Best Buffet Presentation & Menu An Exclusive Showing 100 Word Synopsis An Exclusive Showing shines the spotlight on a very clever ensemble of buffets designed for a networking event hosted by The Georgia Museum of Art. Taking advantage of the setting, we designed each food station to include an artsy element along with a witty play on words giving the very differently designed buffets a sense of unity. Showcasing artists palettes, pictures frames and a collection of faux antique chairs, this networking event gave the 300 young professionals something to talk about.
An Exclusive Showing Throughout the past year, we have experimented with a variety of clever food presentations with an artistic edge to them. For a Meet & Greet event for Network Athens hosted by The Georgia Museum of Art, we grouped together three of these innovative presentations to create a unique buffet experience appropriate for a museum setting. Three hundred savvy, young professional from the hip university town of Athens, Georgia attended this event entitled An Exclusive Showing. Even though a low budget event, this was a group to impress. Instead of offering expensive fare, we offered a bit of fun---an addiction this crowd seeks. As if a private collection on public display, our museum-worthy buffet collection offers an innovative concept focusing on food and presentation as décor. In this trio grouping of buffets, each plays off an element associated with artwork from a painter s palette, to a trendy 3- dimensional display, to a portrait gallery. And now for "An Exclusive Showing".
One: A Salumi Color Palate In front of this station on an easel, a painter s palette introduces A Salumi Color Palate using the two homonyms to deftly connect food with presentation. Our custom-built, oversized Bento Box doubles as our painter s palette filled with a colorful display of meats, cheeses, salads and breads. From such a variety, guests can mix and blend flavors to suit each individual palate much like an artist mixes colors to please the eye.
Because the top is designed with divided sections like an artist s palette, we experimented with various serving pieces and menu items to fill the spaces. We carefully arranged the food on white ceramic platters and bowls to look like dollops of color waiting to be blended. In keeping with the food presentation, we used clear glass rectangular vases filled with an assortment of artisan baked breads and bristly rosemary as our centerpiece--- much like an artist leaves paint brushes tucked in a jar.
Two: A Seated Buffet Elevated on blocks 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 presentation. 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.
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 mirror each other creating a userfriendly, two-sided buffet.
Three: Portrait of a "Meat" Ball Again, a witty play on words helps define the menu and presentation. For this annual Meet & Greet, we offered Portrait of a Meat" Ball.. After all, what could be appropriate in a museum setting than a portrait gallery? Using our square, white Ikea shelving unit, we enhanced some of the cubbyholes with brightly colored painted frames. From a stack of seenbetter-days, ornate frames, we reworked them to fit their new homes using Velcro to temporarily attach them. Forks, napkins, business cards and other information guests wished to share filled the unframed spaces giving new meaning to "Meet & Greet. With our gallery in place, a six-foot table behind the portrait wall serves as a working station for our chef to assemble handcrafted meatballs with a tomato vodka sauce served over farro grains. (Because of the stain factor, museum rules limited our sauce choices.) As each meatball is completed, Chef places the small plate in one of the cubbyholes marked from behind so that it is presented in a frame as seen from the front. A sign on an easel next to the station touts the title and menu.
In closing, any new presentation has its challenges. Because of the bulk and weight of the oversized palette table, it had to be designed with removable legs that telescope into the frame. This allows the tabletop to be tilted on its side for easy passage through doorways. Carefully planned to take advantage of all the divided spaces on the tabletop, the twinned menu allows guests 360 degree access to the buffet. As part of a collection, each station reveals another aspect of the design all bound by imaginative concepts. As for A Seated Buffet because the presentation is so unexpected, guests had to understand that the food was to be eaten. By elevating the chairs to table height, guests instinctively got it. And with Portrait of a Meat" Ball, the station had to incorporate a chef, hanging picture frames, workstation and room to display collateral. With thoughtful planning, we designed a user-friendly station as functional as the rest of the ensemble. With the added challenge of so much diversity in design, this unique trio of buffets depended on imaginative concepts to give them unity. This shared je ne sais quoi is what makes them an avant garde collection worthy of An Exclusive Showing.
RECIPES PETITE ROASTED BEET SALAD To Red & Yellow Petite Pickled Beets add to your taste Shaved Watermelon Radish Orange Segments Toss in Fresh Ricotta and Balsamic Vinaigrette RED QUINOA & RADISH SALAD To Cooked Red Quinoa add to your taste Summer Peas Shaved Watermelon Radish Euro Cucumber Pickled Onions Chopped Scallions Diced Roasted Red Peppers Fold in Avocado pieces Toss in Balsamic Vinaigrette BLACK RICE & PISTACHIO SALAD with BRAZIL NUT PESTO To cooked Black Rice add to your taste Toasted Pistachios Roasted Kabocha Squash Golden Raisins Chopped Cilantro to taste Process EVOO, Basil, Brazil Nuts, Garlic for Pesto Toss all ingredients