On a Saturday night earlier this year, while more than 400 technology conference attendees enjoyed a futuristic cocktail reception at the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Gulfstream Center for Furniture and Industrial Design, master party planner Bethany Hewitt worked by flashlight in a pitch-black back room.

Bethany, the owner of Southern Graces Indulgent Catering, labored in the dark — completing the final details for the IxDA Interaction ’08 reception — because she didn’t want the room’s bright florescent lights to interfere with the high-tech ambiance she created for partygoers in the building’s main areas.  In the adjacent hallways and dining areas, ruby, emerald and gold stage lights strategically arranged on the floor cast a moody, atmospheric glow.

The Microsoft-sponsored event was a tremendous success by any measure.  The party featured a rock-star theme and an elevated platform on which guests could try their hand playing electric guitar or banging the drums to familiar songs by artists such as the Rolling Stones, The Clash or Nirvana as part of the latest version of the interactive Guitar Hero Xbox 360 game.

A young woman dressed in a blue wig, sunglasses and a hot pink T-shirt served as the resident “rock star” of the evening, sitting high above the crowd with an electric guitar strapped across her chest.

In the building’s front room, Bethany’s impressive “suspended buffet,” which hung from chains and wire attached to a massive metal scaffolding, drew impressed and curious partygoers who eagerly sampled slices of fresh fruit and international cheeses as well as tender Grey Goose vodka-infused roast beef, tucked into savory garlic cones and topped with bleu cheese crumbles. 

A stainless steel bar served up the event’s signature Rock Star Martini, an electric-aquamarine vodka creation served chilled with a guitar-shaped ice pick.

In the main reception area, guests nibbled on an array of “edible martinis,” including a cosmo salad-tini featuring mixed greens with dried cranberries, Mandarin oranges and toasted pine nuts and a chili almond shrimp cocktail made with 15 herbs and spices and served with an Asian-inspired dipping sauce. 

Instead of traditional floral centerpieces, Bethany displayed clear and frosted glass globes implanted with blue LED lights inside, lending a decidedly contemporary edge to the event.  Tech-savvy partygoers —  many of whom wore jeans, donned berets or carried skateboards in tow — sprawled in stylish molded plastic chairs and perched on mod white pillbox-shaped stools, playing a wide range of Xbox video games on oversized projection screens.

Bethany designed the entire IxDA reception — from the innovative food and drink to the chic lighting and decor.  Unlike many caterers, this flame-haired dynamo excels at planning events from start to finish, creating the party theme, designing and mailing invitations, setting up the event, designing floral arrangements, creating a festive atmosphere, cooking and serving gourmet cuisine, preparing signature event cocktails and cleaning up afterwards.

“It makes a much greater impact to plan a party from start to finish,” she said.  “We’re able to provide really delicious food in a really creative environment.” 

This high-energy party planner organizes events from her 4,000-square-foot office on Gregory Street, which features an on-site floral design studio and full-service catering kitchen where much of the prep work is done well before guests ever arrive at a party.

“The first step is always listening to the client and getting the facts about the event,” she said, explaining that she tries to determine whether the client wants an event that is casual or formal, colorful or subdued, modern or traditional.

Bethany specializes in stress-free party planning, individualized menus and custom event proposals, handling unanticipated emergencies with a calm, professional attitude.  Her parties typically offer a full-sensory event experience, emphasizing small details that can make a big impact.  At a recent in-home baby shower, for example, she set up fried pickle and ice cream food stations, much to the delight of partygoers.

She excels at creating a style she terms “Southern Cosmopolitan,” blending the traditional and the contemporary.  Regardless of the party theme, however, she incorporates the freshest local ingredients with bold international influences, crafting exceptional dishes that are artfully presented.

“I love to exceed the client’s expectations,” she confessed.  “My objective is to give my client more than they’re expecting and to push the envelope.”

Unlike many local catering companies, Bethany refuses to hire servers and other employees through staffing agencies, instead handpicking her event staff of 45, which is led by her talented event captains, Jill Jauch and Sarah Moorhead.

