What Types of Meals Can Be Catered?

The word “catering” usually conjures up visions of long tables laden with chafing dishes, providing lunch at a work event or dinner at a wedding. What many people don’t realize is that literally any meal can be catered professionaly.

Breakfast or Brunch

Whether for business or pleasure, morning gatherings offer guests convenient timing and, best of all, a chance to get together with others when they’re fresh and awake!  Breakfast and brunch foods available through caterers include everything from baskets of small bites (tiny cinnamon rolls, sausage biscuits and mini quiches) to omelet stations where chefs make omelets to order. Fruit trays, coffee and even mimosas can also be included.   

Lunch

By allowing participants to continue working or networking through the noon hour, lunch catering adds to the overall value of any meeting. Other work events like holiday parties and trainings are a great time to provide a catered mid-day meal, as are celebrations like quinceañeras, communions, and bar mitzvahs. The types of food available for catered lunches range from simple sandwiches and salads to more elaborate fare.   

Dinner

Weddings, rehearsals and galas are examples of occasions when catered dinners are the norm. But dinner can be catered any time people gather in the evening. Though people don’t often think of it, catering isn’t just for large gatherings. Hosting a catered dinner party at your home offers a chance to treat your friends to a professionally prepared meal and enjoy your friends’ company without worrying about preparing or tending to food.     

Hors d'Oeuvres and Snacks

Cocktail gatherings should offer guests more than drinks and peanuts. Adding catered hors d'oeuvres goes a long way toward making an impression and showing guests a great time. This is one “meal” where you and your caterer can really get creative. The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can serve, and because hors d'oeuvres are small, you can offer an assortment without overstuffing people or ending up with too many leftovers. For meetings, if you’re having breakfast and/or lunch catered, it’s a great idea to have your caterer serve a mid-afternoon snack as well. In addition to providing a welcome break, boosting participants’ blood sugar at this time of day can help make your meeting more productive.

Dessert  

Throwing a party? Literally any party — birthday, baby shower, housewarming, you name it — can be catered. And catering doesn’t just mean traditional meals. For parties, a catered dessert menu is often ideal. From cookie trays to cakes to “sweets tables” laden with a variety of treats, a catered dessert is a great way to make your party extra-special without spending a fortune.

If you’re looking to have some great meals catered, give Chef’s Catering in Rochester, NY a call today to get the discussion started!