All posts by Thomas Oliver

Holiday Catering

How To Make Your Thanksgiving Dinner Memorable

One tradition that is quickly become a thing of the past in the United States is the traditional, family-style, sit down dinner. In the 1950’s, gathering the family together for the evening meal every day was an essential part of life. However, these days with families being pulled in 100 directions with work, school, after school activities and more, meal planning equals stress thus family dinners have taken a backseat in the American lifestyle. Because of this, sitting down once a year for Thanksgiving dinner can feel somewhat out of the ordinary. For Thanksgiving dinner, you want it to feel special, however it can be difficult to put aside our quick eating American habits, eat slowly and enjoy each other’s company around the holiday feast.

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Six things to do for your Thanksgiving dinner

Whether you’re a group of close knit family members or having a “friendsgiving” with your good buddies, here are a few ideas to keep you entertained around the dinner table and make your NYC catered Thanksgiving feast by Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering the most memorable dinner ever:

Say a prayer: If your gathering is religious, a prayer of thanks is one of the most popular ways to start a meal. No matter the religion and no matter the god worshipped, prayer is a common way to start the meal.

Take turns saying what you’re grateful for: Reflecting on your blessings is a great way to set the mood for this holiday about gratitude. Giving everyone the floor to say a few words while you eat livens up meal.

Play a game: Conversation games are a perfect thing to do around the dinner table and you may be surprised what you learn about those you love!

Pass around a thankful basket: Hand out paper and pens and have everyone write a few things they’re thankful for, whether serious or funny and then read them out loud.

Share memories: Go around the table, pick a topic and share good and happy memories you’re thankful for.

Do a craft: This one is especially fun when kids are at the dinner table. Put a simple craft near each dinner plate and have everyone participate, such as folding an origami turkey. You can even vote on the best and offer a prize.

Bring back family meal time

Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering takes the stress out of meal planning, prep and clean up and leaves you with the fun part—spending time with your family. It’s time to bring back family dinner time and we can help you. Our catering options are many and will fit with any event you can dish. We provide healthy, hearty and scrumptious entrees, sides and desserts you will be proud to serve your loved ones. When it comes to your Thanksgiving feast, let us take care of everything. We deliver memorable dishes and mouthwatering courses that you and your guests will swoon over. You create the memories, we create the holiday spread. Contact Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering for your Thanksgiving Day feast.

Thomas Olivers Gourmet Catering

240 West 35th Street
New York,
NY
10001

Phone: (212) 239-0090

Holiday Catering

Catering For Your October Festivities

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Fall brings a crispness to the air, falling leaves and the obviously spooky and fun holiday at the end of the month. Halloween parties are a great way to gather friends and family for entertainment, food and memories. These holiday events are looked forward to by children and adults alike. What can you do to make it a memorable event? There is much to plan for from the food, games and decorations. Where shall you draw inspiration for creepy, tasty treats and deliciously festive meals? Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering has a few suggestions to get you started.

Scary DIY treats

Searching the internet and Pinterest for creative treat ideas will yield some exciting options for your party. It’s a great way to set the mood for guests and will definitely impress the children. Below are a some simple but enticing spooky desserts you could try:

  • Twinkie mummies: Take a twinkie and pipe flat “strips” of frosting back and forth across the twinkie until it is dressed with frosting wrappings. Finish it off with two black candies for eyes.
  • Apple teeth: Begin by slicing red apples. Between two slices, coat the insides with peanut butter. Add mini marshmallows across the bottom slice and then top with the other apple slice.
  • Mummy dogs: Take ready made crescent dough and slice in thin strips. Wrap around hot dogs and bake in the oven according to dough package.
  • Spider eggs: Make deviled eggs. Cut an olive in half and place it on the yellow yolk as the spider body. Slice the other half of the olive into slivers and place 8 of them around the body as legs.
  • Witch hat cookies: Take a thin mint cookie and pipe a dollop of orange frosting on top. Unwrap a kiss candy and put on top of the frosting. Pipe a yellow buckle on the pointed hat. Choose a delicious dinner not to be forgotten.

Once you’ve created some festive goodies for your guests, it’s important to serve a hearty, scrumptious meal for your guests. If you’re needing catering in Manhattan Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering has many options to fit your event. Pasta with our flavorful marinara sauces set the mood as kids imagine the noodles to be worms. Meat lasagna, pasta primavera or chicken cordon blue with grilled vegetables is warm and comforting. Side dishes such as three cheese baked macaroni, string beans almondine or oven rosemary potatoes are seasoned to perfection. Do not stress about beverages, we provide a wide variety of juices, sodas or iced tea.

As you focus on the exciting details of your Halloween gathering, leave the meal to us. We take care of the food prep, serving and clean up, which will alleviate your party planning stress. Whatever your craving, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering can satisfy it and make your Halloween party, wedding dinner, corporate luncheon and more and spectacular one with our delicious and varied menu options.

Thomas Olivers Gourmet Catering

240 West 35th Street
New York,
NY
10001

Phone: (212) 239-0090

Corporate Catering, Holiday Catering

Make Your 2016 Holiday Events Spectacular

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As we are coming into the final months of 2016, the excitement of the holidays is palpable. It’s the perfect time to get your friends and family together for reunions or parties. Reconnecting together over delicious meals, making memories that will last a lifetime is what makes the holidays special. These parties don’t plan themselves however. Creating these memorable holiday moments takes preparation and advanced planning. This does not mean you need to work yourself into a frenzy over the details. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering will take care of the stress so you won’t have to. You can focus on the fun part of party planning such as picking the theme, gathering your guests and decorating to set the mood.

