Catering Blog

St. Patrick’s Day Office Catering Ideas

What’s green and white and read all over? These fun St. Patrick’s Day Office Party ideas

Even if St. Patrick’s Day is on a weekend, you can still have fun at the office beforehand.

Prepare the office:

Green is the theme so, invite your team to wear green – the one with the most green can win a “pot of gold” filled with chocolate coins. Those can be found at most local grocery stores or party supply stores.

Put some Irish Coffee Creamer near the coffee pot and some whipped cream and green sprinkles for a mock Irish Coffee.

Post signs around the office with Irish trivia.

Are there female leprechauns?

Answer – An ancient book called “A History Of Irish Fairies” reveals that there is no evidence of there being a female leprechaun — ever. (Answer provided by Huffington post)

What happens if you catch a Leprechaun?

Answer – He will have to tell you where the gold is hidden because he is compelled to tell the truth by fairy law (Answer provided by wikihow)

How many leaves do shamrocks have?

Answer – The three leaves of a shamrock are also said to stand for faith, hope and love. A fourth leaf is where we get the luck from. The four-leafed clover, or “lucky clover”, is an uncommon variation of the three-leafed clover, and widely considered to be a symbol of good luck. (Answer provided by Tenon Tours)

Cut shamrocks out of green construction paper and hang up around the office. Templates are here.

Make paper chains of green and gold paper and hang anywhere in the office.

Make a Pot of Gold using a simple clear vase, filled with gold coins and put in a place everyone will see it. Then, create a drawing to win the pot by having your staff fill out an entry “clover” with their answer of how many coins are in there and the one who gets closest wins the pot! Or, create individual treats for everyone to enjoy.

And now it’s time to work on the office St. Patrick’s Day Lunch

Corn beef and cabbage immediately comes to mind; however, the scent of cooked cabbage filling the office may not be so desirable so, the next best thing for a group would be Shepherd’s Pie which is made with ground beef, mashed potatoes and veggies. That, served with some Irish Biscuits, an all green salad and of course dessert could be Apple Crumble.

If beef doesn’t suit your group, you can offer Irish Chicken Breast which is grilled chicken breast simmered with sautéed mushrooms, roma tomatoes and scallions

Irish Mashed Potatoes which are Ultra-creamy and buttery mashed potatoes

Pot o’ Gold Fruit Tray

Perfect for dessert! The picture says it all!
Sliced strawberries, orange sections, green and black grapes complete with a marshmallow cloud and a pot o’ gold! You can use green grapes, kiwi, honeydew for an all-green fruit tray if you’d prefer that. Add some fruit dip that’s died green and you’ll complete the treat. (Photo by patch.com)

Good Luck Fruit and Veggie Tray

Make a party tray with green grapes, kiwi, cucumbers, celery, broccoli and Green Goddess Dressing

Shamrock Pinwheels

Spinach tortillas rolled up with veggie cream cheese and then cut in party size bites. Or add ham and cheese if you want something heartier.

For more creative St. Patrick’s Day menu ideas – check these out!

Hat, clover and pot o’ gold by: https://pixabay.com/users/terovesalainen-809550/

Breakfast Catering Checklist

Planning an office breakfast catering?

Here’s an easy Breakfast Catering checklist to help make your catering a success.

What time will the guests arrive?

Catering should be scheduled for delivery and set up to be complete 15-30 mintues prior to guests’ arrival.

Is this a VIP guest list?

NO

- Use company provided disposable plates, cups and utensils.
- Use your own caterer’ basic disposable place settings
- Buy your own disposable place settings

YES

Options

- Use higher quality disposable place settings. Ours are sturdy acrylic plates, cups and coffee mugs, silver colored disposable utensils and a high-quality paper napkin.
- Use china, flatware, glassware and cloth napkins
  - Tips
    - Set up will take longer as will clean up and you’ll need to have more than your head count. You should have about 5-10% more place settings than your guest count should someone drop a napkin, not wish reuse a glass or want a second fork.
    - Place settings – plan for more than your headcount. You should have about 5-10% more place settings than your guest count should someone not wish to reuse a glass, or want a second fork.
    - Glasses – you should plan on about 1.25-1.5 glasses per person along with the same for coffee cups/saucers or mugs. Some people won’t reuse these so depending on the duration of your meeting, these are a must for beverage refills.

