Food Ideas

At the Miami Beach launch of William John Kennedy’s portraits of Andy Warhol December 7, guests ate roasted Peking duck moo-shoo rolls with hoisin-marinated scallions served in mini take-out boxes adorned with Warhol's portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong. Other Warhol-inspired bites from the Villa by Barton G. included tomato gazpacho served in mini iconic Campbell's soup cans and Kobe beef sliders served on a tray of Coca-Cola bottles.

Popcorn boutique Corn & Company has opened in Burlington and offers the snack in more than 250 unusual flavors, including dill pickle, wasabi, and birthday cake. It can be doled out as favors or at popcorn bars for events. The Boston-based shop can also host private affairs.

LM Cocktail Catering in Austin can create high-end Jell-O shots. Flavors like blackberry bramble and Pimm’s cup are served in elegant hors d’oeuvre spoons and paired with fresh fruit.

The first flight, Crunch, was designed to naturally open guests' ears—a reaction when crunching on a food—to the music and set the tone for the evening. Buffet items included a sugar snap pea salad made with watercress, mung sprouts, hon shimeji mushrooms, grilled eggplant, and a ginger lime chili sauce. Waiters also passed crab salad in crunchy cucumber cups and mashed lava beans and English peas served on a crostini.

Another salad option during the Crunch flight mixed pomelo, green papaya, watermelon, and radish. The citrus flavors tied in with a jasmine tea margarita passed as guests arrived.

The second course, Smoke and Bitters, included stronger flavor pairings in dishes like halibut fillets seasoned with orange zest, fennel, and black olive tapenade and served on a bed of grilled radicchio. The music also shifted to a lower tempo and key infused with lots of brass instruments and bass.

The cocktail for the second flight set the mood for the food and music taking things down a notch. Beetroot daiquiris made with rum, red wine, espresso, and lime lined the catering displays throughout the three spaces of the first floor for guests to sample.

A pineapple and mint julep accompanied the third flight—entitled Salt—made with gin, yellow chartreuse, fresh pineapple juice and mint along with barley miso to add a bit of saltiness for pairing with the food. Gastrophonic mixologist Stuart Bale created each cocktail with inspiration from the musical composition for that flight.

Continuing with the upswing of the musical and taste elements from the third flight, the final cocktail—an Herbaceous Lemon Fizz—had the lightest note of the evening. It fit with the Citrus Sparkle theme by combining herbaceous lemon vodka, dessert wine, lemon sherbet, and prosecco to create a light, frothy drink. Desserts paired with the cocktail included lemon curd sandwich cookies, margarita parfait with prickly pear glee, and seasonal fruit tartlets.

Atmosphere Lighting illuminated the main atrium of the museum differently for each of the four flights, transitioning from green to red and oranges, yellow, then blues and purples for dessert.

On the first day of the conference, passed breakfast selections included smoked salmon on miniature bagels.

Guests also noshed on yogurt with fruit and granola. The miniature parfaits were passed on trays decked in cute, checkered napkins.

Other vendor-passed breakfast selections included compressed watermelon salad in cones, deviled eggs with bacon and smoked paprika, mini "St. Francis" quiches, assorted danishes, plus "super food" bubble smoothies in flavors such as pomegranate and honeydew.

Colorful tubes held breakfast-smoothie shooters.

One server, dubbed the "Rocket Man," had a backpack filled with coffee.

Lunch on day one was served family-style and presented on a lazy Susan. Food options included assorted artisan rolls and pita triangles with hummus, olive tapenade, lemon thyme, and olive oil.

On the second day, guests sat down to a "Napa-style picnic lunch." Snack options included baskets of rolls, pitchers of pink lemonade, and Mason jars filled with cookies.

Day two had a packed schedule, so guests who couldn't sit down for lunch had a grab-and-go option.

Guests filled small bags with Bavarian pretzel sandwiches with roasted turkey, honey mustard, and spinach.

Grab-and-go options also included Mason jars filled with Italian pasta salad.

More stylish than your average Blow Pop: Designer Lollipop peddles spherical sweets that contain edible images—everything from fireworks and vintage lace, to world flags and the Aurora Borealis. Owner Priscilla Briggs can also create custom corporate logo lollipops. The handmade, individually wrapped treats start from $14 for six and can be shipped worldwide. There is a discount for orders of more than 120; large orders of from 600 to 1,000 take between 10 and 13 weeks to process.