Everything is tiny, on a stick, mini sized, in a petite stemmed glass, in a 'push-up' vessel, in a spoon, etc. According to the country's top caterers. Another growing trend is street food at special events.
Liz Neumark, founder and CEO of New York-based Great Performances, agrees. "Guests love the ability to taste a lot of different flavors without feeling like they overate," she says. "We are seeing the trend evolve into desserts as well, which is perfect for summertime."
John Crisafulli, head of San Diego-based Behind the Scenes, notes that small plates were big at corporate hospitality events his company produced during the Rose Bowl game in January. "Many of our menus were small-plate/tapas-style offerings," he says, "including many chef stations with the menu items being prepared fresh for the guests and custom-seasoned to taste."
Smaller Plates plus Food Stations - a marriage made in heaven.
Merging two big trends--bite sized meals with stations--is hit for mid to large scale events. Small plates offers brides and their guests great menu variety, entertainment and the opportunity to interact with chefs while they are preparing their food. And because chefs can finish the dishes live for guests, they are delighted with fresh, restaurant-quality cuisine.
Guests also want to be able to experience 'foodertainment'--an experience with food. That can be traditional food done is a fresh way or modern flavors, but give them more variety.