What breakfast menu should you serve?

Did they stay at a hotel the night before and does that hotel offer a free continental breakfast?

Yes
Your breakfast menu should be on the lighter side and more of a meet and greet menu like a simple pastry assortment, some fruit or yogurt. Coffee, bottled water and juices would be appropriate to have available too.

No
If your guests had no access to some sort of breakfast prior to your meeting then a more substantial breakfast should be offered and include:

Main entrée – eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, sausage or a breakfast casseroles like quiche, frittatas and/or oatmeal

Breads – pastry, bagels and cream cheeses, coffee cake and muffins

Fruit – either a fruit tray, fresh bananas, berries or fruit cup should be included not only to round out the meal, but for those who prefer not to eat sweets or need a gluten-free option. Yogurt along with granola or cubed fruit is a great alternative addition.

Beverages – Coffees, assorted juices and bottled water are must haves for your menu. Though people will have had coffee more than likely prior to arriving, it’s always a good idea to have some available for the meeting.

Bottled water – plan on at least one bottle of water per person as a minimum. The longer the meeting, the more you’ll need.

Other beverages – if your meeting is a bit longer and will last up until a lunch break, adding iced teas, soft drinks and more juices would be wise

Ice – you will need plenty of ice not only to chill the drinks but also to put in the glasses used for tea and soft drinks. Some people will have juice on ice so plan on providing plenty of ice. If you only have access to a small ice machine, ask your caterer to provide more.

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Extraordinary Box Lunch Catering

Box Lunch Catering can be more than a sandwich and chips!

We were asked to create some upscale and unique box lunch catering menu ideas using Bento boxes as the container. Since the request included offering three different entrée choices, an accompanying sauce, one starch, a vegetable and a salad, and some sort of bread, we first had to find the boxes that would hold all of that.

We sourced the boxes, got the dimensions of the compartments and then developed the recipes for the rest of the meal and created an extraordinary box lunch. For dessert, something simple was requested so we put two cookies tucked in a bag which were placed on a napkin by the side of the box, not in the box. The end result: an upscale, jazzy box lunch that makes a statement visually, and that was tasty and perfect for an executive working lunch.

These can also be served when you want to make a big impression with prospective clients and customers, or for executive bus tours, air planes, jets, or when a catered plated meal or buffet service isn’t an option.

Herbed Rubbed Beef Tenderloin

Herb rubbed grilled beef tenderloin steak served on a bed of spring lettuce with horseradish sauce

Grilled Orange Chicken

Grilled marinated chicken breast served on a bed of spring mix with orange garlic marinade

Grilled Chipotle Jumbo Shrimp

Jumbo chipotle marinated grilled shrimp served on a bed of spring mix and a mild chipotle sauce

Orzo Pasta

Seasoned orzo pasta with green and red pepper accents

Grilled Oiled Flat Bread

Composed Salad

Asian Cucumber Salad accented with fresh peppers, carrots, edamame and toasted sesame seeds

Watermelon Feta Salad

Watermelon sprinkled with feta cheese served with balsamic vinaigrette

Gourmet Rocky Road Cookie

Chocolate cookie with white and semi-sweet chocolate chips, marshmallow bits and walnuts

Gourmet Sugar Cookie

Old fashioned buttery and sweet sugar cookie

Do you have an extraordinary box lunch
you need created and catered?

Just tell us a bit about what you need and let our team go to work for you too!

Outdoor Wedding Catering

Breakfast Wedding Catering

Outdoor Wedding Catering created for another happy couple!

This week we had the honor of creating an outdoor wedding reception for Josh and Jessica and luckily the weather cooperated. The ceremony area was created with a path way of flower petals creating the aisle leading her to her soon-to-be husband. And a giant tree, decorated with a beautiful, draping floral garland created a very special spot for the actual ceremony. To coordinate with her outdoor theme, she chose burlap looking floor length linens, and redwood chairs to compliment the “woodsy” look.

