Tips for party & event planning, entertaining at new workshops in western suburbs

All her life, Tracey Dulceak has loved planning parties and entertaining. It wasn’t until someone asked for her business card and suggested she pass them out that it clicked she could do this for a living.

Dulceak started The Eventful Experience in 2023. She spends her days working with clients on defining their vision for an event, then executing their ideas.

“Often people know what they want but they’re not sure how to do it. I love working with people and helping bring their vision to life,” Dulceak said.

In addition to event planning, Dulceak also assists in the execution of those plans. She does a little bit of everything the day of events, from setting up the venue to putting out and serving the food.

“A lot of times people don’t like holding events because the planning and execution overwhelms them. They appreciate the help,” she added.

Dulceak is hoping to alleviate some of these concerns by offering an Entertaining with Ease workshop over the summer.

“Having an event at home can be so stressful. At the Entertaining with Ease workshop, I’ll teach attendees how to plan for the holidays and other events at their homes,” Dulceak said.

One of her favorite parts of entertaining is creating charcuterie boards. So it was natural for Dulceak to offer charcuterie services as part of The Eventful Experience.

“I’ve always been interested in art. This type of food art has become a new passion for me,” Dulceak said.

Items on the charcuterie boards vary depending on the season. Typically, the boards include cheeses, meats and seasonal accompaniments including nuts, fresh fruits and dried fruits. Boards range in size and can serve anywhere from 3-16 people.

There are also two types of charcuterie cups – a handheld tasty treat featuring cheeses, meats, crackers/bread, gourmet olives, seasonal fruit, dried fruit, nuts and more. In addition, there are seasonal charcuterie board offerings for holidays.

Dulceak assembles the charcuterie offerings in a commercial kitchen. Customers either pick up their orders from the kitchen or she’ll deliver them.

Just like Dulceak offers entertaining workshops, she also holds demonstrations to help people create their own charcuterie boards. Recently she offered a charcuterie and tea pairing workshop in Batavia. Attendees learned the art of creating charcuterie boards paired with the perfect teas.

“I supplied all the food and tea and demonstrated how to make the board. Then each participant made their own mini charcuterie board to take home,” Dulceak said.

In February, Dulceak will be teaching a charcuterie and wine pairing class at College of DuPage. As her business continues to grow, Dulceak would love to expand the workshop portion of The Eventful Experience to include more workshops for occasions like a girls night out or bachelorette party.

“Workshops are something I never thought I’d enjoy doing, being in front of people and talking to them. I’m more a back of house person,” she added.

To order a charcuterie board, view upcoming workshops or get help planning an event, visit www.theeventfulexperience.com.