Ahh, it’s summer! Good weather, good moods and all-around good times. Summer is also a great time for weddings and other special occasions. Fresh summer foods, flowers, and locations provide a great ambiance not found during other times of the year.

If you’re holding a special summer event, one of the most important decisions you’ll make to ensure your summer event is the best, is finding the right caterer! I can’t overstate the importance of working with a reputable caterer who understands your needs, shares your vision and adds a creative style to your special gathering.

Finding the Right Caterer: Word-of-mouth remains the best form of advertising. Ask your family, friends, or colleagues for their recommendations. Nearly everyone has hosted or attended a catered affair, so don’t hesitate to ask what made their caterer a standout. If you know where your event will be hosted, ask the venue staff for their top catering picks. Catering is usually the largest expense for any event, so choose a respected catering company who is gracious about sharing their information and specialties. The right catering company can make the difference between a memorable affair and a forgettable one.

Do Your Research: Once you have established a list of potential caterers, visit their websites and make introductory phone calls. Check out their catering history, references, culinary skills, organization abilities, costs, menus, availability and other services. If you’re still interested, schedule an interview. Face-to-face interaction is the best way of determining if your caterer will be a great fit.

Get The Facts: Once you’ve narrowed your list, it’s time to get serious. The path to finding the right caterer is influenced by many factors including cost, so know your general budget before interviewing. Ask the caterer to break down their fee schedule and provide you with a precise list of services so there are no last minute costs, like rentals or special meals. If your event requires multiple vendors, such as florists and entertainment, make sure your caterer can manage these services, or is flexible in working with other vendors. Because party planning is the business of catering companies, they typically possess many of the necessary connections to additional services that will help make your event run smoothly.

The right caterer is a party host’s most valuable asset! Having confidence in your caterer will ensure you enjoy the event as much as your guests.

At Sandman Gourmet, our commitment to serving you the freshest, most creative and delicious dining fare sets the gold standard in any season. This summer allow us to provide you with a true summertime celebration! 

Never underestimate the important role food plays at a wedding. The impact of your dining fare can easily be measured in the smiles of your guests and the great memories of your very special day.

When planning a wedding, couples should be aware that food choices, like wedding dresses, frequently rely on popular trends. To help punctuate your wedding with that hard-to-define sense of style, take into account both your personal preferences and the current trends.

At Sandman Gourmet, we keep on top of what’s new in wedding catering because our couples deserve fine foods that reveal personality and style. If you’re planning an upcoming wedding, your menu really does matter! The following trends in wedding catering represent what's new and hot nationwide.

• Color it Perfect: Design a food menu that matches your signature colors.

• Stay Seasonal: Consider your catering menu based on the season of your wedding. Example: Serve an apple-maple glazed chicken with pumpkin cheesecake during the fall or a lemon-grilled salmon with steamed fresh vegetables during the summer.

• Family-Style: Serving guests family-style is no longer just for Sunday dinners. It can save you money, take the stuffiness out of a formal sit-down meal and encourage guest interaction.

• Think Green - Think Local: While serving organic is still a popular option, the newest trend includes serving local food products that support the sustainable farm-to-fork concept. It also helps stimulate the local economy and provide a truly unique wedding reception.

• A Kids’ Menu With Sass: It’s not just macaroni anymore. Today’s kids are more sophisticated in their culinary tastes. Kick it up a level when planning a kids’ menu. It should be healthy, tasty and fashionable.

• Global Is Good: Exotic ingredients and foods like Middle Eastern herbs and sauces can add zip and zing to your menu and the palette of your guests.

• Tasting Menus: Tasting menus are being seen at black-tie weddings. Serve five to seven mini courses – even pair them with a different wine for each course.

• Interactive Culinary Kiosks: Some caterers are creating interactive culinary stations like a Sushi Station or a Chef’s Bar with tapas-style food.

• Couture Cakes Are In: Large traditional, multi-tiered wedding cakes have taken a back seat to Couture Wedding Cakes. These cakes are one of the hottest trends along with small individual cakes for each guest.

While delicious and healthy foods never go out of fashion, wedding menus that emphasize these catering trends will excite, delight and make your wedding a one-of-a-kind event. 

 

Bringing people together for important business events sets the table for great morale boosting, communication and idea sharing. Don’t underestimate the importance of food in supporting your business goals. Providing delicious and healthy foods for a meeting is as important as providing the appropriate
environment and technology. The right menu provides relaxed opportunities for social networking before, during and after a meeting while keeping your participants alert and appreciative of your attention to detail.

Your objective for the meeting should determine what type of food you provide and how it is served. It's very important you work closely with the caterer or chef to ensure everything goes smoothly and within your budget.

Plated meals, where dishes are delivered to the table, avoid the distraction of traffic coming and going and ensures your guests are all served at the same time. Boxed lunches may be your answer, as they are easily transportable, compact and disposable. You can go the extra mile with an appropriate theme
for your meeting's food, but avoid exotic menu items or at least offer comfortable alternatives.  Although you can't cater to every individual's personal taste, you do have a responsibility to provide enough choices and variety so no one goes hungry. Make sure you gather information about special dietary needs or concerns in advance.  Your meeting is sailing along and everyone's happy. The last thing you want is people snoozing and losing energy after lunch. A great way to reduce this risk is to avoid food and drink that make people sleepy. Turkey, milk, and milk products are high in tryptophan, nature's sleep-aid. Fatty foods take longer to digest making people uncomfortable, weighed-down and fatigued. You should also continually offer plenty of spring water and regular, diet, and caffeine-free beverage choices.  Straight from the Sandman, some basic Do’s & Don’ts for providing culinary choices that will both satisfy
and stimulate at your next business meeting:

•  Avoid messy foods that can drip, plop or splatter.
•  Be sensitive to guests’ special dietary needs; provide vegetarian options if lunch is being served.
•  Offer a variety of culinary choices.
•  Avoid greasy or heavy foods that cause a mid-afternoon snooze.
•  Be considerate of other guests by not heavily seasoning foods. Seasoning does not make up for good taste.
•  Have set times for serving food. Continuously replenishing drinks and snacks strains your budget.

Good food is just good business at any corporate meeting, retreat or occasion. Palette pleasing foods create enjoyable environments for your guests and help support the goals of the meeting. While a bagel and deli platter may offer fast and filling menu fare for lunch or dinner, it won’t provide the sensory
satisfaction or motivation your colleagues deserve. The next time you’re planning any type of corporate event, consider the positive impact you can make with the right food.  Sandman Gourmet Catering prides itself on planning, creating and serving tasty menu options that are guaranteed to delight the palettes of your meeting guests. Our years of training and experience in creating the right menu for the right occasion have provided positive results for countless meeting participants and hosts. Whether it is a lighter fare or full course meals, we can offer you comprehensive menu ideas that reflect good taste. Our highly-skilled, catering consultants are glad to meet with you and discuss the many options at no charge.