food

For a recent dessert display created by Chicago-based Sugar Chic Designs, Nicole Greene of Truffle Truffle contributed caramel chocolate-covered pretzels rolled in beer batter toffee and displayed in a cigar box.

Savory s’mores with short rib and feta, by Limelight in Chicago

Leek cheesecake with arugula pesto, caramelized onions, and a sweet grape tomato served in a pesto cracker spoon, by Puff ’n Stuff Catering in Orlando

Chicken liver mousse skewer with Chinese five-spice cotton candy, by Eat & Smile Foods in Washington

Gorgonzola panna cotta with yellow beet gelée and prosciutto crisps, by Love Catering Inc. (323.936.7400, lovecateringinc.com) in Los Angeles

Sesame-and-hummus and truffled foie gras macarons, by Canard Inc. in New York

Savory cones, featuring carrot-parsnip-and-turmeric mash, purple potato mash, and maple bourbon sweet potato mash, by Marigolds & Onions in Toronto

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

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.

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.

Many of the events during the Republican National Convention will be receptions, where networking is the focus and the food needs to be portable. One of the items Good Food Catering Company will serve is a Caprese skewer on a pipette of extra-virgin olive oil.

The Key West seafood martini includes poached jumbo shrimp, bay scallops, avocado, chopped red onions, peppers, and scallions, tossed in a tangy key lime dressing and served cold in a miniature martini glass.