In Chicago, Blue Plate Catering brings candy apple stations to holiday parties. Treats include apples dipped in caramel and assorted toppings and sliced up into snack-size portions.
As a trendy alternative to a traditional wedding cake, Toronto-based catering company Eatertainment offers colorful layered cakes served in jars.
Items from the collection were used throughout the event decor, starting at the entrance. A line of knotted sheets also provided opportunities for younger kids to play peek-a-boo.
The event featured cocktails inspired by the different M&M's colors.
Af&Co., a restaurant and hospitality consulting firm that represents eateries and catering companies in various U.S. cities, also included high-energy, experiential stations in its 2018 trends report. Salt Lake City-based catering and event planning company Culinary Crafts offers a fresh-pulled mozzarella station.
Pretzel and doughnut walls have become familiar at events, but the wall concept itself is a trend that will continue, according to Toronto-based catering company Eatertainment. The company offers an ombré macaron peg wall, offering vanilla, rose, cotton candy, grapefruit cayenne, and Peruvian chocolate flavors.
Andrea Correale, founder and C.E.O. of New York-based catering company Elegant Affairs, said that health food trends will again be prominent in 2018 for clients focused on fitness and nutrition. For people on keto, paleo, vegan, or vegetarian diets, said that an ideal option is a bar offering a variety of ingredients for customized Buddha Bowls, which usually consist of vegetables, healthy grains, and protein.
In one of the Lexus grand tasting's inspiring food presentations during L.A. Food & Wine, Big Sur's Post Ranch Inn served mini shaved ice cones in a metal bucket set up like a beach scene, with sugar for sand. Ingredients for the dessert came from the venue's garden.
