At Stella McCartney's Electricity-Free Carnival in New York in 2012, a mac 'n' cheese station was set up as a two-part offering: guests could either select a mini serving on a spinach cone from a Ferris-wheel-shaped stand, or opt for a full cup that could be customized with toppings such as veggie bacon bits, truffle oil, jalapeños, scallions, or sriracha sauce.
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.
Servings of Oreo cheesecake came with a folded napkin and spoon, making for smoother service in the dine-around format. The dessert, from Tru Tru Cakes and More, was served at the Farm to Table Brunch February 22 at the Palms Hotel & Spa.
Color-blocked beverages offered an appealing visual at the Farm to Table Brunch. The beverages, from American Harvest Organic Spirit, were the red-hued Peppered Mary with purees of tomatoes and red bell peppers; the yellow-hued Saved by the Bell with yellow bell pepper and green chili; and the green-colored Local Harvest, with basil leaves, lime, cucumber, and agave.
A display of spirits and yellow and red cherry tomatoes provided on-theme decor at the Exploring the Bloody Mary tasting seminar February 22 at the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach.
For the second course of the Tribute Dinner, guests poured potion bottles of red fruit soup over lobster in a dish by Spanish chef Quique Dacosta, whose eponymous restaurant boasts three Michelin stars. The February 21 event at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel honored Basque cuisine pioneer Juan Mari Arzak as well as Ted Baseler, president and C.E.O. of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
A dessert bar at the Tribute Dinner included cheesecake and guava cones. Celebrity Cruises created the treats.
A treelike tower of biscuits made for clever decor at Chicken Coupe host’s Andrew Carmellini’s station. The event was held February 20 in the ballroom at W South Beach.
Josh Gripper from the Dutch at W South Beach served a white chocolate and dark rum creation served in an angled glass that made it easier to reach the contents with a spoon.
During the cocktail hour at the Flavors of India dinner, chef Amol Agarwal of host venue Ritz-Carlton, South Beach served chicken chaat in mini cones.
Chef Asha Gomez had a pretty plating for her first course of coconut and vegetable stew. A baby vegetable medley was artfully piled on the side of the bowl.
Edible flowers made for an unusual garnish on a taco from Miami Beach’s Huahua’s Taqueria at the Tacos After Dark event on February 19 at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
Presenting dishes family-style? Colorful presentation helps, like the dishes served at the Culinary Odyssey: An Israeli Dinner event February 19 at the Ritz-Carlton Residences Miami Beach. Chef Michael Solomonov prepared the dinner with two visiting Israeli chefs, Meir Adoni and itan Vanunu. The dishes included twice-cooked eggplant, beets with tehina, Moroccan carrots, tabbouleh with quinoa and walnuts, and Bulgarian-style pepper salad.
Bar Lab created handcrafted cocktails for the dinner to pair with each course. The snow-like garnish on champagne flutes set the beverage apart.
Star fruit and flowers added artful accents to brandy snifters for another one of Bar Lab’s cocktail pairings.
A particularly bountiful and colorful dessert buffet was decorated with whole and cut fruit at the Chef After-Party February 20 at Thompson Miami Beach hotel.
Befitting its Polynesian theme, drinks at the Art of Tiki: A Cocktail Showdown were served in a variety of kitschy vessels along with bamboo-style straws. Emeril Lagasse hosted and was among the judges at the cocktail competition February 20 at Shore Club.
Chefs Masaharu Morimoto and Anita Lo contributed to the decadent dishes at the February 21 dinner at the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach. Among them was a lobster and sushi combination that was prepared in front of guests at the alfresco event.
At the Oyster Bash, host Island Creek Oysters presented an Instagram-ready version of its dish—oyster sliders with chili aioli and a scallop ceviche. Island Creek’s Jeremy Sewall hosted the event with Ming Tsai and Josh Capon on February 20 at Lure Fishbar.
In a twist on a traditional seated dinner, guests saw their food prepared at their table during the Interactive Dinner February 21 at the Biltmore Country Club Ballroom. Chef Marc Randazzo hosted the Italian-theme event, and guests got into the spirit by wearing toques with title sponsor Barilla’s logo.
Pickled onion was a colorful garnish choice that broke apart the beige tones of fried chicken and waffles from Root & Bone. The dish was served at the Southern Kitchen Brunch on February 22 at Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
A Perfect Pairing Brunch started with bite-size portions of deviled eggs, crostini, and meatballs served atop wooden platters. The February 22 event took place at the Dutch at W South Beach.
At the reception for the Tuscan Trio Dinner February 20 at Siena Tavern, chef Fabio Viviani served mini coccoli—crispy dough, stracchino cheese, prosciutto di parma, and truffle honey.
Served during the reception at the Harlem Shake Dinner, compressed watermelon with feta cheese “snow” had a striking color contrast. Chef Marcus Samuelsson hosted the event with Charles Gabriel, JJ Johnson, and Christopher Lee on February 20 at the Forge restaurant.
Clothespins provided an unexpected serving presentation idea for a dish at the Flavors of India dinner.
Cronut creator Dominique Ansel presented a new dish at the Death by Chocolate dessert party: a chocolate “oyster” shell filled with milk chocolate cream, coconut gelée, and a pineapple “mignonette.” Ansel hosted the February 21 event poolside at the National Hotel.
At the Chicago AIDS Foundation's World of Chocolate event in 2009, the Signature Room at the 95th served vanilla-and-cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate in pipettes.
As part of the event's French theme, catering included a bite-size take on steak frites.
