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What better way to celebrate your love story than with a delicious meal shared among family and friends—indeed, your first meal as husband and wife?
Selecting a caterer that will bring your dreams to fruition is an important step in planning your reception. While there are many wonderful catering teams in the Phoenix and Scottsdale areas, there may be just a handful of companies that offer you exactly what you’re looking for.
The venue you have selected will have some impact on the caterer you choose. Some reception sites allow clients to bring in their caterer of choice, while others require that you work within their list of preferred vendors. While it sounds restrictive, this can be a plus. The companies on these lists already
have a strong relationship with the planning teams at those venues, they know their way around the on-site kitchens and they typically have years of experience under their belts—or spatulas.
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.
AMERICAN JOURNALIST
HARRIET VAN HORNE
If the reception site of your dreams requires that you work with a particular caterer, there are often many types of cuisine available, as well as a variety of serving styles to choose from. If you aren’t limited to a specific list of caterers, well, the world is your oyster.
And what are you looking for? Part of your reception-planning checklist ought to include how you would like your event to flow, and catering has as much to do with this as entertainment and décor. for example, a buffet or a series of food stations will impact the movement of people throughout the room, the timing in which your guests are served, and the variety of menu items you are able to offer.
Serving styles generally include plated meals, passed hors d’ oeuvres , food stations or buffets, although some clients choose a combination of these choices.
“I think a plated meal is more controlled from a timing standpoint,” observes Anthony Rea of Creations in Cuisine. “for a caterer, we know the exact food portions so it is easier to prepare. I feel it gives a more formal approach if that is what you are interested in.” On the other hand, he notes that plated meals “require more staffing and rentals” which could increase the cost. Guests may also tire of sitting and waiting for courses to be brought to their tables.
If you feel your guests would enjoy the opportunity to move about the reception more, perhaps food stations or a buffet might be in order. The difference in these two serving styles is that a buffet typically includes a one- or two-sided row of tables with the menu items spread out along those tables. A food stations approach tends to spread the different courses of types of food throughout the room.
“We are seeing more requests for buffets than plated meals,” says Robert Richter of Robert’s Catering. “Couples realize that people have a greater selection (of dishes) and it’s not as stuffy” as offering a plated meal. Richter agrees that plated meals will result in a higher staffing cost for an event, since the team will need to include chefs and sous chefs to arrange each plate.
Naturally, the buffet approach may result in a “line” for your guests to be served. To avoid the “cattle call” feeling that many feel is the downside of a buffet, couples often choose serving stations that offer up a variety of entrees and sides.
For example, Heidi’s Events & Catering is known for their exceptional displays of appetizers, gourmet cheeses, house made tapenades and delicious crudités platters. Bruce Brown Catering offers a potato bar that includes the most delectable sides—imagine different colored mashed potatoes combined with sophisticated flavors such as the savory goodness of maple-ginger sweet potatoes or our favorite Peruvian purple potato puree with cream, fresh garlic and chives.
It may take a bit more time, but staffed preparation stations are another fun option. fuzion Chefs’ Ettouffe, a jambalaya-style rice dish, is made to order based on guests’ choice of fresh ingredients. Such sauté stations are a great way to add an interactive element to a wedding reception. Anthony Rea observes the food stations as a trend in his business as well. “We are getting more requests lately for food stations, essentially a buffet kind of broken up where guest can go to one station, enjoy that offering, and go back up to another.” With this style of service, “they don’t have to get all the food selections at the same time on the same plate.
One of the nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.
LUCIANO PAVAROTTI
"Food stations also open the door to some creativity in presentation that a traditional buffet can’t offer.
We have seen some exquisite seafood stations that are beautiful true works of art in their own right. Mi Catering puts together a fabulous pulled pork creation served in a martini glass that will knock your socks off. These food stations can be the signature offering of your reception, adding to the excitement and enjoyment of your event.
“After all, a wedding is a show,” observes Richter of Robert’s Catering, which fields a large number of requests for sauté stations every month of the year.
Another benefit to the food station or buffet style of food service is the opportunity for the bride and groom to mingle about the room and visit with their guests. if you’d like to be sure that you say “hello” to every person in the room, and you’re not keen on the receiving line, perhaps you might choose a plated meal. That way, your guests aren’t a “moving target.” Many a bride and groom have successfully and systematically made their way through a reception hall filled with guests who aren’t moving about the room.
