MIA

April 22, 2015

Green-screen catwalks, the latest invention from the Bosco, debuted at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in partnership with H&M. Event guests were styled in H&M gear; then, they chose a motion-graphic backdrop from a selection of some 25 styles and walked or danced in place on a moving treadmill. Using green-screen-compositing technology, the Bosco staffers created videos of users walking virtual runways, and the festivalgoers were able to instantly share their six-second videos across all social media platforms. Pricing on rentals varies per activation, and the booths can be set up at events throughout the United States and Canada.

Photo: Courtesy of the Bosco

SmartHunts

SmartHunts are iPad-based activities offered by Best TeamBuilding. Teams perform challenges, solve clues, and answer trivia questions, which can all be customized for the group. Participants also capture video and photos throughout the activities that can be shown at the conclusion of the event and shared through social media. SmartHunts feature two-way messaging so teams are connected with the hunt coordinator, who can track players using GPS and download photos and scoring. Themes include Amazing Chase, Mission Possible, Da Vinci Code, and an Event Kick-Off SmartHunt for conferences. Each hunt takes about three hours.

Photo: Courtesy of Smart Hunts

Stray Boots

Stray Boots offers trivia-based walking tours of popular meeting destinations around the country, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Miami, and Las Vegas. Players use their cell phones to complete challenges, solve riddles, and take photos, and they earn points along the way. Each activity includes interesting facts about the destination. Tours can be played via the Stray Boots app, text message, or on a mobile browser. For multiple teams, the game can be arranged so teams experience the same tour but take different routes.

Photo: Courtesy of Stray Boots

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

Chef Todd Erickson, known for innovative molecular gastronomy, creates liquid nitrogen bites such as Grey Goose ice cream treats.

Photo: Nathan Valentine/WorldRedEye.com

One food station played off the idea that when viewers watch the Food Network, they wish the food could be served directly through their TV sets. Embedded with working televisions playing cooking show clips from the network’s early years, an automat-style wall had chefs handing small plates to guests through a row of televisions with the screens removed.

Photo: Marion Curtis/StarPix

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

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

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

Tru's Coral Caviar

In Chicago, Tru serves progressive French fare. Chef Anthony Martin selects caviar and roe from around the globe and serves it on a large coral replica. Abalone shells nestled into the coral's branches each hold a different type of caviar and can be removed and passed around the table.

Photo: Anjali Pinto

Tru's Levitating Caviar Amuse

Chef Martin brings this mind-bending amuse-bouche out to tables himself, as he's the only one who knows how to serve it. The dish, which combines a golden potato chip with reserve Kaluga caviar and crème fraîche, is presented in such a way that it appears to levitate in a cloud of smoke atop a small, mirrored column. Check out a video of the spectacle-cum-small-bite.

Photo: Anjali Pinto

Restaurant R'Evolution's Caviar Staircase

At Restaurant R'Evolution in New Orleans, chefs Rick Tamonto and John Folse have a very different style of caviar service. Their whitefish roe, salmon roe, wasabi tobiko, and black caviar are served with traditional accompaniments on a small glass staircase.

Photo: Courtesy of Restaurant R'Evolution

Baume & Brix's Octopus

At the Chicago restaurant Baume & Brix, octopus is grilled and served "Fun Dip-style." This means that it's laid out in a small bowl with a strip of olive oil on the side. Guests are instructed to dip the octopus into the oil, then dunk it into Peruvian yellow chili powder, coconut powder, or smoked-paprika-tomato powder.

Photo: Adam Milton

The Bazaar's Croquettas de Pollo

At the Bazaar at SLS Hotel South Beach, chef José Andrés serves his delicate, chicken-béchamel fritters in a glass replica of one of his sneakers.

Photo: Courtesy of SLS Hotel South Beach

Inn of the Seventh Ray's Smoked Yellowtail Spread

At the Topanga Canyon restaurant, chef Bradley Miller focuses on locally sourced ingredients. His smoked yellowtail spread, made with radish, red onion, and smoked sea salt, is served in an oval tin reminiscent of a sardine container. The dish is served with grilled French bread and individual Tabasco pipettes.

