2008 is a big year for Blue Heron Catering. The company has been in business for 20 years and celebrates the anniversary with a new look. I still remember my first visit, watching the chef slice fresh tomatoes and green peppers for a party that evening. Today chefs slice organic vegetables, bought from local farmers. In 2007 Blue Heron became a certified Green Business, the first such catering business in our area. This certification means that the chef selects organic local produce as well as sustainable meat and seafood for the menus. It also requires the company to reduce waste and pollution.

Humberto Villalobos, the executive chef, takes buying sustainable food very seriously. He will serve only fish recommended by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Guide. Co-owner Debbie Pfisterer told me, "If you do some research, you will find the best food close by. There are delicious local cheeses available in Petaluma and Point Reyes, and everybody knows the Scharffenberger Chocolate Factory in Berkeley. All food left on dinner plates is composted by us in bio bags." The company will purchase energy credits to offset driving their truck to event sites.

Debbie and co-owner Elizabeth Fazzio are fun, creative, and have a passion for fresh and delicious healthful food and innovative menus. Together with their longtime staff, Humberto and Sous Chef Katie Kenney, they are constantly on the lookout for new trends and menu ideas. For my lunch invitation, Humberto created an African-inspired stir-fried beef stew with mango couscous, black eyed pea fritters, and a mixed green salad with champagne vinaigrette. He must have had a sixth sense, because African and Middle Eastern cuisine, with their mingling of spices and flavors, are my current favorites. It was so delicious that I cleaned the plate and couldn't resist eating the entire slice of chocolate rum cake with cinnamon creme. (I usually do not eat dessert.)

Blue Heron's team of event managers understands the cultural diversity of the Bay Area and spends many hours with their wedding clients to create the perfect meal, paired with the right beverage. Each initial meeting is followed by a detailed proposal and a personal tasting. The company is up to date on tabletop trends and has the resources to match the theme of the wedding. Highlights of 2007 were the 1200 organic box lunches Blue Heron served for Obama's book signing and the five meals they provided for 2100 participants taking part at the Renewable Energy conference, hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both events left zero waste -- everything was recycled.