“I look for people who are passionate about working at really cool parties,” she explained.  “My event captains know exactly how everything should be.  They’re up on every detail.”

The Southern Graces headquarters stores luxury rental items as well, from fancy handpainted glassware to unique lounge furniture.  Bethany collects funky tableware that lends a distinctive flair to each party, eschewing the standard white hotel china that many party planners prefer. 

“I really believe in the creative process,” she enthused.  “Our core values are to be trendsetters and to provide impeccable service and delicious design.”

Since she moved to Savannah two years ago, Bethany has organized a wide range of holiday parties, baby showers, cocktail receptions, open houses, corporate events, weddings and grand-opening events such as the January launch of the Savannah River Landing project.  Her goal is to serve as the go-to full-service party planner for the region, creating unforgettable events for clients throughout Savannah and Hilton Head Island and Charleston, S.C.

“I’ve always had something in me that makes me want to be creative in every way I can,” she explained.  “Southern Graces really helps me channel all my creativity.  The potential is so big in Savannah.  The response has been amazing.”

This dynamic party guru has had a desire to cook and to serve food for as long as she can remember.  She recalls begging her parents for a subscription to Victoria magazine in the fifth grade because she loved the recipes.  Not long after, she added, she planned and executed a five-course meal for her family, including a filo-dough basket filled with homemade lemon curd.  “It was a natural thing for me,” she laughed.  “It was really bizarre.”

Bethany originally started Southern Graces in 1997 at the age of 20 out of her house in her hometown of Knoxville, Tenn.  She began the company, which is named in honor of her Southern heritage and serves as a tribute to her belief in the power of grace, with only $300.

“It was started on a total whim,” she explained.  “I went home because my stepfather was diagnosed with cancer.  I wanted to do something that would be flexible.  When Southern Graces started, it was all about the food.  I wanted to have really amazing gourmet restaurant-quality food for 400 people.”

She carefully observed florists and designers in action for several years before deciding to become more involved in crafting the overall vision, decor and branding of parties for her clients in 2001. 

Her ambitious parties became so legendary that HGTV, The Food Network and the Fine Living Channel hired her to handle all of their parties.  Eventually, this Belmont University graduate was invited to cater the CMT Music Awards, a high-profile, nationally televised country music awards show.  The event went so well that the show’s organizers asked her to serve as the event producer the following year, designing all the pre- and post-event parties for Nashville’s biggest stars.

At the CMT Music Awards, she even designed a 12-foot-long table loaded with desserts that was dramatically lowered down from the ceiling, much to the delight of the platinum-selling artists in attendance.

“When you’re dealing with people who go to amazing parties in big cities, you can’t just do chocolate-dipped strawberries and expect people to think it’s exciting,” she said.  “You really have to do something original and unique.”

Bethany’s life changed in 2004 when she met acclaimed chef Christopher Hewitt, now her husband, at a catering conference in Las Vegas.   

Christopher, a former Iron Chef competitor who serves as the co-owner of Southern Graces and is also a full-time chef at The Olde Pink House restaurant, worked with celebrity chef Bobby Flay for many years, running some of his most successful restaurants.  Bethany’s husband, who won the First Place award in the 2007 Wild Georgia Shrimp Professional Cooking Competition, has created many of the impressive menu items prepared by Southern Graces, from Crispy Asparagus Straws and Southern Shrimp Sushi to Tuscan Steak Crostini and Spicy Tuna Tartare with Roasted Corn Grit Cake and Avocado Relish.

This culinary couple lived in Nashville, Tenn., for several years, but they moved to Savannah in July 2006 after visiting the city for a week and being thoroughly impressed.  After a brief stint on Tybee Island, the couple now resides in Ardsley Park.

“We’ve been having a blast in Savannah,” Bethany gushed.  “Savannah is such an amazing place.  We did a lot of market research and looked at Charleston and Hilton Head, but ultimately decided that Savannah is so exciting.  We really feel like the city is on the cusp of a huge epicurean renaissance.”

When Bethany looks to the future, her blue eyes sparkle with excitement. 

“Southern Graces has been so rewarding because I know I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to do,” she said with a smile.  “And that’s a really great feeling to have.”