If your ideal reception meal includes ethnic or regional fare, you might use that criterion to narrow down your choices. While most full-service caterers can offer a variety of cuisine, there are those who specialize in Mexican, sushi or vegetarian menus. It’s a good idea to begin your research and seek out referrals early in the process if there is something unusual you’re looking to offer to your wedding guests.
Where to begin? in our experience there are two tried and true ways to begin the interview process for a wedding reception caterer. one involves the head, the other the heart—and both are important. First, ask for referrals from trusted vendors (your reception site should top that list) and friends—that’s the head
talking. Then, try to remember social events and other weddings you’ve attended where the catering really stood out—that’s the heart talking. Combine these lists and you have a pretty good start in finding a caterer.
The recommendation of your reception site is particularly important because those event professionals have experience not only with the quality and style of the food served, but in also the business practices and organization of the caterers they work with. Credentials are important!
You will need to know if the caterer is licensed and insured. How long the company has been in business speaks to the firm’s experience in dealing with surprises, such as unexpected shortages of one ingredient or another and the ease with which the company will set up your event. The more events the caterer has produced, the more fine-tuned the caterer’s production can be. Heidi Vail of heidi’s events & Catering tells us that a little legwork can go a long way in answering a couple’s questions.
“You really should go to their catering facility, and not have them come to you until you have decided to use (a caterer). You need to see their kitchen, their facility. Are they organized? Clean?”
Other questions to consider: Will the vendor need an on-site kitchen and is one available at your reception venue? is there a catering manager who will be the point person on the day of your event? Communication among all the key players in your event team is crucial.
After qualifying services based on reputation, customer satisfaction and expertise, consider the personal style each has to offer. The relationship you develop with the catering director will go a long way in ensuring that you are happy with the end result. Personality matters. in addition to the food they prepare
on your behalf, a caterer can be an excellent partner in planning décor, the flow of your reception location—even color and design choices. “i personally like to meet with potential clients in my facility to make sure we are a good fit for each other,” says Vail.
It’s great advice to spend some time consulting with your catering team. A thorough consultation should include specific discussions on the rentals you will need to pull off your event: tables, chairs, linens, tableware, and so on. in some cases, the caterer will rent these items on your behalf. other times, it will be up to you to hire a separate vendor to work with your caterer to fulfill these needs. “i recommend getting as much from the same company as possible,” says Vail. “less people to call in the end, and one person to coordinate the items.”
Of course, if the reception site you choose has on-site catering and event management, you may not have to make some of these decisions. For example, some properties offer a wide variety of cuisine and service choices through their own in-house kitchens. Tableware is often chosen from a set selection of offerings, with the opportunity for couples to bring in other specialty linen and furniture choices at an additional cost. Don’t think of this as a limiting factor, however. Modern facilities have wonderful experience in producing a wide range of cuisine choices. For example, the catering menu at the JW Marriott
Camelback inn is 98 pages long!
The cost of catering is a pretty significant portion of your overall reception budget. While there is no set formula, the pros suggest that your catering line item comprise between 40 to 60 percent of your entire event budget. While this amount may sound hefty, keep in mind that your guests will spend several hours celebrating at your reception, and food and drink are a big part of that.
Rea, of Creations in Cuisine, offers these recommendations: “Do your research and know what you want, then compare. Plan to spend what you can afford. There are things you may feel you cannot live without, but you really can prioritize.” “i would ask the caterer what their range is, and determine how many people you can afford to invite based on the average cost per guest,” suggests heidi Vail, adding “i suggest having a few less people if the budget is tight.”
Budgeting for bar service is another matter altogether. Arizona laws are very specific about the purchase and service of alcoholic beverages. This is one important question to ask of the event manager at your chosen reception site. in some cases, you may need to hire both a caterer and a bartending service.
Again, referrals are essential. Many caterers have experience in working with bartending services such as Pour Masters, who offer a seamless and fun atmosphere to your wedding reception. Regardless of your personal style, a happy and festive event is the goal of every bride and groom. looking at a room filled with your closest friends and family who revel in your newly minted marriage is a feast for the eyes—and the heart.
Photography:
Eyes 2 See Photography
OGrace Photography
Sedona Bride |
