Social events, at their core, are supposed to be fun. So skip the tired trends of the past and get creative with how you cater your event. By choosing creative and fun catering ideas for your next social event, your party will stand out in the best way possible. Talented caterers can make these and more ideas come to life for your guests.
Ready to start planning an out-of-this-world social event that will have your guests gushing about it for months after the fact? Try these 7 fun catering ideas.
1. Unique Foods Are the Way to Go
Think outside of the (lunch) box and choose exotic or unique foods for your upcoming social events. Skip the usual event food equation of: protein+vegetable+starch on one plate and instead serve food tapas style. Have various stations that serve small plates that are full of flavour, letting your guests mingle and also choose how much and what they eat.
2. Get Fancy with Garnish
It’s all in the details, so garnish can be a game changer for your social events, bringing food presentation to the next level. The most popular garnish of the moment consists of edible flowers, which look beautiful atop of desserts and salads alike. Runners up include charred lemon and carrot ribbon chips. Remember, food can be art!
3. Partner with a Famous Chef
If you have the budget, consider partnering with a famous chef. Brainstorm a list of the hippest restaurants in town and reach out to them about hiring one of their chefs for the night. Having a headliner chef with unique catering ideas and fresh recipes will bring your event to the next level and bring your food game up a notch or two, as well.None of your guests will want to miss a part where they can mingle with celebrities, and chefs are the new celebs.
4. Make It Insta-Worthy
Up the presentation ante with Instagram-worthy plates. Visit Pinstagram to see what the newest decorating trends are, and follow suit. Having decorations and food prepared in an aesthetically pleasing way begs for guests to take a picture.
Another great way to encourage people to take and share photos is to have an event hashtag. That way, all the photos from the night can be found in one place. Small picture frames letting your guests know your hashtag can be added to the food tables or the bar. #bestideaever
5. Re-Think the Hors D’Oeuvres
Get creative with hors d’oeuvres and small plates by re-assembling tried-and-true classics. For example, instead of serving bruschetta on bread, serve it on Parmesan crackers topped with heirloom tomatoes and a basil glaze. All the same flavours are there, but they’re rearranged aesthetically.
Adding hors d’oeuvres to your menu is also great because it allows guests to walk around and mingle whist eating, making your event a lot more sociable and less stagnant.
6. Interactive Stations
People are becoming much more interested in where their food is coming from and how it’s prepared.Having interactive stations allows guests to interact with the chefs and allows you to customizefood options so that they appeal to everyone at your social events. Chefs have the opportunity to tell guests stories about the dishes, such as what ingredients are in the dishes, what the meat is fed, and how the dishes are prepared. This can help your guests with dietary restrictions as well.An interactive station heightens the level of engagement at your social events, adds to the entertainment value, and enhances the guests’ experience.
7. Make Your Event Green
Lately there has been a rise in health and earth conscious consumers, so having an event that offers clean and green alternatives is a great idea. Don’t worry; having a green event can also be fun, with vegan and gluten-free recipes often being more delicious than their meat and gluten counterparts. Think of adding local food suppliers and wine/micro brews/distilleries to your menu to engage your local economy and boost your social consciousness. Guests will appreciate the fact that they can actually go and visit some of these local merchants themselves.
Look into venues in your area that offer environmentally friendly spaces and provide compost and recycling bins throughout the venue. These small steps go along way to showing your guests that you care.
Providing organic, local and sustainable food and beverage options are both healthier and environmentally conscious alternatives, which are sure to create a buzz.
