There are multiple steps in getting one basket designed and to the consumer.

Step One: Shopping

Attend trade shows in Toronto, Montreal and New York and buy, buy buy!!

Step Two:Designing

Choose the basket or container and all the goodies that you want to fill it with.

Step Three: The Assembly

This is where the magic happens. Where a bunch of products turn into an impressive gift basket that will simply wow the recipient.

Here a body suit takes on a shape, a blanket gets dimension and slippers are filled.

Some days the magic works on the first try and other times, we have to keep reworking the presentation until we are satisfied with the final look.

Our talented employees work hard to make sure that each basket is up to Pellatt Cornucopia standards.

Step Four: The Finishing Touch

Wrap, bow and sometimes box!

Every basket is finished with our signature bows that are hand made and  color coordinated with the basket and its contents. A personalised greeting is attached and the basket is ready to go!

Step Five: Deliver

Although we are based in Montreal, we can deliver our gift baskets across Canada and the USA.

For Montreal deliveries, within four hours of placing an order, the basket can be in the hands of the new mom, birthday boy or whomever the lucky receiver is.

And that’s how a Pellatt Cornucopia gift basket is made!!

Cindy

The post How Its Made: The Gift Basket! appeared first on Pellatt.

24 years in one place, we had accumulated lots of stuff: documents, product samples, bad buys, marketing materials and so much more!

We were shredding, reminiscing, reorganizing and of course packing up.

The shredder was working on overtime as was the shredding machine!

Boy does it feel good to lighten the load! Along the way we discovered old marketing materials that were a real blast from our past.

Circa 1950

Our family has been in the food business for over a century. Our shopping bags were branded back then! This was pre10 digit telephone numbers, call,waiting and cascading lines!

We even involved the forth generation in our advertising before they were old enough to object!

Our loyal and dedicated staff were working hard packing up the warehouse while they were still producing baskets for customers orders.

We were all working overtime packing up and getting the new place ready so that the transition would be smooth and we wouldn’t have to be closed to business for even a day.

Setting up our new warehouse

D day minus 10 days and its looking good. We were getting excited to set up our improved warehouse space.

 February 23 was the big day!

8 am:  As I drove up to 85 de Castelnau Street West for the last time and saw two moving trucks parked in front , my eyes swelled with tears. This move was now a reality!!!

9:30 am: Six big movers and one and a half hours later, our warehouse was empty and one truck was full!

2 pm:We are officially in our new location at 1150 Beaulac

My desk is in and there is absolutely no clutter…… For now!

And now the work begins. The movers have left and the rest is up to us. Time to unpack and fill the shelves.

 6:20pm: After a strenuous 4 hours ,the warehouse is 85 percent set up. Enough for us to call it a day.

Sunday  February 23: a day of much needed rest

The move is behind us now and we are thrilled to be in our new space.

I am happy to say that only once in the last two weeks have I headed towards our old offices in little Italy instead of our new ones in Villle St Laurent.

We would love for you to come by our new digs!

Hope to see you soon,

Cindy

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Remembering the dates for Jewish holidays is never easy. Changing year by year, it can be hard to keep track. Luckily, we are here to remind you that Chanukah (or Hannukah, or Hanukkah) begins Saturday December 8, 2012 at sundown. For those of you new to the traditions, we have compiled a short cheat guide to the Jewish Holiday of Lights.

Or, if reading isn’t your thing, these fine acapella singers put together a version of “Dynamite’ to  tell the story of Hanukah

Brief History

Chanukah is an eight-day Jewish holiday that celebrates the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century B.C. after it was destroyed. The Jewish people had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. When it was time to rededicate the temple, there was only only enough clean olive oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a single day. However, the flames continued flickering for eight nights. This miraculous event inspired the yearly eight-day festival also known as the Festival of Lights.

Chanukah Vocabulary

Gelt – the direct translation of this Yiddish slang is money, however at Chanukah it refers to both a coin shaped piece of chocolate and the money given to you by Bubby (Grandma) and Zaydie (Grandpa)

 Dreidel – a spinning top with four sides, each with a Hebrew letter ? (Nun), ? (Gimel), ? (Hei), ? (Shin), which together form the acronym for “?? ???? ??? ??” (Nes Gadol Hayah Sham – “a great miracle happened there”)Menorah/Chanukiah: Both a menorah and a chanukia are candelabrums. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably but if we are getting technical, a chanukiya is one kind of menorah. The main differences being that a chanukiyah has nine candle holders, one set above the others and is used for Chanukah. The menorah has only seven branches used in the ancient temple before its destruction.

