Meeting Food and Beverage Trends (this article originally appeared in CenterLines)
A funny thing happened on the way to the table…we American’s kicked it up another notch – thank you Emeril LaGasse. We’ve traveled around the country and dined out at home more frequently, we’ve become more educated, more sophisticated – better cooks because of the Food Network. And the phenomenon has spread into the meetings industry. The more sophisticated the client, the more challenges you have to meet their needs. So how do you as a meeting venue, meet those challenges? What’s the latest and the greatest on the food scene: What’s au courant, and what’s passe? We have been researching articles in meeting magazines, combing the web, and asking F&B experts to share their best ideas and thoughts with you.
Food has become an experience, an opportunity for attendees to have fun and enjoy themselves.
1) Organic, Farm Fresh Fare – clean, fresh, organic food that is prepared fresh and light, honest food dishes, dishes that are true to the food. Carbs are no longer king, as Americans weigh in an are looking at the bigger picture – healthy fats, and supplying one’s system with enough fiber for a well-balanced diet.
2) Presentation-Presentation-Presentation – the trend is away from big fluffy buffets, to a fresher feel, one that’s more natural; it’s not the overbearing, old style of banquet food. In the past, you had folded napkins, draped linens and floral arrangements. Today's its individual food stations and the way the food is displayed is as important as it tastes.
3) Comfort Food with a Twist – comfort food is back on the radar, and as it has reappeared it doesn't necessarily bring back memories of your grandmother’s kitchen. Today it’s hybrid comfort food. There are no chafing dishes with big vats of food, it's macaroni and cheese on a fork, or in a cup, it's fries, three different colors all wrapped in some kind of cool cone, or its little soup sips in a shot glass. Especially popular are one-bite ice cream cones and tiny cheesecake lollipops for dessert.
4) Signature Cocktails-cocktails are shaking up the beverage scene once again. But, they are cocktails with a twist-and it's all about presentation. If the event is red hot, its a pomegranate martini, or if its a spring event its a green-apple martini. Signature cocktails are often branding opportunities creating drinks to match company's colors. Corporations want to tie in their event with their business, even ice cubes that glow in the dark with their logos. Creativity and flexibility is key to create that WOW factor every time.
5) Mini-Mini – everything in smaller doses please! Many events used to be heavy buffets, heavy passed trays, but now its bite sized foods served on a spoon, on a stick, or eat it with your fingers. It's a lot more appetizer-style, mini-flatbread pizzas, mini beef sliders, mini cheeseburgers, a lot of sushi, and oysters.
