Whether we are catering an upcoming wedding, a retirement party or other special event, our food is the centerpiece of these celebrations. Presentation is everything, and our creative food display should reflect the theme of event or the heritage of the hosts.
When designing a catering menu or discussing options with your client, be sure to think just as hard about how you are going to display the recipes that have being chosen. A professional display will likely add to the overall cost of the event, but in the long-run, this investment will provide a much greater return. You will find that an attractive display will add incredible value to the overall catering, which, in turn, will drive more catering opportunities.
Below are several suggestions that will help you accomplish this strategy:
Miniature Displays
Rather than the typical large chafing dish buffet stations, use creatively displayed miniature versions of favorite foods. Make a mountain of mini burgers; carve watermelon and cantaloupe to look like roses; display mini-meatballs on a stick, served like lollipops. Turn your dessert display into a miniature vegetable garden, with chocolates meant to look like rocks and vegetables.
Decorate by Food Region
If you are serving food from a particular region, place representative items around the food on the display. For instance, if you are serving Hawaiian cuisine, put tropical flowers and mini-surfboards around the food; line trays with big banana leaves; display mini-umbrellas in coconuts; line the table with a grass skirt. You could even have your catering staff wear Hawaiian shirts.
Use Food to Display Food
Don't throw away parts of foods you may not need just yet. Food items that can be hollowed out can serves as bowls. Core out an artichoke, fill it with artichoke dip, and serve it with fried artichokes. Serve caramel dip in cored-out apples. Use bread bowls to hold warm cheese dip. Turn a hollowed-out watermelon into a picnic basket full of other fruits such as grapes, strawberries and pineapples.
Presentation is everything! We often search for creative recipes, unusual flavor infusions, and amazing sauces but will fall short if we insist on allowing the traditional buffet setup to strangle our finished presentation. Check out the pictures below which depicts a recent catering setup done by the team at Wexner Heritage Village in Columbus, Ohio.
