Meet You at the (Food) Bar

A few years ago I was asked to find a creative way to get board members of my organization to connect with each other, and to develop a team-building experience. Aside from talks about open communication and collaboration, we also did a scavenger hunt around the city. To compliment this initiative, I worked with the hotel on creating a "build your own cupcake" table. At first thought, it sounds like a lot of fun. It would show how people think...a person could prove themselves to be a perfectionist or creative or light-hearted about the design of their own cupcake. But in the end, I felt that is allowed everyone to be less critical of each other's cupcake design ideas and free to customize the cupcake according to their own taste. 

Fast forward a few years later to today where customized bar themes are everywhere. The most popular ones I know of are the burger bar and a dessert bar. And I appreciate all the other creative tables out there! Here are three ideas that I discovered recently and found very interesting.  

Baked Potato Bar from the Sheraton Grand Phoenix.

》Baked Potato Bar - When I saw this table roll out into the hallway at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix, I had to take a closer look. My event concierge told me that the chefs at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix were experimenting with different "customized bars" for attendees and event planners. I loved this one because I've always thought of baked potatoes as a meal by itself. However, I would've added more toppings such as steamed broccoli or mushrooms, some spices and even some flavored butter (truffles, paprika, etc.). Maybe I'm just more open to toppings than the regular person!

Valentine's Day themed pop tart bar from Great Performances catering in New York.

》Pop Tarts Bar - I will be the first to admit that dessert bars are probably the easiest and most creative bars to have at an event. There are so many "accessories" that can be added to the dessert and in general, desserts can match any theme. The pop tart table pictured above was created by Great Performances (www.greatperformances.com) in New York for a Valentine's Day-themed event. I loved how there were a lot of options available to create a custom design on the tart. And it wasn't just about design, but flavor. In this case, there were two types of tarts: chocolate or strawberry. The accessories were various types of sugar beads, chocolate beads and sprinkles. And I'm pretty sure I saw some red-hot cherry candies too!

Make your own marshmallow treat by Treat House. 

》Rice Krispie Bar - I found this type of dessert bar so much fun even though I was unsure how to customize each treat until I saw that they had already spread a sticky topping on each square (and so the topping you selected would easily stick to the treat). I liked this idea a lot because it's easyto manage but still allows for each person to go crazy with their toppings - and in this case there were a lot of toppings! This particular bar was created by Treat House (www.treathouse.com).

By the way, I feel like I should mention the difference between a "bar" and a "table", since I see both terms come up in catering menus. A "bar" is what I've already shown here. It's basically a table where each person can customize (or "order" if you will) whatever he or she likes. Usually there are a lot of options available for your guest to create something according to their preferred taste. 

A table, on the other hand, offers a limited selection of items. Though having a table at your event can still be unique and impressive...there's really no engagement taken on by the attendee except for selecting (choosing) what is already on the table. 

This is an example of a Bacon Table where three types of bacon were available: steak-fried bacon, chocolate salted caramel bacon, and green chile bacon. All delish, and all from the catering services at the Austin Convention Center in Texas. 

Here's another example of a table - this time, a dessert table by the JW Marriott Essex House in New York City. 

If you're trying to figure out what bar to include at your event, talk to the event manager at the venue or speak directly to the chef. I worked with one chef on a company logo I wanted to appear on a dessert,  which impressed many of my attendees. If the venue chef can't do it, he or she can certainly suggest other ideas. 

Don't forget to think about the logistics of the customized bar you want to have at your event. Personally I would not have a sliders bar with various dressings at a business cocktail reception because if can get very messy, yet it would be perfect for a corporate picnic. At the same time, I think having a dessert bars would be excellent - and there's a variety out there! 

No matter what, having a food bar at any event should be fun and easy. Remember that!

~T~