Summer 2012

Sausage wrapped in a bacon spiral and egg blanket, a sausage patty topped with a quail egg and bacon-butter sauce, boiled eggs wrapped in sausage with bacon chunks, and a rhubarb smoothie with a gingersnap wand from Good Gracious! Events in Los Angeles

Breakfast tapas of a lobster omelet, pineapple upside-down pancakes, smoothie samplers, and a banana split yogurt parfait, from Loews Miami Beach Hotel in Miami Beach

House-made cinnamon French toast sticks served with warm raspberry sauce and brûléed apple pie oatmeal served in ramekins, from Gaylord National Resort & Conference Center in National Harbor, Maryland

Cabbage wraps with pulled turkey and cranberry chutney, from Hotel Monaco in Washington

Slow-cooked salmon with summer squash and zucchini in chive butter sauce; casarecci pasta with pea tendrils, spring onions, garlic, and parmesan; vine-ripened tomatoes with burrata, basil, and balsamic; and organic chicken with fingerling potatoes, leeks, and black olives, from Liberty Hotel in Boston

Lobster and peekytoe lump crabmeat "Maine"wich, served with summer stone fruit, feta and watercress salad, from KTCHN Restaurant at The Out NYC in New York

Mini-donut bar, served alongside an espresso station with mini desserts, from the Waldorf Astoria Chicago

Pomegranate quinoa with lemon cilantro vinaigrette served in take-out boxes with bamboo forks, from Taste Culinary in Toronto

Fava bean-and-basil dip served with vegetable crudité and baked pita chips, cucumber water, and blueberry lemonade, from Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Pinch Food Design offers a different spin on babyback ribs, serving the barbecue classic on a spoon-shaped skewer with creamed corn and jalapeños.

As a late-night snack, Marcey Brownstein Catering & Events serves mini pretzel bites alongside whole grain mustard and shots of Hefeweizen.

SD26 Events' eggplant terrine features sauteed eggplant that is layered with fresh tomatoes and herbs then baked in the oven. The dish is served with a dab of basil pesto and garnished with a parmigiano reggiano-flavored milk foam.

Great Performances can set up a dessert station featuring hanging pastry bags filled with flavored custards that guests can pipe into mini-beignets and profiteroles. Custard flavors include tangerine, mint, three-berry, earl grey, and vanilla bean.

This cucumber feta salad with roasted pepper hummus by Abigail Kirsch makes for an interesting alternative to the standard mixed green salad.

Created by Hell's Kitchen contestant and chef Guy Vaknin, Beyond Sushi is a new store serving vegetarian sushi. Offering catering for private events, the organic menu features unrefined fruits and vegetables wrapped in six-grain and black Chinese forbidden rice, topped with tofu and veggie puree sauces in flavors like jalapeno-wasabi, toasted-cayenne, carrot-ginger, shitake-teriyaki, mango-chili, and white-miso.

Thomas Preti Events to Savor will be serving their s'mores cheesecake as part of their dessert lineup this fall.

Caterers report that pies filled with seasonal fruit are becoming a popular dessert item at events. These latticed fruit pies are by Tip of the Tongue Caterers.

Feast & Fêtes' new "Aioli Presentation" is a spread featuring dishes like poached wild Alaskan salmon, cod confit, and jumbo Carolina shrimp.

Sant Ambroeus is offering an appetizer called "salmone fresco," consisting of smoked salmon topped with chives and a light balsamic reduction.

This year’s event was inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and whimsical decor included hanging birdcages.