When it comes to catering in 2022, there is a slew of new trends that are here to stay.
Whether you are thinking of planning a birthday party, wedding, office party, or another major memorable event, choosing the correct details can make or break the success of your event.
At KEUKENvuur, we specialize in creating unique creative cuisine that highlights local, regional, and global fresh food. In addition, we always use the 100% freshest ingredients to craft specialty catering menus and cocktails. With our staff of professionally trained chefs, we feel confident that we can meet any of your needs to help prepare the delicious menu of your dreams!
Located in the heart of Utrecht, we can support any event in the downtown and surrounding areas. For a free catering quote, please submit your event details here, and we will be in touch with you as soon as possible.
But, if you are unsure what you want for your next event, keep reading! In this blog post, we are going to review the top trends for food and drinks at events in 2021.
Do you have an event coming up, but you are not sure how to keep all of your guests engaged? Are you interested in a healthy meal for you and your guests, but you do not know how to find the correct alternatives and substitutes? Keep reading to learn the answers to all of this and more!
Top catering trends in 2022:
We are supporting our communities and sourcing fresh, local products whenever possible.
Continuing to decrease our impact globally and using lasting techniques and items is a fad that we hope continues to grow. Different businesses and services are pursuing environment-friendly accreditations and highlighting endless practices and certifications on their websites.
Making it a priority to remove unnecessary, harmful products like straws and single-use plastics as a whole will help decrease the amount of waste in our oceans and protect the wildlife that is often threatened by these items. And, there are a variety of replacement products available for any breakfast, lunch, or dinner event needs.
Many businesses evaluate what is non-essential or what can be replaced easily by modern updates or items that provide more than one use. Understanding the importance of this change is vital because some clients will only work with environmentally sensitive caterers these days.
Sourcing fresh, local produce and employing local support are also significant trends to pay attention to in the food world. Finding local producers, sourcing fresh produce, proteins, and dairy, working with local employees, and highlight local and regional cuisine are all essential to consider.
Whether you have found craft beers, local artisan bakeries, cheesemongers, or a local vineyard to highlight, sharing regional and local specialties in your different menu options can turn any occasion into a night that everyone will remember!
Health-conscious and vegetarian-based catering food is becoming more and more popular.
Health is still a leading request for parties and momentous occasions. The choice to live and lead a healthy life is essential, and guests expect caterers to adhere to their restrictions respectfully and with delicious food!
At KEUKENvuur, we support all lifestyles. So whether you choose to eat meat, are vegetarian, want low sodium, or are dedicated to a vegan lifestyle, we have delicious menu options available for everyone.
However, even those who do not choose a vegetarian lifestyle do delight in these things for the general wellness advantages such as reduced cholesterol and decreasing hydrogenated fat. Therefore, the objective is to include healthy plant-based meal options throughout the menu that are tasty and pleasing to consume with the eyes and your mouth!
Here are a few examples of how you can provide a delicious meal with healthy vegan and vegetarian alternatives:
Swap out your BBQ pork for this fruit, and we promise no one will know the difference!
The jackfruit is a fantastic plant that creates a delicious protein substitute. In addition, the plant has a very fibrous appearance making it a prominent plant-based replacement for shredded poultry and beef or barbecue pork.
And, the plant is additionally loaded with nutrients as well as fiber. So, it is no surprise that we are beginning to see jackfruit on more menus as Jackfruit BBQ, jackfruit cake (like a crabcake but without the crab), jackfruit meatballs, and more!
Who needs cow’s milk when you can find it naturally from plants and vegetables?
Almond milk is no longer the only dairy-free option on the market! In 2021, we have made way for a variety of options like pea milk and oat milk.
These alternatives are abundant in crucial vitamins as well as fiber. Also, it is a plant-based yummy option that you can now find at your local coffee shop, ice cream shop, restaurants, and more.
Meat is no longer the only source of protein. Hello fruits, vegetables, tofu, and beans, bye-bye red meat.
It is very common to have a list of guests with dietary restrictions, specifically in the protein arena. Whether they do not eat red meat or pork or are pescatarians, vegetarian, or vegan, be prepared to cook alternatives to your short ribs.
Luckily, there are a variety of different natural protein options available in the market today! In 2021, you can find protein from peas, mung beans, hempseed, beetroots, chickpeas, jackfruit, and avocado.
These items have gained appeal because they are not based on nuts or soy, both items that often cause severe allergies!
Bring natural ingredients into cocktails.
Ingredients such as hibiscus, bee pollen, different natural teas, kinds of vinegar, and matcha have made their way onto the cocktail scene, and for excellent reason! Outside of their added health benefits, natural ingredients taste delicious!
Choosing soothing ingredients and crafting unique, comfortable experiences are what set you apart from your competition as a caterer and in the world of food.
