Chandon's American Summer Fête
Chandon celebrated the launch of its limited-edition American Summer bottles with a party on June 25 at the High Line in New York. The event offered activities for guests including a game of ring toss that incorporated the bottles.
Photo: Courtesy of Chandon
Chandon's American Summer Fête
One of the party's notable design elements was a step-and-repeat in the form of a lush green installation that showcased the limited-edition bottles.
Photo: Courtesy of Chandon
Maison Lancôme Paris Event
Maison Lancôme Paris launched its latest products with a June 14 event at the Academy Mansion in New York. The HL Group's event team spray-painted roses to represent the more than 20 shades of the brand’s foundation.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Maison Lancôme Paris Event
Some of the actual ingredients found in the products, such as goji berries, were weaved into the displays.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Maison Lancôme Paris Event
Caviar chilling on ice sculptures with frozen roses highlighted Lancôme’s high-end, luxe skin products.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Svedka Country Club Event
Svedka launched its new cucumber-lime flavor with an event on June 14 at a Hancock Park estate in Los Angeles. Mini golf stations included backdrops that resembled giant Svedka cocktails.
Photo: Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com
Svedka Country Club Event
A custom juice cart featured the event's hashtag and color scheme.
Photo: Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com
Olympic Day DC
Olympic Day DC took place June 24 at CityCenterDC in Washington, D.C. Celebrating the upcoming Summer Olympics, the event had customized decorations that included an Olympic torch designed by Hargrove Inc.
Photo: Courtesy of EventsDC
Luminato Festival's Opening Party and Big Bang Bash
The 10th annual Luminato Festival kicked off its 17-day residency at Toronto's Hearn Generating Station on June 9 with back-to-back fund-raisers. Inspired by a "Today is the Future" theme, the event featured a futuristic bar that offered guests the chance to inhale flavored oxygen.
Photo: George Pimentel Photography
Luminato Festival's Opening Party and Big Bang Bash
A neon-lit industrial staircase took guests to the Jackman Gallery on the second floor of the Hearn Generating Station. The gallery was newly opened to the public for this year's festival.
Photo: George Pimentel Photography
Feeding Children Everywhere assembles groups to package healthy meals for children in need.
Photo: Courtesy of Feeding Children Everywhere
Sanding Ovations created a castle-like sculpture engraved with sponsors' logos.
Photo: ©2011 Jennifer Cimino
As the night wore on, the sand was filled with the imprint of the American Express logo from the flip-flops.
Photo: Kayla Hernandez for BizBash
Fire pits and white couches topped the sand at the festival's closing party.
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye
At the South Beach Wine & Food Festival earlier this year, the Sweet 15 Dessert reception included a take on birthday cake and ice cream from Jean Georges Vongerichten's Matador and Market restaurants at the Miami Beach Edition hotel. Crème fraîche cake, vanilla bean crémeux, confetti nitro ice cream, raspberry gel, a white chocolate candle, and 23-carat edible gold flake comprised the dish.
Photo: John Parra/Getty Images for SOBEWFF
Strawberry milkshakes from Elegant Affairs Off-Premise Catering & Event Design in New York accompany sirloin sliders as a late-night snack for guests—a sophisticated twist on kid-friendly diner fare.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
At the Engage! wedding summit held in Colorado in 2014, the event's dessert party offered an easy-to-eat lollipop version of campfire s'mores. (The event's rustic location inspired other various camp-inspired details.)
Photo: Tammy Swales/Engage!
Last year, Abigail Kirsch Catering in New York began offering colorful mini ice cream sandwiches for events. Flavors include pistachio coconut pineapple and carrot butter pecan caramel, served in matching foil for easy, neat eating.
Photo: Andre Maier
For the Recording Academy's official Grammy Awards after-party in Los Angeles, known as the Grammy Celebration, new caterer Patina this year set up dessert buffets where cotton candy hung from tree branches.
Photo: Dan Collopy
At the so-called "Anti-Gala" for the Lowline in New York in 2012, ice cream sandwiches and gelato provided by Lower East Side food vendors Melt and Il Laboratorio del Gelato served as kid-style dessert that appealed to adults.
Photo: Andrew Martin/BizBash
At the Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscars benefit bash earlier this year, the after-party included espresso milkshakes topped with mini doughnuts on straws.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin
Abigail Kirsch in New York created smoked cheddar-glazed mini doughnuts dusted with peanut brittle for a surprising sweet-and-savory twist on a classic glazed doughnut. To serve them, the caterer repurposed a plate display rack by turning it on its side and threading the doughnuts through.
Photo: Andre Maier Photography
Sterling Engagements hosted a party in Los Angeles last year to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The array of catering options there included a sophisticated milk-and-cookies dessert bar including various flavors of milk.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
New York’s Elegant Affairs Caterers created a dish of Pop Tart lollipops available in flavors like apple cinnamon, strawberry, and s'mores.