Photo: Jared Iorio

Oceana's Roast Stuffed Branzino

At New York's Oceana, chef Ben Pollinger offers a playful take on the current "whole animal" dining trend. Made for two, his branzino fish is stuffed with mushrooms, spinach, and black olives, and its head comes out on the daintily decorated plate.

Photo: Paul Johnson

Alinea's Pheasant

At Chicago's Alinea, chef Grant Achatz uses oak branches to skewer pieces of poached pheasant breast with roasted shallots and cider gelle. The end of the branch is then dipped into tempura batter and deep fried, and the oak branches arrive at the table still smouldering. Guests are instructed to consume the dish in a single bite.

Photo: Lara Kastner

Alinea's Raspberry

Somewhere between sweet and savory, Alinea's Raspberry dish is a thin, brittle transparent piece that's served in a clip created by Crucial Detail, a multidisciplinary design practice in Chicago.

Photo: Lara Kastner

L20's Fruits of the Sea

At L20, a fine-dining seafood restaurant in Chicago, chef Matthew Kirkley fills small balls of melon with proteins such as tuna tartare or foie gras. He presents them to guests on a flowering-branch platter at the beginning of a meal.

Photo: Lettuce Entertain You Inc.

L20's Mussel Tart

L20's mussel tart is presented on a bed of seashells.

Photo: Anjali Pinto

FT33's

At Dallas restaurant FT33, chef Matt McCallister serves pork with butternut squash, red Russian kale, and almonds. He serves the dish on a hand-crafted platter created by local designer Richard Wincorn. The platter, designed expressly for the restaurant, is intended to look like the cross section of a tree.

Photo: Kevin Marple

L20's Mignardises

At L20, bite-size sweets are served in tiny, colorful boxes that all stack together; guests pull the boxes apart themselves.

Photo: Anjali Pinto

Tru's Vanilla Parfait

Desserts at Tru include a vanilla parfait that's served with a surprising monkey sculpture.

Photo: Lettuce Entertain You Inc.

The Bocuse Restaurant's Le Gâteau Mont Blanc

The Hyde Park, New York, restaurant has a dessert made with chestnut vermicelli, pound cake, rum confit, and cassis ice milk. To finish the cake table-side, servers combine liquid nitrogen and herbal tea in a chamber beneath the plated dessert. The science-y concoction creates intense aromatics and makes the cake appear to emerge from a sea of dissipating clouds.

Photo: Phil Mansfield/Culinary Institute of America

Sixteen's Pink Pearl Apple

At Sixteen at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, executive pastry chef Patrick Fahy serves sorbet in a pink, apple-shaped sugar shell. The color is meant to evoke Japanese cherry blossoms and springtime.

Photo: Courtesy of Sixteen

Customized Macaroni and Cheese

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.

Photo: Jim Shi

Chefs at One King West Hotel & Residence in Toronto gave a culinary demonstration for the Sony Xperia Z1 event.

Photo: Courtesy of OKW

The Sheraton New York Times Square offers ingredients sourced from a 100-mile radius, like New Jersey scallops.

Photo: Courtesy of Sheraton New York Times Square

The Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C., serves blocks of peanut brittle that guests can break apart with hammers.

Photo: Jennifer Lust

The new Crowd Mics app allows meeting and event organizers to turn attendee smartphones into microphones.

Photo: Courtesy of Crowd Mics

Chicago’s Duran European Sandwiches—the first American outpost of a Vienna-based chain—offers more than 30 styles of bite-size, open-face sandwiches, which start from $2.50 each. Catered orders require a minimum of 15 sandwiches, plus a $2.50 delivery charge.

Photo: Courtesy of Duran European Sandwiches

Healthy Catering in Miami

Deliver Lean is a healthy meal-delivery system that offers a menu of low-fat, high-protein foods, including egg-white omelets and pork chop entrées. Deliver Lean will cater ready-made meals for office luncheons or events from Jupiter to Miami, starting at $8 per person.

Photo: Courtesy of Deliver Lean

New York City Wine & Food Festival

In the basement space of 82 Mercer, the New York City Wine & Food Festival's casino sponsor the Borgata created a lounge space that let attendees paint an interactive graffiti wall, which included chocolate "paint" and "spray paint."

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

McCormick has saved money by investing in an adaptable stage set that it uses for a variety of special events and panel presentations, including its 125th anniversary event in Baltimore last December. Hargrove gives the set a fresh look for each event by changing the graphics, lighting, colors, and layout.

