother’s home.

As soon as we arrived and were walking up the driveway to the backyard, we ran into the man of the hour and congratulated him.  He also informed us that we should go straight to the garage in the back, because that is where the caterers had set up for the party, and they were getting ready to leave soon, and since they were located about two hours away, I could understand their desire to call it a day.  In spite of my cracked tooth and an abscess, I had to eat the food from this catering company.  Can you say Armenian food?  I skipped the salad course, because it appeared to have Feta cheese and that is not Armenian.  I went directly to the delicacies that this caterer is known for.  There was Lahmajoon the delightful individual sized Armenian “pizzas” that one just rolls up and finishes in a couple of bites, I might add that this caterer makes the Lahmajoon in the same time honored and spiced the same as when my Grandmother was alive to make them, and yes, I piled them on the plate, because I was one of the last to arrive.  There was also Cheese Boereg, a light flaky pastry that is stuffed with a Brick cheese and is baked a golden brown, and yes plenty of those as well.  I also made some room for some Armenian Pilaf, which the caterer did a good job, but not nearly as good as my Bride’s.  Then there were three chaffing dishes filled with Sheesh-kabob, chicken, beef and lamb, and of course I only did the lamb.  I was extremely happy with the food and I did make the most of it.

By the time that I got to the backyard for the festivities, I had already removed my tie and sport coat, it was that hot, in the mid nineties for the minority that still use Fahrenheit for temperature.  I went up to the bar that was just off of the pool area and I went right passed the red wines as I wanted something that was in the ice troughs.  The safest of the white wines, is one that we actually have at the house ourselves, because my Bride is quite partial to it, just to drink.  I got a couple of glasses of JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay 2016, as it is an easy to drink Chardonnay for the price. The wine carries a California AVA designation as the fruit comes from Mendocino County, Santa Barbara County and Clarksburg. It is a commercial bulk wine that has some appeal, and since it is not done in oak barrels for aging, they use oak chips to impart the taste of the oak and the butter taste and texture that one gets from small batch Chardonnay wines.  I really did not go beyond that wine as it worked in the heat of the backyard and after the long week of work, I was worn out, but I did make sure that I not only got a business card from the caterer, but I took a photo of the truck, after all, I may lose the card, but a photo on my site stays.