All posts by Thomas Oliver

To Die For Corporate Catering Menus

It’s soon time for your next corporate event and this time, you want it to be memorable. You want the food to strike a chord. You want to impress your employees and associates. Preparing the presentations and getting the agenda ready for your event presses heavy on your mind. You want to have complete confidence that your corporate catering NYC company will deliver the most delicious dishes, sides and desserts. While your employees and associates spend many hours trying to wow their boss at work, during a corporate event, it’s your turn to wow them. The type of food and ambiance at corporate meetings and events also is a reflection of what your company stands for. You want the food to be enjoyable so no matter what your presentation is about, they will be in a good mood. Psychologically, food has great power to boost mood and poor quality food can do the opposite. Trusting in a professional NYC corporate catering company that will deliver scrumptious food to make your event a smashing success is what you need.

Casual corporate catering

For casual meeting luncheons, when you can place the burden of what to eat on an experienced catering team, your stress load will be lightened. Picking up sandwiches, fixings, condiments, desserts and drinks for the luncheon is a big job. Why not let us take care of these details? And along the way you will also get to relax a bit and enjoy one of the tastiest lunches you’ve had in awhile. Here are a few examples of appetizing corporate lunch menu options:

Sandwich lunch menu: Whether it’s an office, business or boardroom lunch, with a minimum of 8 guests, we will prepare an assortment of sandwiches and wraps that will appeal to all tastes. Adding Assorted David’s Cookies, cakes, brownies and blondies with a fresh fruit platter on the side makes a well rounded lunch.

Hot panini luncheon: If you want to serve something more interesting than the usual sandwiches, hot paninis are a perfect choice. How delicious does breaded chicken cutlet, fresh mozzarella, marinara and parmesan cheese with black forest ham, brie, and sliced pickles sound? The meat selection is superb. Salami, ham, prosciutto, and smoked turkey on a hot pressed sandwiches are a delicious choice everyone will love.
Formal corporate catering

For a fancier, more elegant corporate catering NYC event, we can offer a splendid feast for both the mouth and the eyes. These dishes look as beautiful as they taste and will definitely please your employees. Below are a few menu selections that are perfect for a formal event:

Build your own dinner buffet: If you’d like to select the menu choices that fit your event, we have a wide variety you will love. The chicken roûlade filled with spinach, provolone and roasted red peppers, rosemary roasted chicken or chicken milanese are 3 popular and elegant choices. If beef is what you are craving, sliced fire grilled marinated flank steak served with a horseradish cream sauce, Thai beef kebabs or Korean-style steaks are sure to impress your guests. A wide variety of many vegetable side dishes from fiesta corn to candied sweet potatoes to roasted cajun potato wedges are the perfect garnish to the meal. Desserts such as Italian dessert platters with tiramisu and cannolis or ice cream sundae bars add a brilliant finishing touch.

Themed corporate dinners: Why not make the dinner extra memorable with a theme? A Taste of France, A Taste of Italy and A Taste of Greece bring you the most exotic, elegant French, Italian and Greek dishes all will enjoy.
Worry free NYC corporate catering

Take the stress out of your corporate event planning by handing the meal preparations over to the professionals. Our recipes are out of this world excellent and worth every penny. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is excited to be your corporate catering NYC company and entertain the tastebuds of all in attendance at your event.

Three Ways Corporate Catering Will Wow Your Employees

Planning corporate events and meetings takes a lot of work, no matter what size your company is. When it comes to preparations, your list of to do’s is long and overwhelming. Formulating the agenda for the event is hard enough but adding food to all that means days of work. Purchasing the food, drinks, dinnerware, serving items, napkins and tablecloths is a large undertaking, even if the food is already prepackaged and ready to eat. As a business owner however, you know that there is an essential purpose to your meeting or event. It may be to train your employees on new information, inform them of policies and plans or last of all, team building, fun and treating them to a job well done. Regardless of the reasons, all of these purposes are vital to the success of your business. Happy employees reflect well on your company so delivering an event that will wow them should be your goal. Here are a few ways NYC corporate catering for your next meeting or event will wow your employees:

1-Corporate catering allows you to deliver a power packed meeting

If you are not worrying about what you will feed your employees, as well as purchasing all the necessary essentials for the meal, you have an increase of time to spend making the other details of the event or meeting flow seamlessly. You can focus your time and energy on the agenda of the meeting, working on your presentation or adding other exciting details to the schedule. Less stress for you means that you can focus on the most important aspects of the event and let Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering & Events take this weight off your shoulders. Corporate meetings and trainings are sometimes dreaded by employees so by freeing up your time, you can find ways to ensure your meeting will be a positive and engaging experience.

