smallpleasurescateringblog

Top Catering and Wedding Trends for 2012- Part 2

Okay-now to continue from our last post where we looked at projected catering trends for 2012. In that post we covered food trends, except for dessert (hold on I'm getting to that). This time we'll look at trends in drinks, décor, and yes, dessert. 

 Dessert Buffets are predicted to be big this year (sounds good to me- who doesn't love dessert, and as I've said before, it's just not a party without great desserts), even for wedding as a supplement to wedding cakes. 

Dessert 'Scapes (i.e. several related dessert elements on one plate) are big, as well.

Cupcakes I think Dana Herbert, winner of Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker, speaks for a lot of us caterers, as well, when he says "I still see cupcakes hanging around, and...as a cake designer, you think. if I see another cupcake, I'm going to lose my mind.' But sometimes people say they want cupcakes so...I'm going to continue to go in that direction." What else can we say?

Herbert also says Color is in for cakes for wedding cakes, and Groom's Cakes are a growing trend, too. I, for one, am glad to hear that. Who couldn't use more chocolate in their lives!

Custom Beverages of all sorts are in. This includes flavored and artisanal beers, unique and custom designed cocktails, and food and drink pairing menus.Here's a thought. Combine two of those trends with a menu to complement artisan beers.

Vibrant Colors and Textures are popping up all over the place-in exotic flowers for wedding, in table and buffet linens (so glad to hear Dupioni mentioned by Nancy Stoltz of Creative Coverings, as it's always been a favorite buffet décor linen of mine), and even in card stock for invitations according to wedding guru, David Tutera. Peonies, hydrangeas and rananculus are mentioned over and over again, along with those perennial favorites, orchids and roses-which after all, come in all sorts of vibrant colors. Hot colors are purple, orange (mentioned over and over again in various incarnations-i.e.papaya and tangerine) and green.

And finally, as always,Theme Parties remain big. Hot themes for now include Green and its cousin, Local-folks still want to show off their environmental awareness- Rustic and Seasonal. Are you seeing a pattern yet? Some other popular themes include island/Tropical, Historic/Nostalgic. A combination of Rustic and Nostalgic is popular for Vintage weddings.

 In summarizing, it's clear that whatever the style, theme or trend, creativity and expressing one's individuality are key for this year's best parties.

Top Catering and Wedding Trends for 2012- Part 1

I thought I’d share some trends for 2012 predicted by catering and event planning professionals before January is over (it’s still the beginning of the year, right?). Some of the trends are tried and true returnees from the past couple of years, while some represent an evolution- after all, trends grow, gaining steam as they travel across the country.  Some are elements we’ve offered for a good while at Small Pleasures, and others we hope to have the opportunity to implement more and more in our party planning this coming year.

BTW, we’ve presented general catering trends and added a few that are specific wedding trends. Obviously, there’s a lot of cross over.

 So here they are:

Catering Trends

Small Plates and Rustic Fare- this is also a trend for weddings, and I say thank God!. While there’s still a need and desire for the plated sit down dinner (we at Small Pleasures have always found that a bit stuffy), the trend towards requests for a 5 or 6 course small plate dinner has clearly arrived. I’ve always preferred this style of dining. It allows for tasting a larger variety of flavor packed bites. And if the food is honest, homey food- all the better. Hint- Southern Cuisine isn’t going away. In fact, Bon Appetit Magazine just dubbed the South “America’s New Food Capital”, and, of course, Mediterranean food which never goes out of style in So Cal.

And in the small plates vein, classic as well as non-traditional flavors, are being served as shots, shooters, spoons, pops, balls and pick ups and other sundry mini-vessels.

Speaking of non-traditional vessels, Mason Jars are showing up everywhere holding everything from salads to creamy and custardy desserts.

Sliders are evolving -they’re no longer burgers, but short ribs, duck confit, ahi tuna, pulled pork and Cuban sandwiches are the go-to’s, and “grilled cheese is the new burger” according to one trade publication.

Mini Grilled Cheese and Shiitake Mushroom Sandwiches

Braised Dishes- comforting slow-cooked braises of lamb shanks, short ribs of beef and duck offer an ease of cooking, as they can be started in a caterer’s prep kitchen and finished on site, and in many ways produce a better end product. They can stand up well to being held in a steamy chafing dish or heating cabinet for longer than food items cooked by other processes. And who doesn’t love a comforting braised dish, which leads us to the next trend.

The trend over the past couple of years towards Comfort Food is still big, but the new trend is they are served in mini versions, and with a twist. Some caterers are serving Mac n’ Cheese with Duck Confit in mini ramekins or stews ( i.e. braised dishes) in individual puff pastry shells.

