6 Catering Tips for Planning a Unique and Creative Event

Regular, traditional food and wine catering services aren’t enough anymore. These days, you need to be creative with event catering if you truly want your party or function to be remembered. Tons of special events are held in Toronto every day, from weddings to business functions. How can you expect yours to be unique and special if you aren’t creative with the catering and planning?

Sure, cheese slices, crackers, and ordinary salads taste fine, but foods like these are exactly what guests are going to expect. Surprise everyone with something a bit more unique.

Here are a few tips for providing a unique Toronto catering experience:

Settle on a creative theme, and add food selections that go with that theme. Some ideas include having a luau, wild west theme, fairy tale wedding, roaring 20’s party, etc. If you are going with era-specific theme, do a bit of research to find out what kinds of food and drinks were popular during that era.
Of course, there is no rule that says you have to settle with one, specific type of food. Sometimes, doing the unexpected is what makes an event truly memorable. If it is a more formal event, like a wedding or anniversary, you don’t want the atmosphere to feel stuffy. Give people a chance to let loose and enjoy themselves by eating casual meals rather than fancy cuisines.
On the other hand, you might want to go with something exotic as the main course. Depending on the theme, this may a great way to coordinate food with décor by preparing dishes from a certain region of the world. There are so many exotic cuisines to choose from, with Mexican or Pan-Asian recipes being the most popular. If you really want to get your friends talking, consider something like Ethiopian or Moroccan dishes.
Don’t forget about the display. How the food and drinks are displayed are extremely important. While taste should be the top priority, display is a close second. No food or wine catering services are complete without presentation. There are many ways to be creative. You could alternate food colors, serve it in unexpected ways, set up dishes on multiple levels, etc.
The basics are important as well. Even if you do want to offer exotic dishes, there will always be guests who still prefer the basic appetizers and drinks. Don’t alienate any guest by trying to force them to eat stuff that the “foodies” like. For some, simple is better. You can still offer a few basic selections, even if you are going with a specific kind of theme.
The bigger the event, the more difficult it will be to accommodate everyone’s individual preferences and dietary restrictions. Creating do-it-yourself stations is a great way to allow guests to eat the foods they want. DIY stations can be anything from smoothie stations to taco bars. It will also be easier to clean up at the end of the night, since guests will be allowed to put the foods they actually want to eat on the plates.

If you need any help with setting up a creative event, work with a professional Toronto caterer who has a lot of experience.