Photo: Courtesy of Elegant Affairs
For its Fall Ball in 2014, the New York-based art nonprofit Creative Time created a sleepover followed by a late-night dance party. For the sleepover portion, a bar served milk and cookies. But instead of milk, the offering was white Russians served in milk bottles.
Photo: Christos Katsiaouni for Creative Time
At Allison&Partners’ Late Night Saloon at South by Southwest in 2014, pastry chef Dominique Ansel debuted what was then his newest creation: the chocolate chip cookie milk shot. (His famous Cronuts made cameos too.)
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
At C2 Montréal in May, attendees stepped inside the “Channel” experience, where they could grab one of the phone receivers and have a conversation with another guest in the room. Organizers say the activity was intended to explore what it takes “to truly hear and be heard in our modern, hyper-connected world.” After the conversation, participants moved into a debriefing space to discuss the connection between the experience and their work.
Photo: Agnieszka Stalkoper
Fried chicken
At the Watermill Center’s benefit in 2015, Great Performances created dishes that would allow guests to easily roam—all self-serve options designed to be hand-held and didn't even necessarily require plates. Among them was fried chicken served in waffle cones.
Photo: Keith Sirchio for BizBash
S'mores
S’mores got their start as sticky, gooey, handheld campfire treats, but events have reinvented them in many ways friendlier to guests, such as this example of a lollipop version at the Engage!14 Wedding Summit dessert party.
Photo: Tammy Swales/Engage!
Tiramisu
At a September event, Preston Bailey transformed the new Four Seasons New York Downtown in celebration of his relationship with the property. As part of the event’s catering options, the hotel supplied tiramisu served as grab-and-go offerings.
Photo: Beth Kormanik/BizBash
Spaghetti and meatballs
Rather than the traditional bowl of splash-prone red sauce, New York’s Elegant Affairs offered a neater take on spaghetti and meatballs, using mess-free form topped with a micro meatball and marinara and sprinkled with parmesan.
Photo: Jan Van Pak Photography
Paella
Mary Giuliani Catering and Events in New York created a catering option of one-bite paella with shrimp and chorizo with sips of sangria, a take on the hearty rice dish.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash
Salad
Salad can be messy, with the risk of oily dressing ending up on clothes and hands. Occasions Caterers in Washington created a wedge salad bite hors d’oeuvre, served on a fork, that tidies up salad service.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Hummus and Pita
Always a crowd favorite, hummus can get messy when served as a dip. At the 2014 Washington Humane Society's annual Fashion for Paws runway show, hors d'oeuvres during the reception included beets and hummus on pita points as a tidy alternative to service at a station.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Soup
A popular alternative to soup in a bowl, with all of its messy slurp potential, many caterers offer inventive soup shooters. One example: Chicago’s Boutique Bites' artful soup shooters with popcorn and truffle oil.
Photo: Courtesy of Elaina Vazquez
Trampoline dancers entertained guests at the "get fit" station.
Photo: Michael Simon
At the "spend less" station, guests could scoop up tchotchkes they really didn't need.
Photo: Michael Simon
Items on offer included useless objects with clutter potential, like rubber chickens and toy pizza slices.
Photo: Michael Simon
The "drink less" bar encouraged guests to indulge in their fill of drinks from every type of Svedka vodka.
Photo: Michael Simon
An "eat better" station offered an array of deep-fried foods—and a spinning wheel to help guests decide which indulgence to choose.
Photo: Michael Simon
A chocolate mousse parfait with chocolate-macadamia crumble from Abigail Kirsch is filled with liquid caramel bourbon and blood orange sauces and is garnished with a toasted macadamia tuile.
Photo: Andre Maier
Icy-Blue-Theme Catering at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner
At Hilton McLean Tysons Corner in suburban Washington, D.C., guests can experience the winter chill while staying warm inside. The hotel’s “blue break” offers a variety of cool blue-colored snacks, such as blue jelly beans, donuts with blue frosting, blueberry lemonade, and “snow balls” made from marshmallows and coconut.
