If you’ve ever organized a catered party, no matter what the occasion happened to be, you know that attention to detail is everything. Hours are spent looking at the guest list, planning the menu, and making sure everything is in place. If you’re serving a full meal, the main courses and sides are extremely important. Drinks and bar service can also be an important aspect of some functions.
And what about appetizers? Obviously, these might have an important place at the table – but they can often be lost in the shuffle. A lot of caterers are too busy focusing on other aspects of the meal, and appetizers come out mediocre at best. In other cases, not very much thought goes into which appetizers should be served with the meal. Don’t let this happen! Attention to detail should extend to every aspect of your catering service, and appetizers should be no exceptions.
So – what appetizers should you order from your professional caterer? The answer will depend heavily on what else you’re serving, what the occasion actually is, and other variables like the season and venue. You’ll want to have a detailed discussion with you caterer about appetizer options, but here are some great ideas to get the ball rolling.
Hot appetizers
Shrimp can be done all kinds of ways, and are always a crowd pleasure. Try some coconut or sesame shrimp to really get people’s mouths watering at your event. You could also consider stays, clams, mini quiches or quesadillas, or gourmet tarts (such as a provolone and sun dried tomato tart). The sky is the limit with hot appetizers, and your caterer should have some options for you that are exciting and fresh – while at the same time relying on classic concepts.
Cold appetizers
Different Bruschettas or platters can a good choice when it comes to cold appetizers. Seafoods like shrimp cocktails and crab claws are also popular. There are also many wonderful vegetarian and vegan appetizers that are served cold. Clams and oysters can also be a winner, depending on your audience!
Beyond ordinary
One thing you don’t want your appetizers to be is utterly ordinary and mediocre in flavor. Even if your cater is doing classic options like pigs in a blanket, why not try to jazz them up and get the level of quality up really high? Why not focus more on presentation as well, so that these are appetizers your guests will really go after?
Discussing appetizers with your caterer
When it come to your special event, complete success with your caterer means just that: Complete success. That means every aspect of the menu should be impeccably prepared and presented, with quality and taste that exceeds expectations. Yet so often, this isn’t the case. Even if certain aspects of the menu and service are strong, others leave something to be desired. There is a catering company near you that delivers consistently across the board, and these are the caterers you should be looking for in your search. Good luck!