During the holidays, the last thing we want to do is worry about planning a party after shopping all day and spending time with family. But Sassi in Scottsdale will take care of everything for you in a warm, home-like atmosphere with the Italian-inspired venue, the simple décor and tableside service. Bernice Hertzfeldt from Sassi gave AZFoothills.com the details on their customizable party options.
AFM: Why host a party at Sassi?
BH: What’s unique about Sassi is all the different rooms and variety that we offer for parties. So we’re doing intimate parties for 14 in our wine cellar or larger corporate events in our garden lawn and our private Sassi rooms. It’s not a typical plated event. It’s that sharing of the first course, like tableside pasta, the uniqueness of our food and service that makes it that warm and cozy, comfortable feel of having a holiday party. You’ll go in every room and you’ll see the holiday trees, lighting and the décor. It’s not overdone–it’s like you might have it in your home.
AFM: How customizable are the offerings?
BH: Chef Chris has tailored our menu to a little bit more of the holiday fare. So what we’ve done with not only holiday parties but also our weddings, is to find out what our clients are looking for and what the purpose of their event is. We go one step above and beyond and really customize it a little bit more. For instance, we are having a party of 150. Food was very important to them [and] the experience. So in our Sassi room where the two fireplaces are, we’re going to be able to have a dance floor to bring more of that fun element back into it. I’ve seen more of that this year.
AFM: What’s on the menu?
BH: It’s not your typical sit-down menu. It might be sharing the courses, starting off with an antipasti course for the table to share. Our second course is a pasta course, which a lot of people don’t know about. We put a warm pasta bowl down (tableside service) and our clients choose two specialty pastas in advance. Our entrees can be a nice duo entrée. We do a variety of desserts. We are doing ricotta fritters dusted with powdered sugar, honey and chocolate and raspberry and dipping sauces. We usually display a dessert for the holidays, like a cannoli station.
AFM: What’s the venue like?
BH: We can do groups of 14 to 50 in our restaurant area and [in] our larger space we have a beautiful garden lawn with white twinkle lights and an outside area. And our private space holds up to 150. We’re even known to go out of the box for our corporate clients. You can rent out all of Sassi. We’ve done amazing events for up to 220 people where they’re basically utilizing a beautiful romantic Italian villa. It’s almost like having it in a residence. It’s not a typical venue. It’s a unique, complete experience.
To book your holiday party or menu, visit sassi.biz.
Interview by Tamara Kraus
Host a Cozy Holiday Party at Sassi
