I was recently reading this month’s Catersource magazine and came across two articles that caught my attention. One was written by Carl Jones and the other was by Paul Holewa. The articles talked about the catering trends of 2009. They interviewed caterers from all over the world and got their opinion on what’s happening in the New Year. Both articles stress how the economy has affected the trends. According to the caterers interviewed, events are still happening, but clients are looking for creative ways to keep costs low while maintaining the quality of the event, hence caterers are developing new ways to make this happen.
Here is what is going to be “Hot” in 2009:
Formal seated events are giving way to casual lounge-like settings.
We are seeing more and more specialty cocktail and tasting bars: Scotches and Mojitos are just to name a few.
Action stations are hotter than ever, with even the wait staff getting into the mix, dressing the part. Cocktails and Dessert stations are on the rise as well as Pacific Rim, sushi, Middle Eastern, Lebanese, North African and Greek.
***Stations are great because they offer more than one item and ways for the guests to customize it to fit their eating habits.***
Comfort foods such as mac and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, grilled cheese and fondue with a twist. Basically, what it comes down to is fusing home-style foods with big city tastes.
Passed foods versus food in chafers.
Tapas, beer tastings, micro brew and food pairings, southern style BBQ’s, late night munchies and desserts are all the buzz.
Non-traditional ways of serving food: Unusual containers, plexiglass trays, movable carts and vertical buffets.
These are the trends that are emerging in all different markets and they are creating added value in ways that engage and entertain guests. Think about adding an element to upcoming event!