And Chicken is still a very popular protein choice, but now it’s served with exciting new sauces and spicy salsas and glazes. Think a medley of mushrooms with Dijon mustard, smoky and spicy mango salsas, Port wine tangerine or Thai chile glazes and marinades.

Artisanal Products-we understand this in So Cal. Hand-crafted, small batch cheeses, jams, vinegars, breads, beers- you name it, everyone wants them now.

Interactive Food Stations are big- paella (which we love, and if I do say so myself, make a jammin’ version of) and Mediterranean style fish soups cooked to order.

Check back next time for a look at dessert, beverage and décor trends.

And here are some related posts you may want to check out:

A Lovely Early Springtime Menu to Celebrate a Milestone Birthday

A Tropical Themed Party for a Warm Summer Evening

 Paella and Tapas for a Milestone Birthday

Comfort Food Buffets for the Holidays

Pulled Pork in Southern BBQ Sauce on Sweet Potato Biscuits

Paella

 

Event Professionals Share Food and Drink Trends for 2011-Part 2

Continuing with more predictions from event professionals nationwide :

From Lee Brian Schrager, Vice President, Corporate Communications and National Events, Southern Wine & Spirits of America Inc., Miami, “Hosting brunches instead of dinner parties, where a light and casual atmosphere comes naturally to the space”,  and “less formal events, hors d’oeuvres or desserts served in martini glasses, and more comfort foods in an elegant way” from Shari Vander Wiede, Director of Development, Shepherd’s Hope, Orlando Well.

Small Pleasures can truly say amen to those trends. We think elegant comfort food best describes our style. We’ve always sung the praises of brunch as a casually elegant (and economical) way of entertaining, and we’ve been talking about small plate type menus served creatively for a while now. Take a look at our wedding reception brunch and post-Thanksgiving brunch posts.

 

Mini Plates of Grilled Corn Salad

Also predicted- “We will see a lot of Korean and Mexican foods. Both offer lots of flavor, have fresh and healthy ingredients, and can be presented in a novel way”, from Francine Socket, principal, Francine Socket and Associates, Event Architects, Toronto.  Those of us in southern California are way ahead of the rest of the nation here.  Mexican food is a way of life for us, and we’ve openly embraced Korean. We’ve even given the rest of the nation our quintessential combination of the two in the Korean Beef Tacos, a very popular menu item.

 

Korean Beef Tacos

And Small Pleasures still loves the taco bar party for backyard parties. Taco bars also tie in with other trends- “fresh foods being prepared in front of your guests” (Ralph Rendsland, Three2Oh, Orlando) and “interacting with chefs at specialty food stations,” (Eddie Maddox, Director of Catering/Convention Services, the Peabody Orlando.

Take a look at our taco bar party menu from a couple of summers back- elegantly presented, yet casual, interactive and just downright fun. BTW, we also incorporated hors d’oeuvres served in mini-dishes on this menu.

And, last but not least, a favorite food that never goes out of style is going to make its dressed up party debut, according to Justin Jacobson of Platinum Marketing Strategies and Events in  Chicago, According to Jacobson, “With the new BBQ craze that is hitting all the big cities, we’ll find more interesting and less messy takes on our charred favorites.”

Break out the grills-it’s finger lickin’ good!

Oh- and be sure to check out our Part 1 of  "predictions".

 

www.smallpleasurescatering.com

Event Professionals Share Food and Drink Trends for 2011-Part 1

Biz Bash Magazine  (a trade publication for the event industry) recently asked event professionals from across the country to share their predictions for 2011. Over the next couple of posts I am going to share some of their responses for food, drink and party decor trends.

Biggest food trend- It’s no surprise that many see trends continuing towards the locally grown and comfort foods direction (okay- so we’re not tied to trends at Small Pleasures, but we're happy to say that’s a trend we’ve always been behind), and toward more heirloom vegetables.

Winter Greens at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market

 

Curly Red Mustard from Coleman Farms at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market

Also predicted, partnerships with boutique brands, artisanal purveyors, and local distilleries, which exemplifies a new sense of shared community. 

We’re so happy this year, to have forged new relationships with some of those boutique brands, artisanal purveyors, and local distilleries. We loved meeting and working with boutique brand distiller, Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine on our LA Helps LA event (we'd be delighted to create a deliciously original cocktail for your party with their moonshine).

