Catering Archives | Page 2 of 5 | Food In Bloom Catering

The Minimalist Guide to Buffets

August 24, 2016 By Justin

Every bride and groom want their wedding to be perfect. There are so many variables to consider when planning a wedding, but putting the focus on the food should be a priority. With the increase in food sensitivities, finding options to please every guest can be a challenge. We think less is more, and simple is tasteful.

Utilize Your Resources.
Oregon Bounty. There’s a reason why Oregon has become a dominant powerhouse of culinary innovation in the past decade. The region’s food practices are top notch, boasting sustainability, organic and locally sourced products. The accessibility to these resources is abundant, making it easy and practical for chefs, restaurants and caterers to make magic happen without drastic costs. When choosing your menu, be logical with your produce. If you’re having a summer wedding, really invite the notion of having the colors of those vibrant seasonal vegetables and fruits play into your wedding theme. You likely aren’t going to have a root vegetable succotash side dish at your July wedding. Plus, there are way fewer people who have aversions to produce than grains, dairy or meats.

Season Sensibly.
Keeping simplicity in mind, avoid entrees or salads that are thick with seasonings or additives that may cause issues with your guests. Again, if it’s summertime, your guests are likely not going to want a heavy sauce based entrée. Go light and fresh with citrus notes and simple herbs to enhance the taste. If you’ve got a complex entrée that has over a dozen ingredients and seasonings, of course it’ll taste great, but odds are someone in the crowd is going to have a food sensitivity with one of those ingredients that you aren’t aware of.

Eat With Your Eyes.
Looks aren’t deceiving. If it looks clean and fresh, it’s going to taste clean and fresh. People eat with their eyes. When’s the last time you heard somebody say, “Mmm, that mystery meat tastes amazing! What do you think it is?” If your wedding is decorated with a minimal aesthetic, clean and lean foods will enhance that visual. A heavy, heaping glob of sweet potatoes may just look ‘ew’. Grilled asparagus or a black bean and sweet corn salad with lime and cilantro both provide a pop of color and simple flavors that will look stunning on a simple buffet display, without compromising the taste or the budget.

Brunching Through Your Reception

June 1, 2016 By Justin

Slowly replacing breakfast and lunch everywhere, brunch seems to be the coolest thing since sliced bread. Brunch translates exquisitely to dates, Instagram pictures, an excuse to start drinking early on Saturday or casual Sundays with your girlfriends. Come to think of it, we aren’t entirely sure why brunching hasn’t already been a phenomenon. Combining our favorite aspects of any meal; alcohol, bacon, champagne and carbs, we are certainly glad it is now a thing. And just in time for your wedding reception.

Timing is always everything, including when it comes to brunch. The ideal time for any brunch is between 11 AM to 2 PM. Waiting much longer than that your guests will either start getting hangry or would sacrificially ruin their meal by eating breakfast.

You might have your concerns steering towards such a trendy wedding reception. Don’t. What makes brunching such a hit, is it’s classic yet playful appeal. A brunch reception can be festive or formal and transitions into whatever theme, good or bad, you might pick. Brunching can also be a huge money saver (music to any brides’ ears)!

There are endless brunch options. Biscuit bars, donut cakes, waffles and never ending playful takes on dessert bars. Toast bars, mini benedicts and food stations (think omelet, crepes and scrambles), are always a delicious options, while catering to all food allergies guests might have.

But you cannot forget the crowd pleasing bloody Mary bar. Pick your poison; vodka, tequila, whiskey and whatever accoutrements one might prefer. We love to add some pizzazz with peppered bacon, shrimp and peppercinis.

Add in the mimosas and you have got yourself a successful reception brunch.

Thoughtful Meals for Your Volunteers

April 8, 2016 By Justin

Volunteers are the most effective resources you can utilize for your nonprofit fundraisers. While they put in their hard work and time for your well revered cause, it’s important for you to remember to acknowledge their efforts. Some volunteers like thank you notes. Some like that extra large free shirt with your logo on it. But, all of them love free food!

While you may not have the budget to provide your volunteers with the same high caliber multi-course meal that you are providing your attendees, you can still wow your v-team with a variety of styles of food and drink to express your gratitude.