2-NYC Corporate catering offers a delicious selection of dishes

Picture yourself trying to shoulder the burden of feeding everyone at your next corporate meeting or event. Even if you assign a few employees to help you out, with the time you have, you will not be able to provide a mouth watering, succulent and memorable meal. Remember happy employees mean a successful business. So make your employees happy with a meal they won’t forget! With Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering, you can select from a wide range of entrees, side dishes and desserts that will match the mood of any corporate event your business is providing. A buffet station is a great idea and our pasta station is the perfect choice for a corporate dinner. Choose from tortellini, penne, tri-color totini, farfalle or fusilli pastas with their choice between homemade marinara, alfredo or olive oil with garlic and white wine, vodka or pesto sauces. Add some homemade sides like baby glazed carrots drenched in honey and butter or roasted asparagus spears brushed with garlic olive oil and you have a meal they won’t soon forget.

3-No fuss setup and clean-up

Before a corporate event, you are finalizing details and the last thing you want to worry about is paper products or how to serve ice for the drinks. This is where Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering saves you. Food preparation and setup is a big job. We provide warming servers to keep the food hot, all the dinnerware and even black tie waiters at your request so you can focus on motivating your employees. After the event, you will be happy it is over and spending even one more second with clean-up is the last thing you will want to do. Leave it to us. We will take care of all the food clean-up so you can spend the final few minutes of your event shaking the hands of your hard working employees and thanking them for their time and effort. This time is vital, let us worry about the mess after.

Thomas Oliver’s corporate catering makes your job easier

Corporate catering for NYC events and meetings is what we are good at. We are excited to help you plan your event and make it spectacular. Want a themed event? This is our specialty! Matching the atmosphere of your event with the food is what makes your corporate event something your employees will be talking about for a long time. We are a full service catering company and want to help you make your next corporate event a massive success. Call us today, we can’t wait to wow YOU!

Exciting Manhattan Catering Themes for your Upcoming Summer Events


When it comes to event planning, the details can seem endless. Preparing and purchasing the food yourself is an insurmountable task, especially when you have other duties to take care of such as decor, paper products or dishes, place of the event, music, entertainment and so much more. Every aspect of this event needs your attention. The stress that goes into event planning can decrease the overall enjoyment you feel once it takes place. One of the best ways to eliminate the stress of event planning is to have a catering company handle all aspects of the food. This frees up your time to handle all the details that will make your event special and memorable. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering & Events is just what you need to make those aspects come to life.

No matter the event, we can make it extraordinary

Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering & Events is your experienced Manhattan catering service. Setting the mood of your event with themed food selections and delicious dishes will exceed your expectations. When you need an accomplished caterer, here are some events we frequently cater for:

Corporate events
Weddings
Birthday parties
Funerals
Bat/Bar Mitzvahs
Family reunions
Backyard BBQs
Holiday parties

And more…No matter the occasion, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering has a theme to set the mood. We can help reduce your stress and anxiety over event planning. We take care of all the difficult aspects of event planning so you can focus on the fun parts.

How to pick the perfect theme

The theme you pick for your Manhattan catering even should match the mood and tone you wish to set at your event. For instance, your wedding might be carefree and casual or fancy and elegant. To create that luxurious feel, the French Connection theme is perfect with our chicken francaise sauteed in lemon beurre blanc sauce accented with rosemary roasted potatoes and French macaroons. Is your wedding a more casual affair? The Hawaiian Luau or Picnic Lunch themes are sure to establish that relaxed, fun and light hearted atmosphere. For birthday parties, the Ice Cream Sundae Bar or Carnival themes are sure to excite all your guests. What party could be more fun than one with a popcorn machine, colorful cotton candy, stuffed animals or candy apples? All these exciting pops of creativity are provided by our experienced and innovative Manhattan catering service.

