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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In Washington, Occasions Caterers recently unveiled its "Welcome to Washington" food station at an event at the United States Institute of Peace. Occasions worked with the sculpture artist AJ Strasser to create the custom display, which was inspired by the National Mall.
The "Welcome to Washington" food station holds intricate replicas of iconic Washington monuments, including the U.S. Capitol building. Occasions created a spread that contained traditional regional snacks, including Maryland crab cakes, Senate bean soup, and half smokes (or sausages).
The John F. Kennedy Center Opera Ball took place May 21 at the Organization of American States in Washington. For the event, in which the Washington National Opera celebrated a diamond anniversary, Occasions Caterers and Design Foundry created a custom hanging dessert buffet.
Your Event Solution produced an adult Willy Wonka-theme corporate event for an association’s annual meeting on April 1 at Chateau Elan Winery & Resort outside of Atlanta. Showcasing a unique take on a doughnut wall, the event offered doughnuts placed on giant letters that spelled out “sweet."