Since the wedding was in the morning, the bride chose a breakfast menu featuring mini chicken and waffles, breakfast casseroles, biscuits, bacon, sausage and gravy. She also wanted mac and cheese, fresh fruit along with a great variety of breakfast breads and pastries. Beverages included coffee, juices, iced tea and mimosas all of which were served from an outdoor cabana making it easy for the guests to take.

And for the cake? Doughnuts of course. Their favorite – good old fashioned glazed doughnuts created the “cake” while the chocolate cake doughnuts and white iced doughnuts were arranged on surrounding platters for variety. A sweet way to celebrate their “I do’s”

A beautiful day, a beautiful venue, a beautiful new life! Congratulations Josh and Jessica!

Want help with your wedding reception?
Experienced, reliable and ready to work for you!

Wedding Catering with a Breakfast Menu

Wedding Catering with Breakfast

Last week we had the privilege of creating and serving a Wedding catering at the Eisemann Center in Richardson. What did the bride want? Breakfast! So we cooked up some great breakfast Casseroles with plenty of eggs, cheese, sausage and ham and for those who can’t eat meat, a vegetable frittata. Baked French Toast and Breakfast Potatoes rounded out the hot portion of the menu. To that, we added an array of fresh baked pastries, mini muffins, coffee cake, party size bagels and fresh fruit. To compliment the breakfast menu, beverages were coffee, iced tea, fresh juices and mimosas.

Most wedding celebrations include a cake, and because this was a breakfast, we suggested a doughnut cake to keep with the breakfast theme. The bride was thrilled with that idea and asked if we could use her choice of flavors – plain cake doughnuts, blueberry cake doughnuts and chocolate cake doughnuts. But, she also wanted a two tier cake with her cake topper on it so, that’s exactly what we used.

To create the cake, we layered the doughnuts on a cupcake tower and topped that off with a simple white two-layer cake, which created a show piece, just what wedding cakes do. To tie the white cake into the doughnut look we sliced several doughnuts in half and pressed those onto the tiers to complete the wedding “cake”. And then to make it easier for guests to select their doughnuts, we placed the cupcake tower on a lazy Susan so they could spin the tower around and select their perfect doughnut.

You can do the same with muffins, bagels, croissants or any other breakfast pastry you want for your breakfast wedding catering.

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs.! May you have a very happy and wonderful life!

Want help with your wedding catering?

How to get the best catering quote

How to get the best catering quote you can

How many guests are you expecting?
What style of catering do you want?
What venue will you be using?
Will you need beverage service?
What is your budget?

Caterers can provide much more accurate quotes for meetings and events when they receive catering quote requests with as many specifics as possible. So, before you contact a caterer, gather basic details about the meeting or event and be prepared to share all of that information with them. The more details you provide, the more realistic your quote will be. Those details include:

How Many Guests are you expecting?

There is a huge difference between a meeting for 10 executives and a wedding reception for 300 people. Typically, caterers will have volume discounts for larger groups which is why the caterer needs to know approximately how many people are attending. Depending on the policies of that caterer, there can be some adjustments to the headcount but you should ask what happens to the price if only 200 guests are confirmed when the quote was for 300 people.

What style of catering do you want?

Do you want a buffet, action stations, passed appetizers, or a plated and served meal? You can mix and match these styles of service. However for the quote, you need to tell the caterer what you want or, have them offer suggestions based on your menu and the purpose of the special event. For example, because different catering styles require different staffing levels and culinary skills, there is most likely a price difference between a wait-staff managed buffet and a culinary trained chef executing an action station.

What venue are you planning to use?

Will your event be held in your current office space, residence, rented venue or outdoors? This matters because of the amenities that may or may not be available for your food and beverage. Many “behind the scenes” details can be provided by a rented venue which is why the caterer needs to know where you’re planning on hosting your event.