Much more than delicious food

Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering & Events provides more than just exceptional entrees, side dishes and desserts, we can also take care of other aspects of your event. We are a full service caterer, which means we provide the paper products, black tie waiters and bartenders and even glassware, linen, as well as table and chairs rentals. And if that wasn’t over and above just an ordinary catering company, we also have business relationships with photography, wedding cake, floral and larger equipment rental companies to make event planning that much easier. Our goal is to make your event planning experience an easy one. There is no need for unnecessary anxiety or headaches over your summertime event when you have Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering & Events to assist you.

Want to Make Your Wedding Memorable? Cater!

On your wedding day, you will remember many special moments. This is the happiest day of your life and so many pieces will be emblazoned in your memory forever. Snapshots in your memory include that look in your sweetheart’s eyes as you spoke your vows, dancing happily at your reception and that maybe not-so-gently fed cake exchange. For your guests however, their memories of your day will be different. When you attend the wedding of a friend or family member, the details that you remember years down the road will be creative touches to the decor, the ambiance and most important—the food. We humans like food and many of us associate happy memories with the food we ate there. If you want to wow your guests, let Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering help your wedding go down in the history of their favorite wedding memories.

A few tips to get you started

Planning the wedding food can feel like an overwhelming process. There is so much to think about and the places to start at can feel endless. Here are a few questions to ask yourselves that will help narrow down the choices and bring you closer to your picture perfect wedding:

  • How many guests are coming?
  • What is our budget?
  • Do we want a themed wedding?
  • Shall we have waiters or serve buffet style?
  • Will the food be casual or fancy?
  • Should we serve a sit down dinner or snacks?
  • Will anyone need special dietary choices?
    If you are struggling with the options for any of these questions, our professional staff will take the time to walk you carefully through our selections. We can help you make decisions based on your budget and personal tastes. And if you are considering a theme but are not sure which direction to go, we have spectacular wedding themes such as French Connection, Asian Fusion or Italian Feast. If your wedding is a light hearted, outdoor affair, our Hawaiian Luau, Southwest BBQ or Mexican Fiesta themes are great fun for a summer wedding. Whatever you plans, we have something that can fit your flavor.

    We take care of the details

    Plans and to-do lists for a wedding seem endless, but Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is not just a catering service. Let us lighten your load. For the rest of your wedding needs such as the wedding venue, wedding cakes, floral arrangements, photography and videography, or wedding equipment rentals, we have business connections with several reputable and professional companies to help make your special day fabulous.

    Wedding catering at its finest

    Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering desires to leave a lasting, positive impression with our clients and we will go above and beyond to help you achieve the day of your dreams. Our delicious entrees and scrumptious sides will have your guests talking for years to come. We cater to weddings throughout the 5 Borough area including Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens, Bronx & Brooklyn, New York. Our full-service wedding catering company cannot wait to impress you!

    Thomas Olivers Gourmet Catering
    240 West 35th Street
    New York, NY 10001
    (212) 239-0090

    Get Directions

Make the Next Corporate Summer Party a Hit

With summer around the corner, it’s time to start planning your next corporate summer party. Whether this is your first corporate party or your fiftieth, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering can help you make it a smashing success. Our full service catering company can not only provide you with the most delicious food selections at a competitive price, but we also have connections within our company to offer you venue suggestions around Manhattan, photographers and videographers as well as party equipment rentals. Why have 10 businesses do what one company can do? Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering’s goal is to make party planning and your next corporate event as simple as possible. But with summer coming quick, let’s waste no time and get started.