Buffet-

Pick a theme and keep it simple. Italian: a large chafing dish of pasta, a mixed salad with croutons and dressings on the side, garlic bread as a side, and a platter of assorted cookies. It’ll provide energy and sustenance for your runners, and if you use disposable serviceware, you can ensure the cleanup will be quick and easy.

To complete the theme, set up an Italian Soda station, with ice, soda water, and a handful of flavored syrups.

Tip, bottled water should be at the ready to make sure your team stays hydrated.

Box It Up-

If you’ve got rotating in and out times, or if you’re tight on space, providing individual boxed lunches is a great way to feed the troops. Order simple varieties of sandwiches like turkey and swiss, or ham and cheddar, that come with chips, cookie and soda. Avoid obtrusive flavors that may attract unwanted aromatic attention like tuna, pesto, or onion. Your volunteers can label their individual box and nibble when they find down time, not having to worry about somebody eating the wrong plate of food, having it sit unattended for an hour, and you won’t have a tall stack of dirty plates at the end of the night.

‘Build Your Own’ Station

If you want to appeal to the discerning volunteer who has food sensitivities, create a ‘build your own’ food station, so your team can make their own little meal with the fixins’ you’ve provided. Think a salad bar or a burrito bowl bar. Be mindful to have options that even a vegan, gluten, dairy free person can consume just as much as the meat eater who piles sour cream on everything.

An easy way to establish what option may be the easiest and most effective for your team is to mention in your correspondence that you will be providing food. If you know what you are serving, let them know, so they can prepare an alternative if they’re not interested. If you ask for an RSVP on food, you’ll engage your volunteers to respond with any food issues they have. Plus, you’ll have a firm idea on a headcount, so you can minimize your budget and hopefully not waste any food.

Shrimp: A CEO’s Weakspot

April 1, 2016 By Justin

“Serve passed items that are easy to eat, not messy, that you can pick up with one hand always contribute to a great event”. Says Annessa Hartman, senior coordinator for Food in Bloom Catering.

Some say it’s a dog-eat-dog world We say it’s a shrimp-eat-shrimp world. So, why not incorporate our favorite crustacean into your next happy hour gathering or networking event?

Perhaps you see your CEO or boss like a shrimp: strong external shell, powerful navigator of the sea, and uses his/her feelers for sensibility.

What are some appropriate ways to serve our treasured swimmer of the sea?

Your guests, boss included, will likely have a cocktail in one hand, and flamboyantly storytelling and gesturing hand motions with the other. It’s a safe bet to keep the shrimp simple and flavorful, avoiding sauces, using a skewer stick, and keeping it relevant to your other food items.

If you are going for a Mediterranean themed menu, you’d incorporate flavors like paprika and rich, bright herbs. You likely wouldn’t have shrimp with lemongrass and peanut sauce. And, what if your guests are allergic to shrimp? Easy fix. Provide more than one hors d’oeuvre to your guests, and be open minded in your approach. Your group of guests will likely include someone who is vegetarian or vegan, someone who is gluten free, and someone who has dairy sensitivities.

You may have somebody who had a terrible encounter with shellfish in their past and prefers chicken. It’s important for you to have options, and an experienced caterer will provide you boatloads of choices. Because if your CEO or boss doesn’t like shrimp… well, you’re going to need a backup option to win him/her over. Otherwise, you may get tossed back into the sea.

To quote Forrest Gump: “Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There’s shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That, that’s about it.” –Bubba

Lan Su Chinese New Year

March 18, 2015 By Justin

Lan Su Chinese Garden concluded their Chinese New Year celebration with a dramatic lantern viewing. Food in Bloom was on hand to caterer and participate in the event on Sunday, March 1.

250 floating lanterns and 150 hanging red lanterns, alongside a dragon procession and drummers lit up the venue for four consecutive evenings. In addition to the ceremonial conclusion of the lantern viewing, the Year of the Ram celebrations began 10 days prior. Lion dancers, Chinese calligraphy demonstrations, martial arts performances, Chinese wishing tree and live sheep and goats all played a pivotal role in ringing in the New Year.

A complete wrap up of Lan Su’s Chinese New Year Celebrations can be found HERE.