Catersource
HOLIDAY CATERING | Mixing tradition and new ideas is the catering challenge
Mixing tradition and new ideas is the catering challenge
There are two challenges to catering during the holidays: making sure you are getting bookings for what can be one of the most important seasons of the year, and creating events that give guests the tradition they expect, but with a creative twist.
After the economic downturn of 2007–2008, many caterers faced multiple cancellations of holiday parties already booked, and few bookings overall. One of the easiest things for corporations and individuals to cut out of their budgets were holiday parties (and summer staff events, too).
The good news is that many caterers are now seeing holiday bookings come back nicely. In New York, Shai Tertner of Shiraz Events says budgets will be bigger for clients this holiday season, “so we’ll be able to bring a little more content, make it a little richer event.” But the recession still influences how the parties come together. “I’m sure corporate clients won’t want to look as if we’re spending a lot of money. For private parties, that message won’t be there.” In other words, he expects private clients to be ready to go a bit over the top.
Romy Maloon, event coordinator at Added Touch Catering in Marietta, GA, says return customers were almost all booked by August “and our December calendar is looking relatively full right now.” She expects the cold-calling customers to start booking events in October or even November. And at NBC/Universal Studios, by the beginning of August, the Globe Theater venue was already booked for all but one of the key event nights during the holiday season. “We’re very happy,” says Kim Weedmark, vice president for special events and group sales. With the most popular nights gone, corporate clients who want to use the unique venue for their holiday parties then move to weeknights, or daytime events, all adding to the bottom line.
“I personally just love holiday food—and love that people are more willing to have events and are excited about them,” says Maloon. “I’m nervous about how just how much work it ends up being; it’s definitely a hectic time in this industry—but we need it.” 
Ideas from holidays past and present
The creativity challenge is a welcome one, since it means business is back. Many caterers offer more or less traditional holiday menus and packages—and those are important for small companies and for social events, where the client is less concerned with doing something original than with having a turnkey party at an affordable price.
But there’s no lack of creativity possible, even when sticking to tradition.
“We’re known for taking traditional dishes and giving them a more modern twist,” says Tertner. Michael Adasko, catering manager for Shiraz in New York, says, “As we’re approaching the holiday season, we’re thinking about new trends and presentation. The beginning stage is a brainstorm, then testing in our kitchen, then usually revisions when we’re working with a private client.”
The twist on a traditional Thanksgiving might mean, Tertner says, taking the standard turkey and trimmings and turning them into small bites, like turkey tartlets served with a cranberry sauce, then doing something else for the main course.
Yaniv Cohen, vice president and creative director at Shiraz in Miami, says local ethnic cuisine and food products can become part of the traditional meal. “If it’s stuffing for turkey, we use chorizo as the sausage,” he says. “Instead of potatoes, we use plantains. For the cranberry sauce, we use Florida oranges in the sauce. In general, we try to use local ingredients as opposed to shipping, even for holiday parties. Luckily, in Florida we have a lot of wonderful tropical fruits and vegetables.”
At NBC/Universal, most clients are looking for the turnkey experience—but at the high end. The 10,000-square-foot Globe Theatre on the lot is used for events. For the holidays, the event staff determines a new theme each year, with décor and menus. In 2010, it was Winter Escape, with real evergreens, a backdrop that showed a country field in winter, customized linens and more. (This year’s theme is still in the brainstorming stage.) “We’ve had the Nutcracker and one year we did an icescape where we hung fabric from the ceiling to bring the room in and give the impressions of icicles,” says Weedmark. “The décor is always set up at an upper scale and it’s very formal. It makes it easier for clients because they get all the holiday flair and feel, but it’s a little more turnkey.”
Because the Globe Theatre is “a mix between a soundstage and a ballroom,” Weedmark says, it’s easy to customize even the themed event with the client’s name on the marquee and video presentations.
Herban Feast Catering in Seattle does off-premise catering, but also has an event venue, Sodo Park, which was built in 1907 as a machine company, right in the industrial district of Seattle. The venue lends itself to a holiday feel. “We’ve incorporated some newer elements, but left as much of the rustic as possible, like lathe chipping on the floor, exposed beams and rafters,” says Eliott Peacock, marketing manager. “We’ve had people hang Christmas trees as chandeliers, with the lights hanging down. There’s something really jaw-dropping about that.”
Herban Feast also has four custom-made bronze cocktail trees, which can be lit from the top. Each holds about 75 champagne or martini glasses. They are used for many events, but with a few holiday decorations, are perfect for the season. The guests come in and are greeted by the host, then pluck a cocktail or champagne right off the tree. The trees are also used to serve desserts.
For clients who want Herban Feast’s catering, but hold parties in their own homes—or even who are doing their own cooking, Herban Feast has a separate company, Herban Design Studio, in its Sodo Park venue. “It’s a DIY mecca, a workshop with tools on-site so clients can rent the space and use the tools to play around with floral ideas, make gift baskets, etc.,” sayd Peacock. “That really adds an element for people doing holiday parties because doing
the decorations can be easier, and then they get a little more excited about it.”