Reasons why corporate parties are important

There are many reasons corporations big and small decide to host events for all employees. Companies go to great lengths to ensure their employees are entertained, fed well and shown appreciation at these events and they go a long way afterwards to help with employee satisfaction. Here are a couple more reasons why your corporate event could help your business:

  • Time to relax: Your employees work hard and with the stress and demands placed on them, a corporate party really helps to boost morale, refocus and motivate everyone.
  • Celebrate achievements: These parties are a great time to publicly thank those employees who have gone above and beyond their normal workload, who really make your company shine.
  • Get to know each other: Working with someone does not mean you know that person. Corporate parties, whether formal or casual, give an opportunity to see co-workers, supervisors or bosses outside of that business element and get to know everyone on a personal level, making work that much easier.
  • There is nothing but good and positivity that can come from a corporate event. When your employees see the time, effort and money spent on their behalf as your demonstrate your appreciation for their work, you will end the party with an increase in ambition towards making your business great.

    Formal or casual, the options are many

    Once you start planning, you need the best Manhattan corporate catering around and Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is the best. We will go over every detail of the meal with you and help make this process easy. You have more important things to worry about, let us take care of wowing your employees with the meal. For those formal banquets, here are a few of our spectacular choices:

  • French Connection featuring chicken francois or sirloin steak with rosemary potatoes, French macaroons and more.
  • Italian Feast featuring the antipasto platter, chicken marsala or eggplant rollatini.
  • Corporate dinner menu featuring many selections of chicken, beef or seafood entrees, dozens of side dish options and the most succulent dessert choices.
  • If a casual, relaxed atmosphere is what you are going with, our themed and corporate choices are certain to make a splash:

  • Day at the Beach BBQ is perfect for a small business family event where we provide the music and beach balls as well as the pasta salad, chips, drinks and tasty kebabs everyone will love.
  • Hot Dog Cart is a great choice for events at a pool or park. We provide the hot dogs, condiments, side dishes and paper products.
  • Cold Lunch or Cold Dinner Menus are great for casual events. Sandwiches, wraps or pitas with an assortment of salads, vegetables and desserts presented in a mouthwatering display.
  • We take the stress out of corporate party planning

    Call your experienced Manhattan corporate catering company, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering, to deliver the most exquisite and delicious dishes at your summer corporate party. We aim to delight and impress you just as you would like to do the same to your employees. Keeping lifelong clients is important to us and we will work hard to make sure you are completely satisfied.

    Thomas Olivers Gourmet Catering
    240 West 35th Street
    New York, NY 10001
    (212) 239-0090

    Get Directions

    Unlocking the Secrets of your Refrigerator

    If you use your refrigerator in the right way, you can extend the life of your fruits and vegetables and keep you and your family from getting sick. Food poisoning is never something you want to serve with dinner. When it comes to New York Catering, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering understands food. We want to help you unlock the secrets of your refrigerator. Here are a few tips from the finest New York catering company.

  • Using those Special Drawers: Whether you call it a crisper, humidity drawer, or produce drawer doesn’t matter. What matters is that you use it. Your crisper keeps the humidity a bit higher than the rest of your refrigerator. This added humidity will help keep your lettuce and other vegetables crispy for a lot longer. Avoid mixing fruit with your vegetables. Fruit releases a ripening compound called ethylene gas. When that ripening compound hit vegetables it causes them to ripen and then go bad a lot faster. Crispers are designed to keep the humidity high, while fruit drawers are designed to keep the humidity low. Fruit drawers allow air to escape, which helps reduce the amount of ethylene gas. If you keep your fruit in the fruit drawer, it will last longer. If you have a drawer labeled meats, use it. The drawer will keep your meats colder than the rest of your fridge and they will last longer. Still though, never keep fresh meats in your refrigerator for longer than five days. Ground meats only last two.
  • Shelving in the Doors: Just because the manufacturer made a spot for milk on the door doesn’t mean you should use it. In order to keep you milk longer, keep it on the shelves inside your refrigerator. The reason for this is all about temperature. You see, whenever you or your kids opens the refrigerator, the first place to lose the cold air are the doors. If you milk is stored in the doors, it will be warmer and spoil faster. In addition, always keep the lid on your milk. Otherwise, it might begin tasting like other things in your refrigerator. No one likes oniony milk.
  • Storing Cut Vegetables: Having precut vegetables in your fridge can speed up food preparation times, but not all cut vegetables refrigerate equally. If you are storing onions or garlic, make certain they are in a sealed container, otherwise they might transfer their taste to your other foods. Cauliflower loses its taste quickly after it has been cut. You should avoid storing it in your fridge. If you have store your cauliflower, place the freshly cut clusters on a moist paper towel in your fridge. Just make certain you use it quickly. You can store broccoli and brussel sprouts the same way. Carrots and celery can be cut and placed in an uncovered bowl of water. They will maintain their crisp.
  • When it comes to keeping food fresh and delicious, no one does it better than Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering. When you want the best catering service in New York, you need to give us a call. We can transform any event into a magical memory.