Are there tables and chairs?
Do they provide linens?
Do they have ice?
Is there a sink, running water, staging area, and/or a caterer’s kitchen?
Is there reasonable parking, ample access time for event set-up?

Venues can also dictate other specifics that include:

Do they require non disposable place settings, meaning only china, glassware and flatware are to be used?
Do they require eco-friendly place settings only?
What are their delivery rules and times for caterers?
What is lead time caterer can gain entrance?
What time do guests need to depart?
Does the caterer have to complete the room set-up and clean-up or does the venue’s staff?
What is deadline for event clean up?

All of these requirements affect how the caterer will produce your event and why your caterer needs to know where you’re hosting your event.

Will beverage service be needed?

Some offices may have their own coffee, water and soft drinks, but can’t provide it in the meeting room. Some venues won’t have anything. Some venues will allow caterers to provide non-alcoholic beverages, but no alcohol. Some venues will allow full bar service, some will limit alcohol to beer and wine only. Your caterer will more than likely know what venue allows what, so tell them exactly what you want to provide and they’ll know what they can include on your quote.

What is your budget?

So many people are fearful of providing any kind of budget information with a caterer yet, this is one of the most important pieces of information you need to share with your caterer to get an accurate quote. The budget will indicate what level of service will be most suitable for your event. Knowing your budget, no matter how modest or lavish it is, is vital for any caterer so they can provide suggestions, alternatives, or creative ideas to produce your ideal end result – the meeting, party or reception you imagined.

So, now you’re ready to contact a caterer about your next event.

Happy planning and have a successful event!

How to Grill Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes can be prepared so many ways: mashed, baked, whipped or grilled and we’ve served them all. Having recently served these as grilled wedges, we wanted to share

How to Grill Sweet Potato Wedges:

Here’s how we made ours:

More info on this mighty potato

Select medium size sweet potatoes with no bruises or blemishes and with as few curves as possible.
Wash and if desired, peel them. Peeling the skin off isn’t necessary and you can do this step ahead of time since sweet potatoes don’t turn brown like other potatoes would.
To cut sweet potatoes into wedges start by cutting the potato in 1/2 lengthwise
Turn halves cut side down and cut in 1/2 again creating a quarter of a potato
Take each 1/4 section and flip so the peeled or skin side is on the cutting board and the thin side is up and then cut in half again. Once you’re done you should have at least 8 potato wedges per potato. You can also slice the potato into coins or circles if you prefer that shape. Because you don’t want all the food being served to be the same shape, cut your potatoes to compliment the rest of your menu.
See how to cut potatoes compliments of North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission.
Place wedges in a bowl and drizzle with some oil (we used canola oil). Do not drench them or the oil will make the potatoes gray once on the grill.
Turn the grill on high to get the grates hot. Once the grates are hot, place the potato wedges directly on the grill grates for about 3 minutes. Flip the wedge over and grill the other side for 3 minutes. This is just to get the grill marks on the potato but not to completely cook them.
Once the wedges are grill marked on both sides, place grilled wedges in a heat safe pan, dish or an aluminum foil pouch. Bake in a pre-heated oven until the potatoes are soft – about 20 minutes. You want the potatoes soft which depends on the size of your wedges. Thicker potatoes will need more time, thinner ones might only need 10 minutes in the oven.
Once they’re done, remove from the oven, toss with a little melted butter, brown sugar and a hint or cinnamon sugar.

According to our client, we had a home run, and we hope you will too!

How to Create an Outdoor Wedding Catering Menu

The Outdoor Catering Area

Catering an outdoor wedding menu starts with the actual outdoor area.
Where is it? What does it have there? What do you need to be able to serve a catered meal? Is there any cooking equipment like a grill? Running water? Work tables? If not, those things will have to be either rented or provided by your caterer in order to prepare your food. And what is needed will depend on the menu you select.