Shiraz does a holiday event for a big corporate client in New York every year that is “not so much about the traditional; it’s just a great party.” But the party has a traditional holiday feel at its base. Last year, the theme was Moroccan-influenced, with a menu that included oversized couscous, roasted leg of lamb and a turkey breast carving station. The year before, it included a smashed potato bar with different toppings and different kinds of potatoes.
Added Touch likes to play up the traditional reds and greens in the décor for Christmas parties—and blues and whites for Hanukah parties. When possible, the color scheme gets carried into the food as well: terrines that can have red and green layers, a Portofino salad with pomegranates, salad served in red Chinese-restaurant-style to-go containers.
Maloon says Added Touch does a lot of bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs, many of them held during the holiday season. They have a Hanukah-themed bar mitzvah planned for this year’s holiday season for a very large event that will feature an Eight Oil Fondue station, to reflect one of the central stories of Hanukah: Jews who reclaimed Jerusalem found only enough holy oil to light a menorah for one day—but it actually burned for eight days. Maloon said the fondue station will have four different kinds of seasoned oil and cheeses, with two of each on opposite sides of the station. To dip, guests will find apples, pears, sweet potato cubes, bread cubes, etc. “Maybe we’ll even set it up to look like a menorah,” she said, but the idea is still being refined. The owner of Added Touch, Sandra Bank, had bought a book of fondue ideas, so the staff is trying them out now.
The Winter Wonderland dessert buffet brings the feeling of snow to Georgia, Maloon says, with coconut cake, baked Alaskas, white Oreo cookie sandwiches and little meringues.
Holiday Bookings
Look Good—But Late
Catersource asked a dozen or so caterers how their bookings for the holidays look and virtually all said they expect a good season. The ups and downs of the economy could make a difference, a few said, but aren’t worried.
“We are up 14 percent from holiday bookings for 2010,” says Pat Christofolo of Santa Barbara Catering. “At this point, we should finish ahead of last year’s bookings by 16 percent.” At the other end of the country, Laurie Clark of Avanti Mansion in western New York says, “Our holiday bookings are strong this year. Many corporate clients we haven’t worked with in a few years are back!”
In the Midwest, Ellen Walter of Tasty Catering in Chicago says, “December 2010 showed some life coming back into the way employers showed appreciation to their employees. Low morale in the workplace continues to be an issue HR folks are combatting. Taking away the holiday party is déclassé and if there hasn’t been a holiday party in a couple of years, this is the year to bring it back!”
Nick Borelli of Executive Caterers at Landerhaven in Cleveland says he expects bookings to be about where they were last year, but he has a caution—and an idea—for caterers:
“I don’t believe the future will ever look exactly like the past.
I believe that the catering industry needs to reinvent their expectations and marketing efforts for the holiday season. I do not believe the company holiday party of the past is a model that will exist with anywhere near the significance it had.” Instead of marketing employee appreciation events, he recommends marketing customer appreciation events, dealing with sales directors rather than HR departments. “The conversational shift should go from talks about employee morale to that of ROI. Events are a memorable way to make an impact on your client’s clients and set them apart from their competition.”
The “new normal”—not just for holiday catering, but almost everything except weddings—is late bookings, however, which brings an array of challenges, from making sure you have enough available staff to keeping good clients happy, even when you can’t do their holiday party in the way they want.
Caterers have many different strategies for late bookings, whether they can accommodate them or not, including:
* “We will take parties a week out, if we are available,” says Kathy Craig of Castle Event Catering in Spokane.
* Larry Levy of Biddle Street Catering and Events in Baltimore says they have drop-off packages that help to keep clients with them. Tasty Catering does something similar, says Ellen Walter: “Our director of logistics keeps the sales team informed as to ‘hot dates’ where we are out of staff; we then sell drop-off buffets. Our chef does the same for days when the ovens are at max capacity; we then move clients to cold buffets. When our delivery windows and routes are full, clients are given options to take their orders earlier or later.”
* Nick Borelli says, “Turnkey packages are often used not only for the speed they offer our clients who are making late decisions, but also to protect the integrity of our traditional holiday menus and prices.”
* Hilarie Cousar at Whistler Cooks Catering in Whistler, BC says they have a Christmas turkey package that can be delivered on December 24, with no exceptions, substitutions or changes. “We usually sell over 300 delicious dinners and can only do this if we keep to our plan.”
* The Peake of Catering in Vancouver, BC helps clients keep costs down and the kitchen keep up with a Secret Santa package, a chef’s choice of a select group of items. “This allows us to offer good value and tag onto other current orders,” says James Thornley, general manager.
by Linda Picone
Editor
Catersource magazine
September/October 2011
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