For a recent event at the Perot Museum of Science and Nature in Dallas, Wolfgang Puck Catering employed a "chef shadowbox." Meant to provide a strong visual behind a more standard food station, a chef in a shadowbox prepared appetizers as guests looked on.
Other new stations at Wolfgang Puck Catering include a frozen sushi station. The activation displays fresh fish and sushi rolls atop illuminated ice blocks with frozen orchids and other flowers inside.
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.
The catering firm also has a new burrata action station. Staffers top the creamy cheese with toasted pine nuts and Italian muscat syrup. The snack is gluten-free.
Toronto catering firm Eatertainment has a new chef action station devoted to salmon gravlax. Salmon is hung from hooks above the station and is sliced to order in front of guests. The raw fish is then chopped and served with root-vegetable crisps, miniature greens, and spiced yogurt.
The Toronto firm is also using bar carts to display food items. One such spread, wheeled to tables at an event, offered snacks such as frittatas, foie gras, sliders, and lobster.
In Chicago, catering firm Limelight has an innovative format for serving fruit skewers. The fruits are inserted into a custom wall with thematic wallpaper design (which varies for different events). Guests approach the wall and pull of a skewer and can dip the fruit in sauces that are arrayed on a nearby table.
Instead of serving French fries at a stationary table, Limelight has used a wheelbarrow to deliver Belgian frites at events. The fries are served in cones, and assorted sauces are displayed on the side.
Limelight's "Smash It" station offers assorted homemade chocolate bark in flavors such as dark chocolate with dried cherries. Mallets next to the sweets let guests "smash" off a snack-size piece of the bark.
Roar Events produced a summertime event at Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa in Southern California. The dinner had a modern Mexican theme and featured an interactive margarita station. Guests chose the type and flavor of their tequila, as well as one of many specialty salts.
Toronto's Eatertainment saw the return of bar carts, at both restaurants and events, in 2015. In the past year, the company has used bar carts to serve dishes—including frittatas, lobster, and sliders—to guests at their seats.
In New York, Elegant Affairs said classic comfort foods are still in demand, but clients expect a gourmet twist. The company's taco station, for example, lets event guests fill their own shells with items such as 16-hour slow-smoked brisket topped with Napa slaw and cilantro-lime aioli.
Limelight Catering in Chicago, as well as Elegant Affairs, said clients requested meals with several courses—in a format similar to chefs' tastings at restaurants—for their events. For a recent birthday party, Limelight prepared a seven-course Asian tasting menu that included bites paired with beer.
Limelight also said clients want their events to feature the same fare that's being served at buzzed-about restaurants. Ramen is trending in Chicago, and for one event, the firm created a ramen bar. At the station, chefs served classic or vegetarian broth with noodles and assorted toppings.
In Virginia, Design Cuisine has seen a trend toward charred foods and pork. The company developed a bacon bar that presents bacon on sticks, in flavors such as maple, chocolate, and hickory. The bacon can be eaten on its own, or used to top sandwiches D.I.Y.-style.
Chicago firm Catering by Michaels served nontraditional salads, including a deconstructed Mediterranean spelt salad, this year. Other creative first courses included green-grape gazpacho with burrata caprese and seared scallops with citrus wedges.
Not to be confused with more pedestrian Jello shots, Blue Plate Catering in Chicago served lots of "gelée shots" this year. The solid beverages come in flavors such as champagne, garnished with citrus cells and gold leaf.
Blue Plate reps said red velvet was a popular flavor in 2015, though not always presented traditionally. One dish the firm recently prepared was stacks of miniature red velvet pancakes filled with cream cheese buttercream.
Blue Plate also cited Greek-inspired desserts as a trend of 2015. One popular dish was ravani, a Greek lemon cake with yogurt, coconut, candied lemon peel, and lemon-vanilla syrup.
Elegant Affairs said the farm-to-table trend was still going strong in 2015, and clients were particularly interested in non-G.M.O. foods. One recent spread featured organic, free-range lemon-herb chicken with grain-based salads. Blue Plate Catering echoed that "anything rustic" was trending for the year, including in presentation style.
In Philadelphia, Brulee Catering saw the rise of health-conscious catering requests in 2015. But there was one caveat: clients wanted the items to presented in a playful manner. "People are eating healthier and with more consideration," said the catering firm's vice president, Jan DeMarzo. "That is why the 'eye-candy' component is important." For one event, the company prepared vegetarian "sandwiches" made out of grilled pineapple and ricotta. The dish was served on a flower-strewn tray.
Brulee also noted a trend of desserts presented in jars. In the past year, the company has filled Mason jars with treats such as wild blueberry pie and coconut cream cake and presented the confections buffet style.
Brulee saw updated twists on the classic French snack throughout the year. One option, which could be served at a breakfast event, is an open-face macaron topped with sunny-side-up quail eggs.
Food on sticks was increasingly popular among Paramount Catering's clients. The Chicago-based firm has served the following items kebab-style this year: chicken thighs with spicy miso, seared tuna with togarashi seasoning, Rice Krispie treats, and roasted marshmallows. The portable food trend carried over to summertime events, when many clients requested themed picnic baskets.
Vegetarian dishes are getting more complex. Paramount recently provided intricately detailed meat alternatives at events, including Anson Mills polenta with summer squash and leek fritters.