Photo: FotoBriceno LLC

Boozy Popsicle

Loopy Doopy, the rooftop bar at Conrad New York, has created a boozy Popsicle. The frozen fruit puree treat from executive chef Anthony Zamora is dipped in prosecco and served in a prosecco-filled wine goblet. The summery flavors include white peach, blood orange, mango, strawberry, and mojito.

Photo: Courtesy of Conrad New York

Also at Performa, guests used hammers to break chocolate Jeff Koons rabbits into pieces small enough to eat.

Photo: Paula Court/Performa Benefit

Also at the Courage Forum, guests received long pins to pop balloons that held the desserts.

Photo: Courtesy of Jennifer Rubell

Vaidotas Karsokas and Brittany Ferrin

Truffleberry Market
The married catering duo of Vaidotas Karsokas and Brittany Ferrin, who met as prep cooks at a Chicago restaurant, started their business out of their parents’ kitchens with zero experience. Now, with a team of 10, they service high-end clients like Louis Vuitton and Chanel.

Chicken lettuce wraps attached to a wall of lemons using fabricated hatpins
"We always try to think outside the platter in order to give guests something extra to buzz about aside from the flavors themselves, so we knew something vertical and interactive would be the way to bring some drama into this fabulous food setting."

Photos: Brittany Bekas Photography (lemon wall), Nakai Photography (Ferrin & Karsokas)

Shannon Shaffer

Design Cuisine
Formerly the executive chef for the Kennedy Center and its Roof Terrace, Shannon Shaffer has managed and developed catering for a slew of major Washington, D.C.-area events. While at Design Cuisine in 2013, he catered the inaugural luncheon at the Capitol for President Obama; he’s also handled catering for the National Trust on the Mall luncheon and the Wolf Trap gala. Innovative menu items have ranged from a D.I.Y. B.L.T. station to a 15-step beet salad.

Smoked mozzarella pearls with tomato and basil
"The inspiration behind the dish was to show the guests how we make mozzarella pearls. The use of molecular gastronomy has been more prevalent in the past few years, and we try to incorporate it where possible, but still serve more traditional food that people are familiar with."

Photos: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash (smoked mozzarella pearls), Courtesy of Design Cuisine (Shaffer)

Jenny Glasgow

Olivier Cheng Catering & Events
Jenny Glasgow, who worked as a senior advertising executive for more than a decade before becoming a chef, is the creative culinary force at New York’s Olivier Cheng Catering & Events, where she specializes in restaurant-caliber cuisine. Glasgow trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York and served as the director of culinary development at California-based Matthew Kenney Group before joining Olivier Cheng. With a diverse client base, including leading fashion houses, Glasgow and her team have created menus for events as far away as Doha, Qatar.

Ricotta späetzle with duck confit, served with a golden Gruyère broth, which is poured into the bowl, turning the liquid bright pink when it hits the beet gelée hidden underneath
"We had a client who was asking for a presentation with ‘wow’ factor. We didn’t want something that was just a gimmick. It had to be something that tasted good—that we would want to eat."

Photos: Pearcey Proper

Centerplate served 49,780 meals over a three-day period for the Delta Sigma Theta national convention at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in July.

Photo: Mike B. Photography

After the dinner reception, guests headed downstairs for desserts and a concert from Fitz and the Tantrums. Near the stage, a pegboard held chocolate, cinnamon-sugar, glazed yeast, and old-fashioned cake donuts.

Photo: Alain Milotti

Ronsley designed the bar.

Photo: Barry Brecheisen

Photo: Kassia Phoy

C2 Catering Couture serves sugar bubbles filled with chocolate mousse and a fortune cookie. The dessert is served alongside a hammer to crack open the sphere.

Photo: C2 Catering Couture

Photo: Chuck Fazio

Creative Edge Parties in New York offers a cut-your-own pasta station with hanging sheets of handmade pasta in different flavors and bowls of sauces so guests can choose their own custom combinations.

Photo: Karsten Staiger

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.

Photo: Gerber + Scarpelli Photography

Great Performances has stocked bars with infusions like blackberry maple whiskey, honeydew cucumber gin, and pineapple vodka.

