Food 2

July 14, 2014

Frozen Bananas Foster

Chicago-based catering firm Truffleberry Market serves frozen cinnamon-rum-bananas-Foster mousse.

Photo: Courtesy of Truffleberry Market

Mint Juleps

For a different spin on the classic derby drink, Design Cuisine served mint julep snow cones at the 2011 Gilt City Washington launch party.

Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash

Bucket of Bonbons

The Dec at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago offers a bucket of bonbons. Mini scoops of ice cream are covered in chocolate and served in a smoking bucket of dry ice.

Photo: Galdones Photography

Passed Sundaes

In June, GE and Quirky hosted an event in New York to celebrate "Cool Story," a pop-up shop in Chelsea that features Quirky's air-conditioning units. In keeping with the cool theme, snacks included passed miniature hot-fudge sundaes from Brooklyn ice cream maker Hay Rosie. Peter Callahan Catering catered the event.

Photo: Quirky.com

Frozen Tiramisu Bar

Toronto's L-Eat Catering prepared a plate of mini desserts for a function last month. The center of the plate had a frozen tiramisu pop served on a stick.

Photo: Courtesy of L-Eat Catering

Watermelon Pops

Chicago-based catering firm Catering by Michael's offers "frozen push-ups" including the "Frozen Watermelon Surprise Push Pops."

Photo: Courtesy of Catering by Michael’s

Sorbet and Champagne Float

At Enolo Wine Bar in Chicago, sorbet-and-champagne floats are on the menu. The treat is served in a coupe glass.

Photo: Courtesy of Enolo Wine Bar

"Shades of Red" Dessert

Moto restaurant in Chicago is known for experimental cuisine. The "Shades of Red" dessert course is infused with liquid nitrogen and was created by executive pastry chef Claire Crenshaw.

Photo: Amy Stallard

Spiked Snow Cones

City View Loft, a Chicago event space, hosted its opening bash in February. Adding to the evening's carnival-like vibe—which can be applied to Mardi Gras parties—Jo Snow had a "boozy snow cone" station. Guests ordered the treats in flavors such as grapefruit-rosemary with vodka.

Photo: Carasco Photography

Interactive Sorbet Station

At C2MTL, a Montreal conference that took place in May, Montreal-based caterer Agnus Dei created a popular interactive sorbet station. Rings of raspberry, mango, and coconut sorbet spun around a wheel, while guests simply had to hold up a scoop to the device to build their own cone.

Photo: Beth Kormanik/BizBash

For a Los Angeles media event in April announcing the nationwide sale of chef Duff Goldman's Cake-in-a-Jar, guests could sample the product, which features layers of cake, frosting, and sprinkles encased in a Mason jar.

Photo: Courtesy of Duff's Cakemix

A "cotton candy girl”—dressed in an outfit made from the confection—passed out the dessert to guests of M.A.C. Cosmetics' Los Angeles celebration of its Playland collection on April 10.

Photo: Eric Faamausili for MAC Cosmetics

Catering company Good Gracious! Events affixed cotton candy bags to a branded wall for the M.A.C. party, which was held at the cosmetic brand's North Robertson Boulevard shop.

Photo: Eric Faamausili for MAC Cosmetics

In late February, fashion retailer Ted Baker hosted a private event in New York to preview its Spring/Summer 2014 line. Inspired by the circus theme of the collection's ad campaign, caterer Creative Edge Parties served carnival finger foods in a playful, mess-free way. That included staffers circulating with what they called a cotton candy tree—cotton candy clipped to a willow-tree-shaped metal frame that guests could easily pull off with their hands.

Photo: Erik Valind

Funnel cakes were attached to parasols at Ted Baker's New York preview. To add to the circus-inspired atmosphere, the waitstaff were trained to imitate tightrope walkers as they passed the bites.

Photo: Erik Valind

At Nordstrom's grand-opening gala at California shopping center the Americana at Brand, Command Performance Catering eliminated guests' need to juggle desserts and drinks by creating such items as a shot of strawberry milk topped by a lemon-raspberry checkerboard cookie.

Photo: Courtesy of Nordstrom

For a two-in-one dessert option, Command Performance Catering wedged raspberry macarons atop servings of panna cotta for Nordstrom's grand-opening gala at the Americana at Brand.

Photo: Courtesy of Nordstrom

For a grab-and-go option that eliminated the need for servers, Grand Performances hung bags of doughnuts from hooks at Nordstrom's grand-opening gala.

Photo: Courtesy of Nordstrom

For a camp-theme event in 2012, KG Fare Catering & Events offered a mess-free take on s'mores by displaying the gooey treats on clothespins.

Photo: Courtesy of KG Fare Catering & Events

At the C2MTL conference this year, Montreal-based caterer Agnus Dei created a popular interactive sorbet station. Rings of raspberry, mango, and coconut sorbet spun around a wheel, while guests simply had to hold up a scoop to the device to build their own cone.

Photo: Beth Kormanik/BizBash

A display from Wolfgang Puck Catering put vanilla-and-wild-strawberry cake topped with tiny lavender macarons into gilded eggshells and set on a bed of grass.

Photo: Courtesy of Wolfgang Puck Catering

A Thyme to Cook in Connecticut used string to hang cake doughnuts from the branches of a living tree at a recent event.

Photo: Blue Diamond Photography

New York’s Creative Edge Parties introduced the “Bar Bar” last year, a selection of bite-size brownies, blondies, and dessert bars in flavors such as peanut pretzel, Oreo cheesecake, and apple crumb displayed in repurposed desktop file sorters.

Photo: Jenny Anderson

Dessert buffets don't have to be simple tables: for the Boston Children's Museum's 10th anniversary gala in October last year, the catering team at the Intercontinental Boston used a giant prop cake to display and serve sweet treats, including cake pops, mini whoopie pies, mini Twinkies, and chocolate-dipped strawberries. The oversize piece was a champagne tower from the New England Country Rentals warehouse, and staffers from Rafanelli Events dressed it with festive paper flowers.

Photo: Scott Indermaur

A Swanky Lemonade Stand

Over the summer, Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa in California launched the Lemon Break. The catering package includes a lemonade display replete with lemon tarts, lemon sorbet, lemon candies, lemon confit, lemon drops, lemon shooters, lemon chiffon cakes, lemon crème brûlées, and more thematic treats.

Photo: Courtesy of New Port Beach Marriott

High-End Pop-Tarts

At Washingtonian magazine's AT&T's Best of Washington party in 2012, Amaryllis designed the space to evoke the ambiance of a vintage ice cream parlor. Ted's Bulletin offered samples of its homemade Pop-Tarts—cinnamon and brown sugar, strawberry, and chocolate—that the company displayed in tall glasses filled with each flavor's ingredients.

Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash

Passed hors d'oeuvres, like deviled eggs, were served on slate boards with item names written in chalk for an event at the Breakers Mediterranean Courtyard during the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival in December 2013.

Photo: Lila Photo