Food transparency is the latest trend in catered business events
Whether you’re about to produce a business event, corporate meeting, conference or gathering - Summer 2019 is your chance to show you value your participants, good food and the environment.
By ELIAN BRATCatered event(photo credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)
The Israeli corporate and business events market is developing. It is currently valued at around 10 billion NIS per year!
Companies today no longer settle for the simpler, old fashioned and boring catering options for their employees and business guests. Instead, they compete with other brands and companies who invest increasing amounts in luxurious events - as the event’s prestige is itself a branding tool. This desire to impress is also represented by the food served.
Furthermore, going beyond branding, organizations today tend to invest more resources and efforts not only on their customers but also on their employees. Research has proven this to be an excellent incentive to encourage productivity.
As a rule of thumb, if you're already investing in a great business event, you should aim to provide your guests with the most fashionable and unique culinary trends.
Transparency first - Let your guests know what’s in their food
Before we delve into tastes, culinary styles and food appearance issues, we must pay attention to a major food trend in 2019. We’re talking about food transparency. This is part of the growing awareness for nutrition and food impact. This means that people today want to know exactly what ingredients are in the food served to them.
Food ingredient transparency in events is crucial for the growing number of people with food sensitivities and health issues, such as diabetics, those with food specific allergies and celiac sufferers. However, it’s also very important for guests with different food and nutrition preferences - a very common “theme” nowadays. This may refer to vegans, people on a low carbohydrate diet, those who are on a “Paleo diet”, people who avoid gluten, and many other examples.
Therefore, if you want to be perceived as a leading, innovative and attentive company - both to your employees and business guests - we recommend adopting this 2019 food trend. Ask the caterer to present clear and concise nutritional information and ingredients next to each dish and make sure that the staff know the answers to relevant questions.
Furthermore, this approach allows you to simultaneously provide your guests with food transparency while also complying with health and safety regulations regarding food ingredients information transparency - while establishing a company/brand image that puts its employees and customers well-being as a top priority. Advertisement
Using fresh, seasonal and locally grown produce is no longer reserved to traditional cuisine or the Italian based “Slow Food” movement. Now, in 2019, this is a common global trend that acts as kind of an antithesis to food globalization, industrialization and the fast food culture.
The trend is based on the notion that cooking with fresh local products is an ecological choice that also tastes better. It’s considered a “green” culinary choice due to reduced impact on the environment caused by transportation and also helps local farmers make a better living. This option also produces better tasting dishes thanks to the freshness of the products.
A great example of this trend and its culinary benefits is chef Guy Rozen’s catering company - “Taam HaChef" ("The Chef’s Taste" in English). Some call his creations an example of culinary genius, thanks to his use of fresh, local produce when catering events.
Chef Rozen, a specialist in many different global cuisines who studied in leading culinary institutes in the world and worked in prestigious restaurants both in Israel and abroad, always insists on using the best available fresh produce. The amazing dishes created by the hands of chef Guy Rozen and his staff are filled with inspiration and “quotes” from the ingredients’ natural surroundings, alongside subtle innuendos to the season in which the event takes place.
Beyond the delicate and sophisticated taste of the dishes, chef Rozen prepares his delicacies right in front of the guests, what is an exciting attraction on its own right and creates a common experience for your event, one that will be talked about long after the event is over.
Green, healthy and vegan foodBeautiful fruit basket by Salsala
Vegetables, fruit and other vegan products are all part of a major food trend for 2019, one that shows every sign of continuing in the coming years. A company that seeks to brand itself as having a developed and attentive ecological awareness and one that encourages a healthy lifestyle - can happily jump on the vegan bandwagon!
Together with creative, original and complex vegan dishes, it turns out that sometimes beauty lies in simplicity - with one of the trendiest serving options today using dishes with fresh, raw fruit and vegetables.
Fresh and dehydrated fruit baskets, colorful trays full of seasonal vegetables – such as those offered by “Salsala” company (“The Basket” in translation to English) - are a great choice for intimate business meetings and a healthy option for refreshments in the office and for work meetings.
“Salsala” catering company fits the vegan trend like a glove. They offer impressive and rich dishes; all based on fresh fruit and vegetables, all with a fun design that makes vegan food attractive and accessible for most entertaining and events.
Instagram friendly foodFood stall by Oren Popcorn
Social media continues to affect the mind, especially when delicious food images are regularly published. This effect is well presented in the hottest event food trends for 2019. Popular dishes are not only the tastiest ones but also the ones that look amazing, preferably with some kind of twist or cool feature that makes them stand out on Instagram.
With that in mind, we can look to the food stalls option for events. For example, stalls from “Oren Popcorn” bring food display to the level of art. If you look at Oren Popcorn’s Churros stall, you will see an Instagram perfect option, with a delightful fair style design.Alternatively, just choose from various other “Instagram friendly” food stalls such as a chocolate fountain, an American style donuts wall, classical corncobs that are gracefully skewered alongside crimson-red peppers or fresh pizzas emerging from a traditional fire oven. Whatever your choice, they all make for amazing social media photos. All of Oren Popcorn’s food stalls and booths offer great food, amazing variety and excellent appearance, perfect for Instagram food picture enthusiasts.
A light, fun vegetarian based menuHealthful salad by Galiano
Another 2019 hot food trend is based on a vegetarian menu. This option perfectly combines rich and indulging dishes with light food that leaves your guests lively and available for some mingling or a productive brainstorming process.
Vegetarian catering is not only fun, rich in taste and dishes and a great favorite of many people, it’s also cheaper than a meat based menu. Vegetarian dishes have cheaper ingredients while remaining very diverse. They also fit a broader guest spectrum compared to a meat-based menu.
To fully understand and appreciate a quality vegetarian event menu, we invite you to check out “Galiano” catering service which uses virtuosity to combine various global cuisines, mainly from the Mediterranean kitchen and the glorious traditions of Italian gastronomy.
Galiano catering offers luscious pasta dishes, rich pies and quiches, fresh oven baked pastries and pizzas, dips, mini sandwiches, impressive fish dishes and a range of tasty and attractively designed vegetarian options.
The bottom line: whether you’re about to produce a big business event or you’ve been asked to arrange a corporate meeting, conference or gathering - Summer 2019 is your chance to show originality, advanced values and knowledge about what’s popular and relevant in the culinary front.
The food served in the event you produce will have a massive impact on your company’s image and branding. It can deliver a strong message to your audience through a tasty and enjoyable experience. Show that you care for your guests' well-being, for the environment and the ecology and that you are willing to go “the extra mile” for your employees, clients and other business partners – by providing them with great, trendy food!