The Weather

Weather is always a factor when planning an outdoor reception, so a rain plan should be developed for the just-in-case moments Mother Nature might provide. Some sort of shelter should be in the plan whether the venue you chose has an indoor area available that can accommodate the number of people you’ll have or if you have to rent a party tent, some consideration should be made for your guests…just in case. The same applies to areas with no real shade. On a bright and sunny day, guests will want to get under some shade after a while so consult a party tent rental company first to see what your local ordinances are for erecting tents and the do’s and don’ts of hosting a party using a tent.

The Outdoor Catering Menu

Just about any catering menu is suitable for outdoors provided the preparation equipment is available and the necessary staging and food tables are there or can be brought in. Guest tables and seating also need to be set up and once all that is situated, any menu should be able to be prepared and provided.

We recently were asked to catered an outdoor wedding anniversary party at a client’s home who was lucky enough to have plenty of space for guests to go inside should the weather turn inclement and an outdoor kitchen complete with a pizza oven! With the weather on our side, we created a custom menu to take full advantage of the oven and outdoor grill. The client allowed us free reign on the menu so we decided to start with some flatbread pizza slices as the appetizers, providing entertainment for the guests as they watched us prepare and bake those outside.

We selected three varieties of flatbread pizzas:

Fresh Pear and Gorgonzola Cheese

On warmed flatbread, we sprinkled mozzarella cheese, fresh pear slices and candied pecans then baked for a couple of minutes. Once out of the oven, we topped with fresh baby greens and house made balsamic glaze

Herbed Portabella Mushroom with Fresh Mozzarella

Chock full of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and parsley, we sautéed the sliced baby portabella mushrooms and refrigerated those overnight. The day of the party, we layered the pizza with fresh mozzarella, then the mushrooms and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and baked.

Open Faced Smoked Salmon

Flatbread toasted with sesame seeds and when cool, layered with Greek yogurt, very thinly sliced tomato, onion and cucumber. On top of that we placed the client’s favorite smoked salmon and then garnished with capers.

On to the dinner menu using the outdoor grill, we served a wonderful and tender fresh herb marinated beef tenderloin which the client wanted made into sliders on our freshly baked rolls. With that we also prepared lemon pepper shrimp, grilled sweet potatoes and vegetable kabobs. A dinner salad of baby greens, dried cranberries, feta cheese and walnuts was served with balsamic vinaigrette and desserts completed the meal. Since the husband loves coconut, a two-layer coconut cake was sliced and served. And because the wife’s favorite is chocolate, a triple chocolate mousse tart enrobed in semi-sweet chocolate was created just for her. Sweet endings to a sweet celebration. Congratulations Tom and Dorothy on 30 years of marriage.

And what our client said:
…just wanted to let you know that your team knocked it out of the park last night. Everyone raved about the food, especially the appetizers – just wonderful. Dinner was great too. The beef was perfectly cooked, the rolls were just right, all the veggies delicious and everyone did a great job servicing and cleaning up. I would love to know how the sweet potatoes were prepared….

Office Open House Catering

Open House Catering

Why Host an Open House?

Office Open Houses are a great way to show your clients appreciation for the patronage they’ve shown you and show off your accomplishments in obtaining a new address. If you’re moving to a new location, recently moved or even just expanded your current office space, warehouse or showroom, hosting an Open House Catering is great way for your clients to get to see your new location, get to know your staff, where you work and a behind the scenes look at what you do and how you do it.

Who to Invite?

Other guests and dignitaries should be considered on the invitation list like your local Chamber of Commerce staff and economic development employees, key vendors, and local government officials. If you used the services of real estate professionals to assist you in the purchase, rent or lease of your new address, be sure to include them on your guest lists too. The more people you invite from the different facets of your business, the more buzz you’ll get and word of mouth is priceless!

We had the privilege of catering Mojo Media Labs for their Open House to show off their new location. Even though they moved within the same building, their new suite was something to be seen. Panoramic views of Las Colinas, wide open work spaces and a very accommodating staff made this Open House catering a success.

Where Should the Food and Beverage Go?

We recommend that you place menu items throughout your space, so as guests tour the facility, there are treats for them along the way. You can also use existing furniture for buffet stations like a, board room table, reception area counter and in rooms or areas you really want your guests to see. You caterer can help you with what should go where. It’s a great way to create the path guests will take to see all the areas you want the to see.