Menorah/Chanukiah- Both a menorah and a chanukia are candelabrums. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably but if we are getting technical, a chanukiya is one kind of menorah. The main differences being that a chanukiyah has nine candle holders, one set above the others and is used for Chanukah. The menorah has only seven branches used in the ancient temple before its destruction.

 Latkes – potato pancake fried in oil. Recipes and origin stories differ but one thing that is certain, these greasy snacks are delicious.

Check out the Montreal’s Gazette’s baked version of the potato pancake

Christmas Envy

Okay maybe jealousy is not part of the holiday, but it is so hard to not want Christmas lights, ornaments and a cozy Santa sweater to cuddle up in. Lucky for us Getlfiend.com has solved one of these envy-evoking desires by creating a line of awesome Chanukah Sweaters that will light up any party you attend.

Sour cream vs apple sauce: Every family celebrates the holiday a bit differently. One of the age old debates is how to top your latkes – sour cream or apple sauce? Let us know what you and your family do at @pellattMTL

The post Chanukah For Dummies! appeared first on Pellatt.

Two years ago, Small Business Saturday was introduced in the U.S. The goal was to encourage shoppers to head to local merchants across the country. Last month on October 20^th, Canada had its first Small Business Saturday.

As a local and family-run business we value the importance of this movement. It is under the same principles that we at Pellatt Cornucopia are going back to our roots. We will soon be dropping Cornucopia from our name, focusing on promoting the Pellatt brand that all began with Max Pellatt on Prince-Arthur Street in 1912.

What started as just a grocery store in a residential neighbourhood, quickly became a community fixture where neighbours met and chatted, exchanged recipes and planned family events.

Fast forward to the early forties when the storefront moved to Saint-Denis Street and Max’s son Jack Pellatt took over the family business and introduced gift baskets.

Customers loved the tasteful presentation and trusted the quality of the products. Pellatt’s baskets were being brought to family and friends for all occasions.

In 1975, Jack’s son Fred and his wife Joy, took the original idea further and expanded the business into Cornucopia, a successful gift basket company that offered the dazzling combination of baskets and arrangements offering food, toys and beauty products evolved into a year-round service.

Twenty years later, daughter Cindy joined in, bringing even more energy to the company.

Four generations later, our website is our storefront. Our medium has changed, but our connections and relationships with clients remain. Just like Max Pellatt proudly displayed his name on his storefront, we are now putting it on our baskets and gifts.

It is our way to celebrate 100 years of family business.
This is our seal of approval and our legacy of excellence.

Joy, Cindy and Fred

The post Pellatt Cornucopia Gift Baskets celebrates 100 years! appeared first on Pellatt.

Did you know that the holiday of Thanksgiving was originally instituted to celebrate and give thanks for a bountiful harvest?

While the harvest schedule may be unknown to most of us, we can all appreciate the freshly picked apples, squash and other locally grown foods that now appear at our markets and grocery stores.

This year at Thanksgiving, we at Pellatt Cornucopia will take the time to appreciate another great year with family and friends and give thanks for the abundance of high quality of ingredients made available to us.

Here are some more fun facts on the holiday:

The cornucopia or horn of plenty is a typical Thanksgiving symbol. It represents abundance and nourishment and the large horn is typically depicted overflowing with fruit, flowers, etc..This must have been my grandfather’s inspiration for our company name!

In the popular teen novel The Hunger Games, author Suzanne Collins places a cornucopia overflowing with weapons and supplies in the centre of the Hunger Games arena. The giant horn became the stage for the opening fight and final battle of the film.

Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 2nd Monday of October while American Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November.

Canada celebrates the holiday earlier because of its’ colder climate which creates a shorter growing season, and a shorter growing season means Canada has an earlier harvest!

A traditional Thanksgiving meal includes turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.

A traditional Thanksgiving meal includes turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.

Centuries before Europeans arrived in North America, First Nations and Native Americans throughout the Americas organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances and other celebrations for similar reasons to why we celebrate today.

Wishing you a meaningful Thanksgiving!

Cindy

Tell us what you’re thankful for by tweeting us @PellattMtl

The post A Cornucopia of fun facts about Thanksgiving! appeared first on Pellatt.

Yeah!!! The world is 50 Shades crazy these days! One British hotel even replaced all the bedside bibles with copies of 50 Shades of Grey!

