Buffet Ideas

Buffet Ideas

Make entertaining family and friends easier with creative buffet ideas. Whether it's for the holidays or just for fun, a buffet lets you enjoy the party more. It's also a great way for everyone to pitch in by bringing a dish of your selection. You do the main course, guest can bring the side dishes.

As a catering director, I know planning is the key ingredient, but for me, it's creating the event that's fun. As the host, your the organizer. Plan your menu first and everything else will fall in place. By having guest bring a dish it's less stress and work for you and it gives you more time for the fun stuff, creating the party.

You are planning the menu so instruct your guest of what menu item you want them to bring. You can even give them a couple options, but you want to make sure you have all bases covered. This will also help when setting up the buffet and knowing where food will be placed.

What Are We Eating?

Place cards are nice to have for identifying food. You can ask your guest to make up a recipe card for the dish they bring and have recipe cards available for those that want to make a copy. For guest that have food allergies or diets, this makes it easier for them to choose what they can eat. Place cards for food also removes the guessing game of what the dish is.

Setting Up the Buffet;

When it comes to your buffet table set up, consider the traffic flow. Having separate food stations cuts down congestion in one area. It helps with the flow of people mingling throughout the house or yard, whatever the case may be, indoors or outdoors.

Depending on the menu you choose, food stations can be desserts, salads, hor dourves, main course, hot food, and cold food. Beverages can also have stations, wine bar, alcohol, non-alcohol, coffee and tea. The key to your buffet table set up is traffic flow, eliminate congested areas.

Decorating the Buffet;

This is where the fun begins. One of my biggest suggestions, don't have a flat buffet. You and your guest have taken time to cook the food, so present it so it's eye appealing. When a chef creates a dish the presentation is just as important as the taste.

Give the buffet table elevation by creating risers. With the right placement of food and dishes on a buffet, you can even eliminate centerpieces, let the food be your decorations.

Just about anything can be used as a riser to elevate food , glasses, vases, jars, wood boxes. If the riser isn't decorative, use napkins or tablecloths to cover them.

For easy clean up and a decorative touch, a simple runner for the table can be made from white or natural color craft paper. Decorate the runner according to the event or season such as a vine of leaves painted down each side.

Organize table accessories with decorative containers;

Organize table accessories, silverware, toothpicks, and any paper goods such as napkins and plates in baskets, canisters, decorative boxes, and small glass containers. Scour your house for items to use as risers and containers to decorate and organize the buffet.

A great way to display silverware is by making napkin pockets or envelopes. Fold a cloth napkin to make a pocket or envelope and place it on a plate. Place silverware inside the napkin pocket, handle side out.

Coffee cups and mugs can take up less space by making a coffee ring. Cover a tray with decorative napkins and place cups side down around the tray. Complete the coffee station with cream, sugar and a napkin pocket of spoons.