    Thomas Olivers Gourmet Catering
    240 West 35th Street
    New York, NY 10001
    (212) 239-0090

    Get Directions

    Gluten Free Catering You Will Be Surprised is Gluten Free

    glutenfree
    Those who have been on a gluten free diet know how challenging it is to not only find food that is completely gluten free, but also to find gluten free food that actually tastes good. Gluten is the “glue” within the wheat that when made into flour, holds the food together. It gives elasticity and buoyancy to the dough. When you have to use food without flour, often you find the texture quite lacking or even gritty and tasteless. There are many that have to embrace this gluten free lifestyle, either by choice or diagnosis with a gluten sensitivity or intolerance (such as Celiac Disease). Finding a restaurant that serves many gluten free options can be tricky. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering prides itself in offering not just one or two gluten free options but dozens of tasty choices that will satisfy and delight.

    We practice safe cooking and are careful with cross contamination

    Those with gluten sensitivity or intolerance know exactly how it feels when they eat something contaminated with gluten. Even the very tiniest of particles contaminating the food can cause a reaction for those with this sensitivity. The pain, indigestion, bloating and other uncomfortable symptoms can destroy the next few days. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering employees carefully prepare all gluten free dishes by doing the following:

    • Using clean gloves not contaminated by gluten foods
    • Cleaning preparation areas thoroughly to ensure gluten particles are not left behind
    • Sterilizing grills and other areas where gluten foods are prepared
    • Avoiding sauces and spices containing gluten additives and preservatives in recipes
    • Serving gluten free dishes in an area away from gluten containing mealsIt is not enough to just create entrees, appetizers and desserts with gluten free ingredients, but it is imperative to practice caution when preparing, baking and cooking. The last thing we would want is to have our customers experience pain or illness at our negligence. We exercise the utmost care to ensure this will not happen.

    No need to feel deprived when Thomas Oliver is catering

    Feeling unsatisfied after a meal out is common for those eating gluten free since many restaurants do not sufficiently satisfy the craving or even fill you up. When you find a restaurant that offers a satiating list of options, it can almost make you giddy, especially if these dishes taste divine. You can now add Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering to your list of favorites because we will not disappoint. Other catering companies will just show you the naturally gluten free items, like fruit and vegetable platters. This is easy and we can bring you a colorful, fresh assortment. But Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering will take it a step further and transform our delicious recipes into something you will completely blow away your taste buds.

    Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering listens to your needs

    Dietary restrictions are a common thing and we want to make our clients 100% satisfied. Call us today for an appointment, we will sit down and discuss all our gluten free recipes, options and meals. Gluten free dishes do not scare us, we welcome the opportunity and are excited to show you just how delicious Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering gluten free options can be.

    Thomas Olivers Gourmet Catering
    240 West 35th Street
    New York, NY 10001
    (212) 239-0090

    Get Directions

    Corporate Catering Like a Pro

    You are busy. Your day is full of meetings, task lists, agendas and deadlines. The last thing you need to worry about is the food needed for your catering event. We do all sizes of events from a casual business brunch to large employee banquets. While you focus on the important details of presentations and the meeting’s agenda, we will seamlessly coordinate the meal exactly to your needs. You will not need to worry about setup, serving or clean up because Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering takes care of these dirty details so you can concentrate on your job. Let us help you dazzle your launch parties, events and business dinner with our delectable delights.