I’ve just started reading the books, and I tell you they’re haunting my existence! Normal everyday things are suddenly turning Grey… Even my work! Pellatt Gift Baskets is my 9 to 5 home, and while it’s full of fun, sweet, delicious things, I wouldn’t have described it as sexy… But now, through my new smoke tinged-glasses, gift baskets are oh so… yummy

I find my self idly wandering through the rows of products, trailing my fingers along the sumptuous delights, and wondering what my Mr. Grey might like…

A rustic, fur lined basket…

Glacially cold vodka with the finest Russian beluga caviar…

Fresh salty, citrusy, juicy oysters with chilled champagne…

Luscious, driping mango…

Fragrant, glowing berries…

And the deepest, darkest chocolate a woman could find…

Okay, forget 50 Shades of Grey, now I’m just plain hungry!!

What might your Mr.Grey like? Perhaps a side of whipped cream with those berries?

Or, if your Mr. Grey is just a little too Beige, here are a couple cuties we could add to your custom basket for a very reasonable sum (n.b. three dimensional option not available)

The post Gift Baskets Montreal – 50 Shades of Hot! appeared first on Pellatt.

The fact that we have food trucks! Amazing, delicious food trucks à la Montréal!

What other city has food trucks that serve grilled asparagus and homemade Joe Louis with their mouth-watering pulled turkey sandwiches? This particular fun time feast is from the Pas d’Cochon dans mon Salon truck (by the talented folk at La Salle à Manger!!).

Check out The Montreal Buzz and The Gazette for a full round up of all the trucks and where you can find them (plus some more tantalizing photos!)

Thanks to The Montreal Buzz for the pic!

The post Gift Baskets Montreal – Montreal Becomes Food Truck Fabulous! appeared first on Pellatt.

If you’re familiar with this dish, above photo may induce a strong Pavlovian response.

Com Suon is a Vietnamese classic for a reason. It strikes a perfect harmony of flavours. Make it at home with this super easy, super fast recipe!! Best served with short grained sticky rice, Vietnamese salad and the staple Nuoc Cham dipping sauce (I could totally drink this stuff).

CHICKEN

- 8 cloves minced garlic

- 4tbsp fish sauce (preferably 3 crabs brand)

- 4tbsp brown sugar

- juice from 1 1/2 super fat juicy limes (or 2 smaller limes)

- 2tbsp sesame oil

- 1 1/2tsp crushed chili flakes

Combine above ingredients to make the marinade.

Clean two large chicken breasts. Score the chicken with a knife to help the marinade sink in. Let the chicken marinate for 10-15 minutes (this is a very powerful marinade). BBQ or grill chicken until cooked, flipping once.

NUOC CHAM

- 4tbsp fresh lime juice

- 1 1/2tbsp rice vinegar

- 3tbsp brown sugar

- 1/2 cup water

- 2tbsp fish sauce (preferably 3 crabs brand)

Mix together and adjust to taste. Depending on the dish, you could also add some garlic or chilies to this sauce. The flavours in the chicken are already strong, so we want a more mellow sauce and will not be adding the garlic or chilies.

Use this sauce on your chicken, salad, rice and anything else you want to make over the top delicious.

VIETNAMESE SALAD

- Normal lettuce (Romaine, Iceberg, Boston – whatever you have on hand will do)

- Ngo Gai (also known as Culantro)

- Rau Tia To (also known as Shiso / Perilla)

- Bean sprouts

Mix roughly equal parts of these veggies together to make a super fresh, aromatic salad.

Any suggestions/tricks for improving the recipe? I’d love to hear them!!

The post Gift Baskets Montreal – Com Suon to the Core appeared first on Pellatt.

We want to know the best BBQ trick that your Dad gave you?

Post it on our blog, our facebook page or tweet it and you could win this BBQ gift set.

Good Luck!!!

image source: Cooking with Corey

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So it’s only fitting that now that we no longer have a retail food store, we are still selling food…just now its as gift baskets.  For 100 years we have been helping people eat well in some way or another. To celebrate this milestone, we want to give back and help feed more people.

Since November we have been donating $1 to Moisson Montreal( the largest food bank in Montreal) for every like that we receive on our facebook page. So far we have reached 300 fans and donated $300.  With every $1, Moisson Montréal receives, they  redistribute $14.81 in foodstuffs. Our donations become a real investment in the fight against hunger.

By liking our facebook page, you are helping feed the hungry.

Together we can make a difference.

Cindy

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