Photo: Courtesy of McLean Hilton
A Victorian-style greenhouse design from ATGStores.com featured an English luncheon setup with an eclectic mix of springtime prints, accessories, and quirky details.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
In conjunction with Steelite International and Materials Inc., Tzelan’s design celebrated the five elements found in Chinese philosophy: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The tabletop featured Tzelan plates that depict the movement of the sea atop hand-woven metal tablecloths made by French artisans. The mushroom lamps, which are a Tzelan and Contardi collaboration, are portable and come in nine metal finishes.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Interior Design’s “All You Need is Love” table featured bold graphics and messages in a red, white, and black color palette.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Design firm Language Dept. built a lush garden setting for Design Within Reach, complete with a moss-covered tabletop and hanging vines; mirrored walls and place settings offered a manmade contrast to the natural habitat.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
M Moser's table, which was titled Race to Zero, looked at the fight against AIDS as it progressed from a virtual death sentence to a treatable chronic illness.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
New York School of Interior Design’s red-and-white installation with vertical lighting rods was inspired by a pulsating heartbeat.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Interior design company Blue Ocean Design, along with Charleston Limewash, used recycled and organic materials, plus eco-friendly lime paint (which is made from lime and natural pigments), to achieve a contemporary beachy vibe.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Inspired by its Spring 2017 collection, the Ralph Lauren Home installation featured a graphic nautical theme with white lacquer and natural materials like teak and braided water hyacinth.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Students from Parsons the New School for Design used materials found in the city’s five boroughs to construct their vignette, which was painted all white.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Crate and Barrel's dark kitchen design served gold-painted “midnight snacks.”
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Designer Douglas Little partnered with Liaigre to create The New York Times’ irreverent table, which Little described as “a dinner party gone mad.” Towering skyscrapers of champagne flutes lined the space, while a crashing chandelier took center stage.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Textile company Sunbrella collaborated with home goods company Coral & Tusk on a new line of performance fabrics. Their joint dining design was inspired by the wildlife and textiles of the Great Plains.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Coral & Tusk's table runners were embroidered on Sunbrella fabric with hand-drawn illustrations of wildflowers and animals native to the plains.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Austin-based online art marketplace Twyla highlighted the work of Brooklyn-based artist Edward Granger, who was painting on-site during the event. His geometric designs were inspired by the digital world, including Microsoft’s bouncing cube screensaver.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Rockwell Group and Ovando built their version of a modern-day potting shed, complete with cacti centerpieces, a vertical garden, and a diffuser that filled the space with a signature scent.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Brad Ford, owner of the New York Design Center’s FAIR showroom, used local artisan-made furnishings from his company to decorate the rustic dining setup.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The luxe parlor setting created by Arteriors was designed with rich jewel tones and metallic finishes. The place settings included agate slices with name cards.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Design firm Gensler and Knoll's space called attention to Diffa’s fight against AIDS with large typography in bold purple.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Roche Bobois partnered with Gensler to create a colorful cushion-lined booth, which included projection mapping on a large drum installation.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Herman Miller's vignette featured a mix of chairs from the company’s iconic designs. A large glowing spherical lantern hung above the table.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Benjamin Moore’s table highlighted the spectrum of rich colors in the company’s recently launched Century paint collection.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
In January, W magazine hosted its It Girls event, hosted by Lynn Hirschberg in partnership with Stuart Weitzman. The event took place at Los Angeles’s A.O.C., where rustic chairs lined a simple, white-clothed table, topped with squat arrangements of colorful blooms and little else.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for W Magazine
The brunch featured a 25-foot ceiling installation designed by Taylor and Hov's creative director and executed by Garette Turner of Brightly Ever After. The colorful focal point featured marble balloons and oversize cotton clouds.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
The installation also included faux flowers and whimsical shapes.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
The brunch menu, provided by Relish Catering, included rainbow bagels, smoked salmon, avocado toast, and egg bake. Menus and printed cloth napkins had a blue and pink color scheme.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
On-theme glassware included candy-coated champagne flutes.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
Other brunch items included llamacorn snacks, which consisted of rainbow-color pancake sausage and bratwurst bites served with maple syrup.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
The post-brunch dessert hour included lavender, pink, and blue dessert display offering llamacorn frosted cookies, cotton candy, and cream puffs. Contemporary art already showcased in the venue complemented the table.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
Falls Church-based cookie design company Sugar Studio provided the original llamacorn idea.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
Decor included colorful florals and cards that featured a variety of llamacorn illustrations with catchphrases.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
The "llama queen" saying also was featured on cookies.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
Soul & Ink's live screen-printing station offered prints and T-shirts that were custom-designed by Taylor and Hov.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
The event ended with a cake-decorating hour for guests, with individual cakes provided by Sweets by E and Classic Bakery.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
Toppings provided by Sugar Studio included sprinkles, cotton candy, chocolate bark, and mini meringues that were dubbed llamacorn "poop."
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
Guests could top off their personal cakes with a llamacorn horn.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
Custom-designed llamacorn cakes also were incorporated into the event's decor.
Photo: Erika Layne Photography
For Ruinart Champagne's afternoon tea and auction at the London in Los Angeles in October 2011, event planner Jes Gordon modernized high tea with white linens topped with khaki runners trimmed in bright, neon borders. Ping-pong paddles served as auction paddles.
Photo: Michael Bruckner for WireImage/Getty Images
Occasions Caterers served hot tea with pink, yellow, green, and blue iced cookies for dessert at the Washingtonian's Alice in Wonderland-theme AT&T Best of Washington Party in July 2014, held at the National Building Museum.
