Category: Best New Food Concept Name: A Seated Buffet 100 Word Synopsis A simple clever concept using chairs as levels to display self-serve food items, A Seated Buffet offers the versatility to blend with almost any setting, style or theme. Not needing linens or floral arrangements, the chairs provide the décor and serve as the buffet. Although our design is clean and sleek, the buffet presentation could be made more elaborate using chairs in various sizes, some upholstered, some with throw pillows, some with perhaps a floor lamp next to them all turned in different directions snaking down the center of a large hall. Can you see it?
A Seated Buffet For this concept, indeed, a picture is worth a 1000 words. One look and you get it! At a networking event for Network Athens hosted by The Georgia Museum of Art, this food station appears to be part of the museum s permanent collection. For this group of 300 savvy, young professionals from the hip university town of Athens, Georgia, we wanted to dress to impress. Elevated on blocks and entitled A Seated Buffet, a series of chairs occupy the center of the gallery. As guests notice the food on trays placed on the actual chair seats utilized as levels, they either giggle or laugh out loud. As the sign on the easel suggests, this display is meant to be eaten--- perhaps a bit of performance art in the making.
Instead of offering the expected hors d oeuvre table with your standard black or white linen covering a six-foot banquet table, we dazzled guests with a novel food concept and presentation that cleverly ties in with a museum setting. A set of six brightly painted Chavari chairs with custom designed chair covers becomes a prize collection of antique chairs worthy of their own showing.
After a day s hunt looking for vintage wooden chairs to photograph, we had more than enough samples to create our own designs. Although each pair of chairs is a unique design, the Chavari chairs give them a unified core. Using the pictures for inspiration, we drew the chair back designs on poster paper altering them to be suitable for stenciling, carefully cut them out, secured each pattern in place on the burlap and using brown spray paint to color in the negative space, transferred the stencil to the fabric---a process even more tedious than it sounds. But with practice, the process became easier and the stencils proved reusable. Wooden buttons painted to match the chairs secured the covers in place.
During a trial set-up, it became obvious that the chair seats were too low for easy access to the food. By placing the chairs on individual in-house made pedestals, they became the correct buffet height and took on the look of a private collection on public display. Trays of assorted artisanal breads filled the seats of each chair served with a trio of spreads: Pesto Goat Cheese, Parmesan Artichoke and Basil Burrata. Roasted Peppers, Eggplant Tapenade, Chopped Artichokes and Tomato, Basil & Herbs were offered on the side. Presented in pairs, the chairs mirrored each other creating a user-friendly, two-sided buffet.
Besides designing a functional buffet, we had yet another challenge. For a networking event with a low budget but desirable high-profile guest list, how do you show off as the caterer? To do so, we relied on creativity to put this event over the top. Along with A Seated Buffet, we also presented two other food stations with an artistic edge to them. Although the food was inexpensive to produce, the out-of-the-box presentations sparked conversation throughout the evening---just the ticket for a networking event.
This smart concept and presentation is not just limited to Breads & Spreads or Chavari chairs. With a little thought, many self-serve food items are suitable to be presented on A Seated Buffet. Utilizing the pedestals for plates, forks and napkins gives the display even more usable surface space. Think of the variety of chairs that could be incorporated into this display to suit any style or theme. For a simple clean easy-to-transport look, we used Chavari chairs enhanced with our unique chair cover design. Because this clever idea is so versatile and the many different chairs available so easy to incorporate as décor, we think this could be a new food concept that other caterers will want to adopt and adapt to surprise their guests with their cutting-edge creativity as we have ours. And besides that, it s just fun.
Recipes EGGPLANT TAPENADE 1 large eggplant (1½ pounds) EVOO 4 ounces jarred roasted red peppers, chopped ½ cup large green olives, pitted and chopped 1 cup chopped yellow onion ¹/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves) 3 tablespoons minced parsley 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tablespoons drained capers 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place the whole eggplant on the pan, prick with a fork in several places, and rub with olive oil. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes until the eggplant is very soft when pierced with a knife. Set aside to cool. Halve the eggplant, peel, and discard the skin. Place the eggplant, peppers, and olives in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. Pour into a mixing bowl. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until the onion is lightly browned. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, and add to the eggplant mixture. Add the parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice, capers, tomato paste, vinegar, salt, and pepper and mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. Taste for seasonings and serve at room temperature with toasted pita triangles.
ARTICHOKE PARMESAN SPREAD 16 ounces Cream Cheese 2 (14 ounce) cans quartered marinated artichokes 1 cup mayonnaise 2 cups grated parmesan cheese 3 garlic cloves minced 1 teaspoon salt Mix all ingredients PESTO GOAT CHEESE SPREAD 1 goat cheese 8 ozs cream cheese, softened 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves 1/2 cup pine nuts (toasted) 3 garlic cloves 2 Tablespoons EVOO 2 T balsamic vinegar Make Pesto and mix with Goat Cheese and Cream Cheese