Tips for Events

Current dining trends leave room to take the focus off traditional (and expensive) cuts of meat for the main course.

An illuminated table held jars filled with candy.

The candy shop was brightly lit and filled with Ernst & Young's colours, yellow and white. There were four candy stations that had fudge, yellow cotton candy, a self-serve candy bar with branded plastic bags, and white-iced cookies and cupcakes.

Ridgewells provided two dessert stations with mini-sweets like pie bites and tiny macaroons for the after-party.

At the Campfire Ball benefit for Children’s Oncology Services in May at Venue One in Chicago, Cork Catering set up a make-your-own s’mores station.

Guests indulged in chocolates and baked goods while checking out the chocolate artwork inspired by artists such as Matisse, Van Gogh, and Jackson Pollock.

Occasions Caterers set up an elaborate dessert buffet in a separate room at the Anderson house with Cuban sweets like drunk pineapple, exotic fruit crème brûlée, coffee parfait, and cocktail arroz con leche.

A baked-goods station had sweet bites, including mini brownie squares, sugary doughnut holes, and bite-size chocolate chip cookies.

BMW returned as the automotive sponsor this year with an all-white lounge area for guests—with a touch of color from this edible logo.

Silver Lining In Flight Catering provided an extensive dessert bar at the after-party.

Evoke designed a doughnut wall that Design Cuisine executed for a client in April and will continue to offer the concept this fall. The wall was constructed out of pegboard, with 1,200 wooden golf tees showcasing the chocolate-glazed chocolate doughnuts (forming a “J” for the guest of honor’s name) and the outlining cinnamon sugar and powdered white donuts. In coming months, a server with a step stool will be on hand to pull doughnuts off the wall for guests, who can carry the take-home treats away in brown paper bags with to-go cups of hot apple cider.

An ice sculpture held push-up pies in nostalgic flavors such as banana cream, cookies and cream, and mixed berry parfait. Nearby, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and oatmeal raisin cookies were served warm on griddles.

A mosaic of mini cupcakes from Baked by Melissa played up Time Warner Cable's new ad campaign.