From plush seating spaces with velvet couches to comforting beverages and locally sourced meals, choosing to make a difference for the environment and your community can grow your business exponentially!
A professional catering for a meeting does not have to be unhealthy.
In 2021, we have seen an increase in healthy catered lunch requests. Whether it is a Mediterranean feast or light salads with protein, professionals prefer healthy lunches over greasy food that makes you want to take a nap.
And, as a caterer, once you begin exploring healthy alternatives, you find quickly that it is easier to highlight what is in this season when your clients want fresh food! Why? Because the best fresh food is the food in season, for peak flavor, texture, and appearance! To really wow your clients, cooking fresh food is vital.
At KEUKENvuur, we are committed to serving fresh, globally inspired dishes, from dim sum to Texas BBQ. To review our catering options available for corporate lunches in Utrecht, please click here.
Experiential Interactions are the focus of catering in 2021.
Layout and also design play a massive function in the comfort and success of any occasion. New patterns are combined with conventional faves and distinct choices to craft unique, memorable experiences.
Do you want to see how a specific dish is made before you eat it? Are you interested in saucing your appetizer through a pipette? From simple items to more elaborate schemes, bringing interaction into your next major event can be highly memorable.
Bring the outside inside!
Changing the atmosphere of the interior with aspects from the exterior can indeed modify an event space and wow your guests. Trees, exterior furnishings, plant and flower wall surfaces, water fountains, and various other outer aspects add the outdoor ambiance everyone loves but on the inside.
Whether your guests are looking for a more boho design aesthetic or prefer the natural touch that greenery provides, it can be very simple to accomplish this design direction with platters and around food stations.
Build a sparkling wine wall that invites guests to pick their own glass.
A wall covered with a curtain and offering glasses of champagne for your guests as they walk by sounds pretty perfect to us! Just a little bit of interaction can be fun for attendees.
Offer interactive cocktails and mocktails that wow your guests!
Have you ever heard of a Butterfly Tea Martini? It is a mixed blue drink that, when purchased, the bartender includes fruit juice, and also, as the visitor mixes, the beverage transforms purple!
Or, how about The Szechuan Button? This cocktail is a more considerable dedication! Originating from a natural herb, Szechuan peppercorn, this “button” or peppercorn would be included in a drink and, when eaten, can create a tingling sensation in your mouth that feels a little numb!
Whether the cocktail changes colors or causes numbing, adding an interactive element into your guest’s drinks can be fun, exciting, and very memorable.
Create a mosaic from guest’s pictures throughout the evening.
With certain technologies, you can create a unique event hashtag and share the information with your guests. From there, your guests can submit their photos with that same hashtag throughout the evening.
By the end of the night, the technology will turn all of your guest’s pictures into one collage. As a result, the collage will look like one image from far away, but as you zoom closer into the image, the more you will see that it is made up of the hundreds of photos submitted throughout the night.
This mosaic collage is a great way to keep people engaged throughout the night and send them home with something they will never forget!
Make food that is “instagramable.”
Although it may seem silly to read, it is essential to consider this as you are planning for your next major event. It is very important to guests that your food photographs well. And, if you can create an experience at the event like a photo wall or an interactive meal, it will leave your attendees extremely happy!
But, crafting instagramable food does not have to be overwhelming or extreme. Sometimes, the most simple and delicious food, like a BBQ brisket or beef ribs, can be just as delicious and impressive as a smaller fancier dish.
So, in the end, providing something impressive, delicious, and presented attractively can encourage guests to take photos of your food and share it online with their social networks.
Catering nonconventional venues can be the answer to everything!
Are you thinking of hosting an event in a warehouse? Go for it! Using all of the tips above, you can create something out of nothing easily!
Whether you are bringing the outside inside, or you want to create an interactive wall that is instagramable when you choose an unconventional venue, you can step outside of the box and create something truly unique.
Summary.
Whether you are thinking about planning a corporate lunch or providing an interactive eating and drinking experience at a wedding in a unique location, using fresh ingredients to craft creative, delicious, healthy meals is critical in finding success in 2021!
It is essential to understand what is vital to your client so you can create a meal that aligns with their dietary requests and needs. Luckily, in today’s culinary world, where almost everyone is a “foodie,” we can find various alternatives to dairy items like milk and cheese and meat items like BBQ pork and hamburgers.
Being conscious of your health is not a fad that will disappear quickly; it is here to stay. So, finding local produce, artisan craftspeople, and farms and vineyards to support are essential. In addition, by crafting a locally sourced menu, you may be able to differentiate yourself from your other competition.
At KEUKENvuur, we are dedicated to creating unique, creative, delicious, fresh catering meals in Utrecht and the surrounding areas. With a team of professionally trained chefs, we feel confident that we can meet any of your catering needs. We are inspired by the flavors of the globe and have experience crafting memorable experiences for your palate.
To learn more about our culinary offerings, please click here.
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