It's Partytime Catering

You or that special someone is going to be reaching a milestone birthday. It might be 16, 50, 70, or 100. Here are some tips to make things easier:

1) Choose a theme that suits the B-Day. 1950’s themed parties are always a hit with fuzzy dice and diner style themes.

2) Decide roughly how many guests you’d like to invite. Then try to make an educated guess about who is actually going to show up. You know who is most likely to come and who will not.

3) Knowing these two items you can determine a budget (which will help you make many of your other choices).

4) Pick a location that meets the needs of your party and the number of guests that you are having. During the summer a backyard Barbecue themed party can make a lot of sense. Formal affairs typically are best done at a community center or other dedicated venue (especially if your house is not suited for your guest count).

5) Begin thinking about what foods would make the most sense given your theme, location and guest preferences. Casual events might mean Hawaiian, Barbecue or light appetizers. More formal affairs might include exotic (or not so exotic) dinners or a heavy appetizer menu. Also don’t forget dessert (especially cake)!

6) Whether you serve liquor or not can be a big decision when planning your party. Again keep in mind the taste of the Birthday person and guests when deciding. Will guests serve themselves, will you utilize a bartender, how much liquor should you provide your guests? These are all important considerations.

7) Activities can often be a great addition to your birthday party. Dancing, games and music are the popular activities and usually make a great addition to any birthday.

 In a bind about what to serve at your next party? A vegetable tray or vegetable crudites is a medley of fresh vegetables served either on a platter or your favorite display and often accompanied by ranch or blue cheese dressing. This simple hors d’oeurve can accent any appetizer combination or be served before the main meal. It is something that can be served all year long and is just as elegant and appropriate for a Holiday Party as it is for a summer affair.

The vegetables themselves often consist of easy finger foods such as carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, bell peppers, mushrooms, green beans, snap peas, tomatoes or any number of other raw vegetables. Color, diversity of size and arrangement are what make a vegetable tray stand out. Some ideas that can help your tray stand out are the display type (mirrors, tiered chargers, and designed platters are some good ways to help your display), vegetable color choices (greens, reds, and yellows accent very well in particular), and vegetable decoration (carved bell peppers, sculpted radishes and other designs can really add a fantastic flair to your tray).

Your wedding day is a special day. For years to come you will look back fondly at this one day. Many times when you ask people about a specific wedding the comments center around the meal – the quality, presentation, and friendliness of the serving personnel.

Choosing your wedding caterer can make a great deal of difference to your wedding day. Choosing a proper wedding caterer can take one worry off your mind.

As in most cases word of mouth is often the best guide. Ask your friends and acquaintances- at which weddings which they attended was the food exceptional? Ask why or why not?

The first step in is to figure out your catering budget before you begin to meet with your caterers. Have in mind the number of potential guests. Be careful – family demands can increase the number greatly. Have your wedding guest numbers negotiated with family members before meeting with the caterer. This way you can divide your total dollar budget by the amount of guests – to get a dollar figure per guest or meal.

The second step is to check with the venue where you will be holding the reception. As part of a booking deal some of these establishments may insist that you either use their facilities, most often in the case of a hotel, or they may even have their licensed or preferred caterers. It’s always best to ask before signing the booking papers.

Next call those caterers by phone or email. Note how long the response took for a reply. This is itself can be very telling about the level of service that you may expect from the caterer. Explain your wishes, ask about the booking date, and ask for general options.

If you like the responses and the meals fall within both your taste and your chosen budget ask to meet with the caterer’s event manager in person. Ask to see the presentation of previous events and how your event presentation will be handled. What will the servers wear and what duties will they be expected to perform or not perform? Also at this time it is best to ask about payment policies. Is that deposit refundable within a reasonable time period of cancellation? Are there are any other additional fees?

It is best to involve the caterers in your meal choices. Remember it’s their business – they will know their strengths and weaknesses much more than you do, in additional to practical logistics of food, food preparation and serving. It’s your one wedding day. Take full advantage of their expertise in wedding catering.