Photo: Erik Jimenez

Daniel et Daniel in Toronto offers an adult soda bar with spiked floats featuring rhubarb, chili, cherry, and root beer flavors.

Photo: Courtesy of Mary Giuliani Catering & Events, Inc

Mary Giuliani Catering & Events in New York created a devil-your-own-egg bar with hard-boiled eggs set on ceramic cartons and mini pails filled with toppings like paprika, caper powder, chives, and bacon.

Photo: Courtesy of Daniel et Daniel

At an event at the Chicago History Museum in April, Jewell Events Catering used a Japanese ice-shaving machine to make treats guests could customize with flavors including cran-raspberry and mango.

Photo: Courtesy of Jewell Events Catering

Staffers from Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops at the Hilton Orlando serve cherry and Coca-Cola floats topped with frozen brandy drops, dark chocolate cake soaked with Coca-Cola, and sour cherry mousse at a dessert station that used nitrogen to freeze ingredients.

Photo: Courtesy of the Hilton Orlando

For a promotional party in New York, Thomas Preti Caterers served individual fondue cups filled with warm chocolate sauces, with items like marshmallows, kiwi slices, and strawberries to dip.

Photo: Lyn Hughes Photography

Trend: Open Kitchens

At Nespresso’s Pixie Launch in March at Williams-Sonoma at the Shops at Columbus Circle in New York, guests interacted with chef John DeLucie of the Lion, who served gravlax cured with “rosabaya de Columbia” espresso, crème fraîche, shaved baby vegetables, and pumpernickel croutons; and with Bouchon Bakery pastry chef Sébastien Rouxel, who offered his version of a cup of coffee with a fromage blanc parfait.

Photo: Courtesy of Mas Event + Design

Trend: Open Kitchens

Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Orlando purchased an interactive mobile kitchen with a camera and two flat-panel monitors to show its chefs’ preparations.

Photo: Courtesy of Disney

Trend: Open Kitchens

To match the futuristic look of a Lexus Event in April at Center548 in New York, Creative Edge Parties made desserts and cocktails like passion plume meringue dipped in a bowl of nitrogen, and the “Vanilla Infusion,” with Absolut Vanilia and tangerine and vanilla kumquat marmalade.

Photo: BizBash

Pinch Food Design in New York offers an interactive dessert station that changes the vantage point of the food, so guests look up to reach for hanging sweet galettes and then top them with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Photo: Kerri Brewer

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort in Orlando has a new backpack contraption called the “Rocketman” that straps to the back of a staffer, who can serve beverages among mingling guests.

Photo: Courtesy of Walt Disney World Swan And Dolphin Hotel

At an Aaron’s Catering promotional event for clients at Haven Lounge in Miami in July, a server passed fruit bars to guests, and then a second server approached with a tray of misters filled with alcohol to spray on the popsicle.

Photo: Luis Arturo Mora Photography

Mena Catering in Miami created a hash bar with soft poached eggs served in a martini glass with an assortment of freshly made ingredients and hollandaise sauces.

Photo: Courtesy of Mena Catering

Pinch Food Design in New York created a taco station, where guests could decorate homemade tortillas with an array of toppings served in custom-made resin pedestal pieces inspired by handcrafted Mexican pottery.

Photo: Kerri Brewer

At a March event at Gotham Hall, Elegant Affairs Caterers created “salad-tinis” made by “chef-tenders,” who mixed ingredients with oversize drink shakers and served them in martini glasses.

Photo: Jan Van Pak

At a promotional event at Skylight West in New York in June, Great Performances showcased its house-made sodas, ice cream floats, and handspun milk shakes at a soda jerk station.

Photo: Mimi McCormick

Blue Plate in Chicago is one of the caterers now using a device called an “anti-griddle”to freeze snacks as guests watch.

Photo: Courtesy of Blue Plate

For outdoor events, the W Boston builds an iced-tea bar featuring infusions such as matcha green tea and herbal variations.

Photo: Courtesy of Culinary Concepts

Thomas Preti Caterers in New York recently created a Bloody Mary bar with ingredients including pickled vegetables, scallions, beef jerky, and rosemary stirrers, plus spicy elements like banana peppers and jalapeños.

Photo: Carol Haunton