Live auction items such as hand-painted toilet seats raised awareness about the importance of colon cancer screenings at the Bottoms Up! fund-raiser in Toronto in 2010. The theme extended to the menu: Sponge cakes with custard filling, created by A La Carte Kitchen, were designed to look like sugar bottoms.
At the marijuana-theme gala at the Los Angeles museum in April—April 20, of course—a so-called “4/20 buffet" included munchies like hot dogs, mac 'n' cheese, pizza, and Chinese food.
Channeling Adam and Eve, eight models in fig leaves and body paint handed out red apples at the entrance to the Liberty Grand for the Toronto International Film Festival's opening night gala in 2011. The party drew a crowd of more than 3,000 attendees and paid tribute to Jon Amiel's film Creation, which tells the life story of British scientist Charles Darwin.
As a way to introduce its four new printers, Hewlett-Packard turned a raw space in New York's Chelsea neighborhood into a makeshift lab and color-coded showcase based around the CMYK color model in 2012. The production team at ExtraExtra used a design scheme based on the printing industry's CMYK color format to underscore the thermal technology of the ink-jet products.
Absolut took over Chicago's Venue One in 2011 to host a launch party for Absolut Wild Tea. Because the flavor combines notes of oolong tea and Nordic white elderflower, the event took on an Asian-meets-Swedish theme. The main room had a minimal look, accented with mirror-top tables, patterned lighting, and bamboo fixtures that held boxes of white flowers.Â
Lincoln Center benefits and hard hats may sound like an unlikely combination, but at the cultural center’s 2007 “Good Night, Alice” event, the omnipresent theme of construction made it happen. Tabletops adorned with silver hats, trucks, and lunch boxes set the scene inside the dinner tent. In the silver lunch boxes, guests found lobster and chop-chop salad, minted pea soup, crunchy wontons, and Asian sesame dressing.
In 2009, the Art Gallery of Toronto hosted a gala with a "Massive Uprising" theme. Songs like “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister played as guests arrived for the party. Riot police wielding billy clubs greeted attendees as they entered Walker Court, where a group of models dressed as hippies conducted a sit-in.
To mark the premiere of Breakout Kings in 2011, A&E hosted a jailhouse-theme reception at New York's Stage 37. The backdrop for the photo booth was a mugshot-style height chart. Letter board props imprinted with "A&E State Penitentiary" helped complete the picture.
In 2007, the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave gala had decor inspired by Shaker culture. Wooden doors, baskets, miniature apples, curly willow, maple trees, and rocking chairs all contributed to the festive but serene environment. Guests encountered wooden gates and warm projections of leaves and branches upon exiting the elevators.
Macklemore's hit song “Thrift Shop” was topping charts when Roth Capital Partners held its annual conference in March at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel—and it brought in the rapper for entertainment. The firm played up the performance with an overall eye-catching, thrift-store theme with design from Elite Productions. Funky furniture and accent pieces made a lounge space feel like a vintage living room.
The Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation hosted a gala that paid tribute to Dr. J. Bernard Gosevitz in June. The doctor's love for outdoor sport came through at the gala, where guests fished for prizes at the "Dr. G. Tribute Fish Pond."
Under its subdivision Jewell To Go, Chicago's Jewell Events Catering supplies an Asian-inspired alternative to more traditional box lunches. The company's sleek bento boxes hold items such as salmon over a seasonal grain salad, grilled asparagus spears, sesame noodle salad, and fresh fruit tartlets.
A timely option with Mardi Gras coming soon, Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar, and Eatery in Arlington, Virginia, offers platters of "Muff-o-Lotta" sandwiches. Prepared by chef David Guas, the sandwiches are stuffed with salami, mortadella, smoked ham, provolone cheese, and olive salad. They're topped with toothpicks bearing New Orleans's signature fleur-de-lis.
For lunch meetings at the office, Pure Kitchen Catering in Chicago drops off jarred salads. Flavors include the Southwest salad, made with spiced nuts and pepitas.
Austin, Texas-based Royal Fig Catering has a Limited Service Menu tailored to office events. Options on the menu include a cheese and antipasto display with house-pickled vegetables, fruit spreads, rustic breads, and crackers.
Catering With a Twist in Austin, Texas, serves boxed "Cuban Sammies." Served with a side of arugula-corn-tomato salad, the sandwiches are filled with roasted pork tenderloin, honey ham, mustard, pickles, and onions and served on a sweet roll.
At Washington's Design Cuisine, a new division called Prepped by Design focuses on seasonal foods that make for quick buffet-style service. Menu items include a five-mushroom tart, made with roasted mushrooms, a Gruyere custard, and house-made pie crust.
Arthur's Catering in Orlando can set up salsa stations at meetings. The stations are stocked with chips, guacamole, hot sauce, and several types of salsa; there are also bamboo trays for guests to stash their snacks.
Aruthur's also provides Thai chicken meatballs for in-office gatherings. Accompanied by a cup of toothpicks, the meatballs can be passed or set up on a buffet for guests to serve themselves.
In Philadelphia, Brûlée Catering brings British cheese and beer pairing stations to offices. One pairing offers oatmeal stout with Huntsman cheese.
Entertaining Company in Chicago makes a wintry hot toddy punch. The drink is made with ingredients such as fresh ginger, honey, crushed red pepper, orange pekoe tea, and whiskey.
The Orlando catering firm Puff 'n Stuff creates a nonalcoholic fusion of lemonade and fresh herbs that suits warm-weather gatherings.
Chicago firm Paramount Events' summery drink contains fresh strawberries and strawberry preserves, mezcal, grilled tangerine, and basil.
Chicago catering company Limelight makes a summery drink that puts a spin on the usually fruity sangria. The Vegetable Sangira Punch incorporates white wine, fresh herbs, heirloom tomatoes, watermelon radish, and cucumber.
Tanta, a Peruvian restaurant in Chicago, serves its Pisco punch in a cup decked with a mermaid. The drink contains Pisco Portón, zucca, lime, cinnamon, and Cusqueña beer. National Pisco Sour day is celebrated in February to help bring summery vibes to the dead of winter, but the drink is served at Tanta year-round.
New Chicago restaurant the Duck Inn has "Bath Tub Punch" on its event menu. Created by senior executive bar director Brandon Phillips, the punch is served in a tabletop bathtub with a large chunk of ice that typically holds a frozen rubber duck. The punch is suited to all seasons, but in the summer the venue hosts outdoor "backyard parties" that offer smoked ribs, sausages, and signature Duck Fat Dogs.