One of the local people we are very glad to have met is Barrie Lynn, The Cheese Impresario, a true original, who showcases luscious artisanal cheeses (made right here in America), and  pairs them with all kinds of libations. We’d be happy to book Barrie Lynn for your next event where she will teach your guests how to pair cheese & wine, as well as cheese with single malt scotch whisky, rum, cocktails, craft beers and even fine sake. They’ll also learn how to shop for and store cheese, and use condiments to expand the flavor profile of cheeses. An Artisanal Cheese Tasting Adventure with Barrie Lynn is a great team building experience for your company, or a great way to entertain your clients.

Come back next time where we’ll get into some specific cuisines, serving ideas and dishes.

Bon Appetit!

 

 

Brunch for a Wedding Reception- Part 2

Lainie enthusiastically jumped at the chance to share the details of her wonderful brunch reception with me.

She and her fiance, Scott, both felt strongly that they did not want, as she put it “a cookie cutter, insert bride and groom, rubber chicken” wedding reception. (Those of you who know how I think will definitely detect a kindred spirit in Lainie). “Brunch is our favorite meal and the one that we most often share with friends and family. Hence...we decided to break most of the rules and have a wedding brunch!”  And within 2 hours, she continues, they had booked their venue, and completely planned their “very elaborate wedding” which happened just a few months later. It turns out one of the advantages of getting off the Saturday evening track is that venues, photographers, florists and bands are all more readily available on short notice.

Lainie agreed with me that a brunch can be less traumatic on the budget. Lainie and Scott chose to have a full open bar at their reception (Lainie is a wine and spirits publicist), however brunch easily allows for a simple and inexpensive bar of champagne and orange juice. I might add, when you are mixing the bubbly with o.j., it doesn’t have to be the best.  The chances are even with a full bar, that guests will drink less at a brunch than they will at a Saturday night dinner.

Another bonus they discovered - “ we ... notice(d) when watching the video... that in the afternoon, the older couples were up on the dance floor and a lot more energetic than they probably would have been at night."

And I love just this special little touch “Since no Sunday brunch would be complete without a newspaper, we arranged for the New York Post to be delivered for each guest, and a personalized crossword puzzle featuring questions about Lainie and Scott's romance was placed at each guest's seat”.

So a brunch for you wedding reception?- I’ll drink to that!

BTW, to check out a brunch menu please visit my Website.

Bon Appetit!

Gisele

www.smallpleasurescatering.com

Oh! P.S. Listen to Kara Oh interview me on BlogTalkRadio where we discuss other ways to create a memorable wedding reception without busting your budget.
Creating a Personalized and Memorable Wedding Reception

Brunch for a Wedding Reception? Part 1

I have catered several brunches over the last few months. Sunday brunch has always been a favorite dining out experience of mine, and I happen to think brunch is a great idea for a party now that we are in times where everyone is watching their bottom line.

So when the topic of weddings came up yesterday while  having lunch with my mother (we were celebrating her 83rd birthday!), I naturally got on my shtick about other kinds of receptions rather than the Saturday night dinner. Mom was relating a story of a wedding years ago  she had been to some  years back where in an apparent attempt to save money, the bride had hired a caterer to bring food but had not hired servers. Mom said she and some other friends of the bride’s mother (who were guests) jumped behind the buffet line to help mete out the food because they noticed that people were piling their plates high with food she knew they wouldn’t finish.

“I just don’t get it” I said, “catering is more than just the food. The servers are part of ensuring the whole experience goes well, and people do tend to pile up their plates with food that will just get tossed out later”.

“Well, I’m sure they were just trying to save money” Mom said.

“I’m sure they were” I responded. “Believe me, I am not one of those people who thinks people have to spend a fortune on weddings. But they can have other kinds of reception- a brunch or lunch, or a tea party- that are more cost effective”

And Mom reminded me that those kinds of receptions were quite common in the past.

I remember them, too, and quite a bit more fondly I might add, than the many “cookie cutter” hotel banquet room “rubber chicken“ sit down dinner receptions that have become the norm-and in the process, have more than doubled the cost of wedding receptions.

I had just earlier that morning exchanged e-mails with a recent bride from New York regarding her Sunday brunch reception. I was put in touch with Lainie because I had put the word out that I was seeking out couples who had thrown out the Saturday sit down dinner model for more creative wedding receptions. As you may have gathered (ahem!), I have a strong bias against hotel banquet room receptions. I think they are the least creative, the most expensive, the least fun for your guests, and btw, usually have the worst food.

Okay, so enough for now. I'll chat more about Lainie's wonderful brunch reception next time.

Ciao,

Gisele

small pleasures catering

 

P.S. Oh yeah! I am going to be a guest on Kara Oh's BlogTalkRadio show this Tuesday afternoon at 3 P.M PST. I'll be talking about planning a more creative and memorable wedding reception- and saving money in the process.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Heart-Whisperer/