Cakes in Jars
3. An article looking at clever ways to serve dessert showcased the Los Angeles launch for chef Duff Goldman's Cake-in-a-Jar, which, naturally, offered guests samples of the product in Mason jars.
Photo: Courtesy of Duff's Cakemix
Spiked Lemonade
1. This year's summer menu ideas story included Sweet Hospitality Group's lemon cocktails mixed with vodka, St. Germain, and honey-thyme lemonade.
Photo: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash & Andrew Martin for BizBash
An assistant decorated a tier of a cake from Terracocoa. Chef and owner Marilyn Mueller chose the Galleria's "Pretty Pale" spring trend of nudes and pinks as inspiration for her wedding cake design.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
The Pot Pie Garden dessert from Barton G. LA features six individual pies (pecan, key lime, cherry jubilee, banana cream, rosemary apple, and Mississippi mud). Each pie is baked into an individual flower pot and topped with chocolate "soil" and a sprig of fresh herb. Muddied (aka chocolate-stained) gardening tools and gloves complete the platter.
Photo: Courtesy of Barton G.
At the launch party for President’s Choice Black Label in September 2011, Allyson Meredith Bobbitt and Sarah Bell, pastry chefs and owners of Bobbette & Belle, served dark Venezuelan chocolate cake on edible plates made out of sugar. The two chefs molded each plate individually and hand-painted them with unique designs on site at Toronto's Neubacher Shor Contemporary Gallery.
Photo: Ernesto DiStefano for Pimentel Photo
At the grand opening of the Miami Airport Convention Center in April 2012, a "garden" was created out of toasted pumpernickel bread for dirt and included planted baby carrots, asparagus spears, and zucchini, as well as baby tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella flowers.
Photo: Harvey Bilt
For the premiere of Dexter's eighth season in 2013, Magnolia Bakery came up with a killer cupcake—a red velvet confection that was spattered with caramel "blood" and sugar "glass" shards.
Photo: Courtesy of Magnolia Bakery
Inspired by Pixy Stix, Scoozi Events NYC created a dry, powder version of Nutella that resembled makeup powder for its beauty clients' events.
Photo: Courtesy of Scoozi Events NYC
Guests at the Hope & Help Center’s Headdress Ball, held at the Hilton Orlando in September, dined on a banana tart for dessert, along with a palatable "lipstick"—a hand-rolled cylinder of raspberry-flavored white chocolate presented in a plastic tube, which worked like real lipstick.
Photo: Kayla Hernandez for BizBash
Wine and spirit agency Charton Hobbs, along with event production company Candice & Alison, created cocktails with an edible silver dust stencil for Cadillac's electric car launch event, held at UpCountry in Toronto in March.
Photo: Kevin Gonsalves
Nothing beats an ice pop when temperatures rise. At the 2013 mtvU Woodie Awards and Festival, held in March in Austin, Texas, guests beat the heat with more than 7,000 custom-flavored all-natural frozen pops from Mom & Pops.
Photo: Courtesy of MTV
Maria Zoitas of Maria’s Homemade recommends adding fruit-infused ice cubes to drinks at summer parties. Just add berries, grapes, or pomegranate seeds to the water in ice cube trays, then toss the final product into champagne mixed with hibiscus syrup.
Photo: Courtesy of Westside Market NYC
Guests could also help themselves to boxes filled with crudités and jars of ranch dressing, which were placed atop wooden barrels.
Photo: Nilaya Sabnis
Grilled corn on the cob with assorted toppings; roasted potato salad on chive sticks; watermelon cubes with feta and spinach; spinach salad with chopped eggs and microgreens in bacon cups; “hot dog” and “hamburger” macarons; and apple pie parfaits, by Windows Catering Company in Washington
Photo: Erika Rydberg for BizBash
D.I.Y. Doughnut Decorating at Chef's Challenge: The Ultimate Battle for a Cure
At the 2014 event in Toronto, guests were invited to participate in a doughnut-decorating challenge that let them customize their own treats with toppings such as chocolate and sprinkles.
Photo: Nick Lee/BestOfToronto.net