Photo: Antatony Brown/IMIJPHOTO.com
Fried chicken with buttermilk dressing, served with a house-made biscuit, long-cooked cavolo nero, summer succotash salad, and a chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie, by the Larder in Los Angeles
Photo: Aaron Cook/AACK Studio
A bento box filled with heirloom beet and watercress salad with goat cheese and spiced pistachios; open-faced roasted chicken salad on a pretzel croissant; and olive-oil-poached salmon with tomato-fennel chutney and balsamic roasted vegetable skewers, by Truffleberry Market in Chicago
Photo: Courtesy of Truffleberry Market
Classic roast beef sandwiches and Italian sandwiches with layered meats, shredded Parmesan Reggiano and Asiago cheeses, red onion, pepperoncini, and Farmhouse vinaigrette served on baguettes, by Santa Barbara Catering Company in Tempe, Arizona
Photo: Courtesy of Santa Barbara Catering
Slow-roasted salmon with cucumber-dill yogurt sauce, served with a mixed grain salad, broccoli with arbol chili, and berries with crème fraîche, by the Larder in Los Angeles
Photo: Aaron Cook/AACK Studio
Sesame noodle salad with Asian vegetables, garnished with spicy tuna and California rolls, served in individual take-out containers, by Abigail Kirsch in New York
Photo: Andre Maier
Gulf shrimp with house-made cocktail sauce, by Royal Fig Catering in Austin, Texas
Photo: SMS Photography
Build-your-own tacos with fresh tortillas and assorted fillings, including carne asada, carnitas, and mushroom, plus toppings and sides, by Otto's Tacos in New York
Photo: Courtesy of Otto's Tacos
Roasted salmon with citrus vinaigrette served on a bed of fresh greens, served with a baguette roll, seasonal fruit, or a chocolate chip cookie, by Bi-Rite Catering in San Francisco
Photo: Molly DeCoudreaux Photography
Nova Scotia lobster in chive mayonnaise, served in an artisanal bun, along with kettle chips, bean, snow and snap peas, broccoli salad, and a chocolate whoopie pie, by En Ville Event Design & Catering in Toronto
Photo: Simon Burn
House-made hummus, handmade dolmas, cucumbers, marinated olives, halloumi cheese, and pita triangles, by Bi-Rite Catering in San Francisco
Photo: Molly DeCoudreaux Photography
Deep-dish pizzas with a house-made olive oil crust, tomato ragout, mozzarella, and basil, served with tiny shakers of Parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper flakes, by Abigail Kirsch in New York
Photo: Courtesy of Abigail Kirsch
Artichoke and four-cheese focaccia flatbread with marinara sauce, by Bi-Rite Catering in San Francisco
Photo: Molly DeCoudreaux Photography
Tiramisu in a jar with chocolate ganache, espresso biscuits, and vanilla mascarpone, by Eatertainment in Toronto
Photo: Courtesy of Eatertainment
Stress Balls
During the Soup'er Sandwich event at the New York City Wine & Food Festival in October 2013, Martin's Famous Potato Rolls handed out squeezable stress balls shaped like packages of the brand's bread rolls.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Matcha
Matcha, a powdered green tea, has gained in popularity recently, thanks to its Instagram-ready vibrant green color and health benefits. And while it’s well known in coffee shops, bars and restaurants are also incorporating it into more libations. For example, chef Dan Kluger's new restaurant Loring Place in Greenwich Village in New York serves up the Stable, a cocktail featuring Bimini gin, matcha, and Fuji apple juice. The drink is named for the carriage houses and stables that line 8th Street in the neighborhood.
Photo: Courtesy of Loring Place
Matcha
The Jamaican Matchmaker from Whisler’s in Austin is an island-style concoction made of silver and Jamaican rums, house-made matcha syrup, lemon juice, orgeat syrup, and bitters, and is garnished with an edible flower.
Photo: Mark Weatherford
Matcha
Mixologist and bar owner Albert Trummer partnered with Rivington Hospitality Group to open S’Zen (a hybrid of the words “scene” and “zen”) in New York’s Hotel on Rivington. The 40-person bar features curated cocktails, such as the matcha-infused Green Kimono, which also contains Japanese shochu and fresh lime and kabosu juices.
Photo: Courtesy of Rivington Hospitality Group
Fresh Syrups
Miami’s Gin & Collins offers a twist on the classic gin and tonic cocktail with a menu of different pairings such as the Green Gremlin, which combines Botanist gin with citrusy tonic water, green chartreuse, rosemary syrup, and basil.
Photo: Courtesy of Gin & Collins
Hibiscus
The Margarita Pampano from New York’s Pampano is the restaurant’s signature drink and is made with tequila, citrus juices, and homemade hibiscus puree.
Photo: Courtesy of Pampano
