Food Ideas

July 13, 2018

Wolfgang Puck Catering's Chef Shadowboxes

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.

Photo: Courtesy of Wolfgang Puck Catering

Limelight's "One Potato, Two Potato" Station

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.

Photo: Artisan Events

Limelight's "Smash It" Station

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.

Photo: Erika DuFour Photography

Roar Events' Interactive Margarita Station

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.

Photo: Courtesy of Roar Events

Shake It Up, a food truck specializing in artistic milkshakes, launched in October. Available for private events, the truck serves up over-the-top desserts adorned with indulgent goodies like cotton candy, pop rocks, cookies, doughnuts, lollipops, and more. The shakes are just as Instagrammable as they are delicious.

Photo: Courtesy of Shake It Up

In October, Houston nonprofit C.H.A.T. (Culture of Health Advancing Together), with support from the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the Houston Arts Alliance, launched the Gulfton Story Trail. Gulfton, a community comprised in large part of refugees and immigrants, is now home to 12 murals that depict different aspects of the immigrant experience in Houston. Visitors can access an online map that directs them to each mural and shares details about the artist and the subject matter behind each work.

Photo: C.H.A.T.

The George R. Brown Convention Center added a new guest amenity in November. The Briggo Robotic Coffee Haus enables guests to buy specialty coffee drinks on demand. Event attendees can order and pay for their cappuccinos, lattes, iced coffees, and more through an app or via a touchscreen at the Coffee Haus and then watch a robotic system make the drinks on site—no barista required.

Photo: Adrian Samano