Better Buffets

Jan 1, 2010 12:00 PM, By Tara Fitzpatrick

With easy and inexpensive upgrades, your everyday or special-event buffet can be strictly A-list.

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“Lately we're doing a lot more chef stations,” King says. One of his favorites is a cheese station where the chef can talk to diners, explaining which components they should be looking to taste in the cheese, the order in which the different cheeses should be sampled, and of course, which wine would pair best with each.

Upping the interaction factor, Recker has had great success with an event within a buffet called “Rolling with Sushi.” Two cutting boards along with gloves are set up at a table and each student is walked through the process of rolling maki. The average time to make a roll is five minutes, Recker says, and about 40 students or more are served per meal period. It is so popular, “many students would make more than one roll,” Recker says.

That's So Unique!

THE UNEXPECTED: Using funky containers for condiments makes a good impression on guests and is easy to pull off without much extra effort or cost.

Photo: Table 4 Weddings Photography

Chafing dishes and plain plates are functional, but predictable. Instead, try these ideas in a buffet:

• Martini glasses for mashed potatoes, soup, beef stroganoff or anything else
• A rustic setting with stacked bricks instead of a metal frame for a chafing dish
• Sauce inside a carved pumpkin
• Sauce inside an oddly shaped vase
• Salt blocks that can be heated or chilled
• Funky flea-market trays or platters with a lot of character
• Paella pans
• Asian spoons for small bites
• hot glasses for “shooters” of soup or even milk for milk & cookies
• Take-out containers
• Champagne glass layered with noodles
• An oversized margarita glass