Gourmet Celebrations Planners and Chefs can meet all your catering needs, whether you’re planning a corporate brunch, casual lunch or a wedding. If you’re looking for ideas or inspiration, a great place to start is our Summer Tasting Menu.
Summer Tasting Menu
APPETIZER
Honey-Lime & Sriracha Grilled Jumbo Gulf Shrimp
SALAD
Wild Arugula, Tangerine, Feta Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette
ENTRÉE
Grilled Swordfish with Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Braised White Beans with Kale and Portuguese Sausage
Charred Summer Vegetables
DESSERT
Grilled Summer Peaches with Honey, Yogurt & Mint
— or—
Refreshing Summer Watermelon Fruit Pizza with Blueberries, Kiwi,
Orange Zest & Candied Almonds Executive Chef: Dwayne Lortie
Checklist: Making your company event, picnic or celebration as pain-free and successful as possible
Planning a company picnic is a big, stressful task. Much of our clients’ stress, we have come to learn, has to do with the fear of forgetting or not planning for something.
To help reduce—or remove—that feeling, and thus relieve your picnic planning stress completely, we give you this Gourmet Celebrations company picnic planning checklist. Within each checklist item are additional aids and articles that will help you plan everything from the big stuff down to the tiniest of details.
The Big Stuff
Find the venue. Where do you want to host your picnic?
Pick your date. When is your venue available? Are you willing to host a Friday afternoon picnic, or is the weekend your only option?
Contact a caterer. We would be happy to help you plan your picnic.
Choose a theme. Search the internet for picnic theme ideas and then work with your caterer to brainstorm the possibility of using one of your favorites.
Food and Beverages
Decide on a menu. Picnic menus should match the theme. What fits best with your theme: pig roast or all-American grill? Caribbean cookout or street tacos? The sky is the limit when it comes to your picnic menu.
Choose your beverages. Beer and wine? Frozen drinks? Water and soda? It is all up to you.
Pick your “fun” foods. Picnics are even more of a good time when you incorporate fun foods, such as cotton candy, Sno Cones, candy bars, ice cream trucks and slushies.
Fun Elements
Hire entertainment. Consider having DJs, emcees, bands, choirs, clowns or roving entertainment.
Plan activities. These can include things like face painters, photo booths, dunk tanks, football toss and any other sports activities.
Host competitions. Choose between the classics, like relays, sand volleyball, softball, horseshoes, Baggos, egg tosses, etc. Or, if you want, ask your caterer for new ideas.
Build décor. Base this on your theme. Work with your caterer or event coordinator to come up with the best visual elements to fully immerse your guests into the themed experience.
Design the blueprint. You and your full-service caterer or event planner must take into consideration your venue space and guest count when coming up with the best location for the food tents, food service line, games, activities, inflatables and other equipment.
Important Items
Rent equipment. Tables, chairs, tents, portable toilets, and more — as your full-service caterer, we often handle these responsibilities.
Create a timeline. When do you want to serve the food? Work backward and forward from that window of time.
Invite guests and market the event. Make sure to be clear about who else is invited—family, spouses, friends, employees, bosses, etc.
Signs and banners. These will help with parking and directing employees and attendees to the right spaces. They will be especially useful for those having events in picnic groves or forest preserves.
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