Austin WeddingDay Articles of Interest

Creative Chefs Are Changing Modern Wedding Cuisine

Food should be fun, flavorful and beautiful to behold. Unfortunately for many brides, grooms and guests alike, wedding food often carries totally different connotations. Many people have had bad experiences in the past with wedding food, and a good meal is the last thing people expect from your event. There’s good news, though. Today’s creative chefs are changing modern wedding cuisine.

Find an inventive caterer or event planner, and you can host a wedding feast that’s decadent and beautiful – not to mention delicious. Look for someone who knows how to set the mood with food. Here are some tips and ideas to get you started.

Create a food theme

Choosing a theme for the food you serve will elevate your event from just another wedding to something truly special. Weave a running culinary theme through your menu, and food becomes an experience instead of simply a necessity to combat hunger. It personalizes the wedding. Choose something that’s meaningful to you and your beloved. Ideas for themed cuisine are limitless. The more planning you put into a theme, the more excitement it creates.

Many couples use their heritage as the reception’s edible focal point, or you can use your menu to represent a place that holds a special meaning for both of you. Another idea is to match your meal to the venue or color scheme of your wedding. Carry the orange bridal party colors into the meal with a salad of greens and mandarin oranges, followed by tangerine-glazed chicken and then citrus-scented cake draped in orange fondant for dessert. Have some fun with your food themes.

Keep in mind that a successful theme requires proper execution. The challenge is to design a menu that evokes the theme without taking your guests out of their comfort zone. Food doesn’t have to be over-the-top, however, to make guests feel special. Heirloom tomatoes with creamy wedges of hand-crafted artisanal cheese, Seckel pear and a splash of olive oil are as delicious as the most fussed-over dish. Simple sliced strawberries drizzled with 25-year-old wood-aged balsamic vinegar are a sublime treat. Finish your evening with Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee and aged cognac. Good taste never goes out of style.

Dessert should also dazzle. We all deserve to splurge now and then and indulge in something decadent. And there’s certainly no better time to be extra good to yourself than on your wedding day. Add a few special treats to the menu to pamper both yourself and your guests. Instead of just one wedding cake, have many. Set artfully crafted miniature wedding cakes at each place setting. Your guests will be spellbound by the artistry of these three-tiered treasures. Or bring back the sweet memories of childhood by shipping in quarts of premium ice cream from your favorite store back home. Indulge in something special.

Be sure to add a few fab touches to every course. Appetizers that look like dessert are sure to get a second look. Savory mousse-filled ice cream cones are a delight to behold. And smoked salmon lollipops, or truffle-like, spice-dusted rounds of goat cheese bring the candy counter to the hors d’oeuvres tray.

Miniaturized morsels that look just like their larger counterparts give “finger food” new meaning. How about one-bite entrée tasting spoons, such as a tiny fillet mignon topped with gorgonzola cheese and a touch of demi-glaze? These whimsical little treats are big on flavor and fun.

Plate your meal with some personality too. Ladle up a “soup trough” using three different eclectic, shabby-chic cups set on a long rectangular board. Mix shapes by serving salad on triangular plates and placing dinner on stacked hexagons. To add a flair serve food inside of food – serve seafood dishes in scallop shells rather than on a plate, or stuff lobster inside of miniature pumpkins. Be creative and your guests will be talking about your wedding food for years to come.

Serving trays have taken on a new twist in recent years. Creative caterers are using frames, vinyl record albums, test tube trays – you name it – to replace the old, round serving trays. And even buffets have gotten creative makeovers. In place of the old chafing dish, you’ll find beautiful hammered aluminum or granite slabs warmed by heating elements. Theme props complete the overall look.

Be careful not to go overboard, however. There’s a fine line between indulging and simply being pretentious. One or two well-done effects will be more memorable and make a bigger impact than an ostentatious display.

Whatever your style, choose a caterer whose vision and creativity matches your own. Great food presentation adds a unique feature to any event and creates that “wow” effect that makes people remember the meal. Stunning presentations also turn heads and become a topic of discussion. If you serve beautiful, artistic food at your wedding, you’ll get showered with compliments and your meal will be remembered for years to come.