    All types of catering to choose from

    As you plan your catered event, we have many choices for you to choose from. Whether you need a few tasty appetizers as a garnish to your presentation or a fancy four course meal to spoil your employees with, we will happily produce the results you envision. Here are some of our most popular corporate catering ideas:

    • Breakfast Menu: If a morning meeting is on the agenda, why not offer a soft and flavorful muffin or bagel platter? We add a variety of spreads and preserves for both options. If a more savory breakfast is what you desire, our hot breakfast buffet will definitely hit the spot. Heaps of scrambled eggs, smoked bacon, buttery biscuits and home fries are sure to impress.
    • Cold Lunch Menu: For a casual meeting, discussing the technicalities over gourmet sandwiches, pitas and wraps will definitely keep everyone zeroed in on the tasks at hand. Served with your choice of macaroni, potato or a variety of green salads and cookie tray, you can’t go wrong with this choice.
    • Appetizer Menu: If it’s just a fancy set of snacks you want to provide, we have many to tantalize your taste buds. From raspberry sauce drizzled over Brie on wonton crackers, Swedish meatballs, a classic shrimp cocktail, mini quiches or teriyaki steak skewers—the choices are diverse and delicious when picking a few easy appetizers.
    • Hot Dinner Menu: For a more formal setting, our hot dinner selection offers a wide variety of pleasing entrees. For example, if Italian food is what you’re craving, our homemade meat lasagna or penne ala vodka with side dishes like garlic herb mashed potatoes, string beans almandine or roasted corn and red peppers are great choices. Other succulent meat choices like chicken marsala, grilled fillet mignon or shrimp scampi are a few more savory options. Don’t forget our sweet selection of desserts and drinks to go along with it.

    Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering helps you come out winning

    Let us help you score major points with your work associates by treating them to our mouth watering menu. Long hours spent discussing business details can be monotonous and tedious. Adding snacks and appetizers to the mix will keep everyone on track. Let us take care of the worry, stress and work while you focus on growing and perfecting your business. Schedule a delicious catered event today!

    Thomas Olivers Gourmet Catering
    240 West 35th Street
    New York, NY 10001
    (212) 239-0090

    Get Directions

    Transform Your New Year’s Party

    Maybe you are tired of planning corporate parties, or maybe you are sick of hosting the same old event. Either way, if you want to add flavor to your event, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering can help transform your New Year’s party. With us on your side, your party will become something that your employees, business executives, and partners will never forget. We provide corporate catering in NYC and Manhattan.

    The Difference with Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering

    There is something that sets us apart and that’s, selection. If you want to provide an ice cream bar, we have it. If you want to have a wide assortment of appetizers, we have nearly 30 different types to choose from. If you want a themed event, we have everything from Asian Fusion and Hawaiian Luau to Southwest Barbeque and Picnic Lunch. We have breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. If you are looking to add social variety, we have popcorn and pretzel machines. Our selection of mouthwatering, gourmet dishes will be a talking point for the entire year. When it comes to corporate event catering in New York City and Manhattan, we have exactly what you want. Transform your New Year’s party with Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering.

    We Make It Easy

    Setting up for a large party or event is stressful. We take the stress out of party planning. With Thomas Oliver, you can sit back and enjoy the event. You can spend time mingling with attendees, instead of worrying about the party. Here is how we can make your party easy. We bring everything. If you don’t want the hassle of table linens, utensils, and glassware, you can rely on us. We can even bring the tables and chairs. For themed events, we make certain that everything matches and the food is perfect. If you want your New Year’s Party to have a formal feel, we can provide black tie waiters and bartenders. We provide catering services 7 days a week. No matter when you are having your next corporate event catering in New York City or Manhattan, a quick call to Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering will take the worry and stress of party planning out of your life. Have your next New Year’s party done right, give us a call.

    Thomas Olivers Gourmet Catering

    240 West 35th Street
    New York, NY
    10001

    Phone: (212) 239-0090