Winter Blast!

Shayla Hawkins Events created a gorgeous kids party at Square Café. Photo by Laura Petrilla.

Square Café is bathed in color and steeped in comfort. The kind of comfort that has CEOs tucking into stacks of fluffy pancakes on a Tuesday morning. Event-planning genius Alexis Allen and her daughter are no stranger to this setting, inspiring the designer to create a bite-sized winter bash. Winter blues fade away at the warmth of a room brimming with laughter and baked delicacies, topped with snowflake sugar cookies, sparkly cupcakes, and towering, fir-topped cakes.

A pick-me-up party might be the adult thing to do, but Alexis wanted to loop in the kids. They also needed a spark to brighten the grayest Pittsburgh winter days. Tailored to their expansive imaginations, vibrant expressions, and, of course, sugar cravings, Square Café does just that.

Alexis Allen of Shayla Hawkins Events set a bold and beautiful tone for this winter party at Square Café. Mosaic Linens, Loree Mayer Design, and Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’s Sweet Boutique helped!

Fun was had by all, both at the table as well as around Square Cafés hearth.

Square’s regular fan-favorite offerings - French toast, crepes, savory bowls, scrambles and more - have earned the café a long line of weekend brunchers waiting for a sought-after table within its colorful walls. It’s through catering events, however, that Square has the opportunity to showcase the talent of its pastry team and, in this case, to delight the small in stature but voracious in appetite eaters who join them to celebrate good food and gathering. Host your party on-site with the skilled and fun-endorsing team at Square Café or at home in the comfort of your own space. Venue aside, pick a theme and run. There are no limits in winter wonderland.

Square Café chose food just right for little fingers and tuned perfectly to young tastebuds. Mosaic Linens chose a jazzy stripe to keep the energy bright.

Alexis reached for those distant childhood dreams that centered on blanket forts, mountains of overstuffed pillows, and overflowing dessert tables. She made use of the glitter that is normally stashed away by tidy parents since the last science fair when their angel insisted that the added shimmer would surely earn her first place.

She let loose and brought out the finger foods, too. It’s not often that children get the green light to play with what is on their plates. Whether it be dunking sugared marshmallows into a fancy mug of cocoa or jousting with fruit skewers, a few table rules can afford to be put aside in the name of fun. Besides, there’s no rule prohibiting the adults from indulging in the merriment themselves. Residual glitter might linger until spring, but the hope is that the joy of the occasion will, too.