What Open House Catering Menu?

What kind of menu did they wish to offer their guests? Something easy to carry, eat and walk around with, so they could explore the different office areas. To accomplish that, we set up two buffet stations, one on either side of their large space, so guests could get a bite or two no matter which part of the suite they were in. The items were small and bite sized with little sauce to avoid spills and drips as people traveled around the suite.

If you have a theme in mind, a professional caterer can help design a perfect menu with items that coordinate with your theme. Use your company history, logo, location or even your favorite foods as inspiration for creating your menu.

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Mini buffalo chicken bites filled with blue cheese and celery

Veggie Spring Rolls

Chopped cabbage, celery, mushrooms, carrots and water chestnuts wrapped in a delicious spring roll wrapper

Asian Cocktail Meatballs

Asian inspired cocktail meatballs with a tangy soy plum dipping sauce

Zucchini Feta Bruschetta

Diced fresh tomatoes, zucchini and green onion marinated with herbs served with garlic toast slices

Fresh Fruit Kabobs

Fresh cantaloupe and pineapple chunks skewered with a fresh strawberry

Mini Fudge Brownies

Decadent fudge walnut brownies studded with chocolate chunks

Mini Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bar

Smooth white chocolate cheesecake swirled with fresh raspberry puree on a chocolate cookie crust

Finally, to thank your guests for attending your party and to provide them a token or two, make gift bags with branded items in it to hand to your guests as they depart. It will allow them to carry your company name with them and remind them of your business and hospitality.

Want to cater your Office Open House?

Catering – Better than restaurant food delivery

What’s better than restaurant food delivery? Catering!

Restaurant food delivery or catering – which is better? A Catering service is providing food and beverage service to off-site locations like venues, party halls, private residences or offices. They also cater different types of events like Business Catering, Special Event Catering and Wedding Catering. Depending on the catering company’s menu and culinary abilities, they can and may provide breakfast catering menus, banquet menus and/or wedding reception menus.

The Actual Delivery

A caterer will tell you a food delivery is not the same as a catered one. Most caters will deliver your order, unpack all your menu items, place settings and whatever else was ordered and set it up for you. A restaurant more than likely will deliver your food in bags or boxes, leaving you to unpack it and set it up. Restaurants may use their own food delivery personnel, or a hired delivery company, but caterers typically use their own staff to transport and deliver food, using insulated food carriers or other special equipment.

Types of Food Delivery

Business meeting catering can be upscale with china, flatware and glassware, complete with wait staff, or, more of a working lunch with a hot lunch buffet set up for guests to serve themselves. When time is limited and guests need to “work through lunch,” box lunches can also be a great corporate catered meal.

Most restaurants won’t have the ability to provide different levels of service, that professional caterers can. You can opt different types of delivery service with wait staff and bartenders, or a drop-off, set up (for guests to help themselves) and then a return trip to clean it up.

Special Event Food Delivery

Caterers are also in the business of providing an experience that coincides with the type of event you’re having, restaurants probably can’t. For special occasions like grand openings, anniversaries, ribbon cuttings and wedding receptions, it’s a caterer’s responsibility to gather all the details of your event, suggest suitable catering menu items, prepare, provide, deliver and set up all of your food and beverage and any needed serving equipment. In some cases they will add décor to enhance the overall event. Special Event, Party Catering and Wedding Catering can also be formal, casual or designed with a theme in mind. Restaurant food delivery probably can’t do all that.

Serving Your Food Delivery

The actual serving of your menu depends on the service you want, and these types of events typically include wait staff to monitor the food and beverage and to serve your guests. If you’re offering cocktails or other alcoholic beverages, professional bartenders can be provided by most catering companies. Restaurant food delivery most likely will not include all of that.

Food Delivery Menus

Caterers also have menus for all occasions and all budgets from economical to extravagant. So, if you’re looking for places that deliver food, restaurants are one option; but caterers are your best one. They’ll simply have it all!