Delicious food for every occasion

No matter the holiday this coming fall and winter, we have the perfect food selection to set the mood and wow your guests. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

Halloween: If you are planning a fun costume party this fall, the Carnival themed food is a perfect fit with sweet candy apples, tasty pretzel and popcorn machines, cotton candy on a cone and ice cold cans of soda. This theme has that scent of fall you’re looking for.

Thanksgiving: You don’t feel like slaving over the stove this holiday? Well, take a break! Enjoy conversations with your family and friends rather than stressing over the food. Selecting our buffet stations is the perfect fit for your Thanksgiving meal. Hand-carved turkey breast with flavorful sage stuffing and our tender honey butter carrots are just a few examples of dishes that your guests will rave about.

Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza: These holidays are the perfect excuse to gather your favorite people together. The French Connection meal offers savory chicken franciose and sliced sirloin steak with roasted rosemary potatoes and string beans almondine. But let’s not forget desserts! Every themed meal comes with rich, elegant desserts to compliment your event.

New Year’s Eve/Day: What better way to ring in the new year than with an exciting dinner display. The Mardi Gras theme with blackened catfish, chorizo sausage rice and French macaroons is an excellent choice. Fancy an Italian flair? How about our chicken parmigiana and mini canolis with The Godfather meal? We have many selections that will enhance your holiday celebrations.

Leave the dirty details to us

The hardest part of party planning is the meal preparations, set up and clean up. If you could have a party and have these unfavorable chores taken care of, wouldn’t you enjoy the party even more? Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering provides everything you need for set up like tablecloths and paper goods. We also have options for equipment rentals should that be something you need. And when the party is done, we take the mess with us. No dishes to wash and very little clean up means less headache for you and more time you can spend with your loved ones. Let Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering take care of your holiday meals this coming season, you won’t regret it!

Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering

240 West 35th Street
New York,
NY
10001

Phone: (212) 239-0090

Corporate Catering

Protein: Your Secret Weapon for a Healthy Body

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When it comes to a healthy diet, right after your daily calorie intake, your daily protein intake is a vital factor. It doesn’t matter if you want to lose weight, build muscle or just be a healthy functioning human being, your body needs protein. This vital nutrient plays a crucial role in helping your body live a healthy life. It is absolutely fundamental and essential to your survival and healthy nutrition. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is packed with protein in each meal for your corporate catering in NYC.

What does protein do?

Protein is an important component of every cell in your body. It makes up much of your organs, muscles, skin, hair, nails, bones, cartilage, blood as well as some hormones in your body. Without protein, your body cannot function. It needs protein to repair and build tissues in your body, keep your skin, hair, and nails healthy and it is a requirement for sustaining life. Unlike vitamins and other nutrients, your body does not store protein and needs to draw on it from your protein intake daily.

3 important roles with protein

Without protein, your body would lose function of critical processes. These include:

  • Maintaining muscle: When your body experiences a deficit in protein, it instead burns your muscle tissue. By providing your body with protein, it leaves your muscle tissue alone and instead burns fat.
  • Keeps your full: Protein provides satiation to your body, which is the feeling of fullness. Protein curbs your appetite and controls your hunger.
  • Burns calories: Protein is the nutrient with the largest thermic effect, meaning it burns the most calories to digest, thus aiding in fat loss.

    • Protein rich food for your corporate catering NYC

    For your next corporate catering meal, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is there for you with delicious, nutritious meals. From our protein rich sushi platters to our succulent sliced sirloin steak, you will be sure to find the a variety of healthy options from any of our themed catering choices. Call us today to schedule your next corporate catering NYC event. We are excited to serve your next event!

    Thomas Olivers Gourmet Catering

    240 West 35th Street
    New York, NY 10001

    Phone: (212) 239-0090

    Wedding Catering

    Summer is Wedding Season in Manhattan

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    Your wedding day is one of the most special moments of your life. It’s the blessed event where you and your sweetheart will join your hearts and hands forever. When you are sitting in your rocking chairs after decades of growing old together, you will reminisce about this wonderful day where you became one. It’s only natural for you to want everything to be perfect for your anticipated Manhattan wedding day. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering has catered hundreds of weddings and we are excited to bring perfection to your summer wedding.

    Why summer is ideal for weddings

    Summer is the perfect season to get married. Here are a few reasons why:

  • The temperature is mostly cooperative so your options for venues increase with many outdoor choices to choose from.
  • Travel is easy for your relatives because they are not fighting disagreeable weather.
  • The flowers during the summer are exquisite.
  • Summertime catering themes are memorable and delicious.

    • If you are struggling with a menu or theme for your wedding, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering options will give you inspiration. If you are getting wed on the beach in a fun, casual setting, what better catering theme than our Day at the Beach BBQ. This fresh and fun meal of teriyaki steak and chicken jerk kabobs will give your beachy summer wedding the perfect touch.

    Themed catering brings just the right atmosphere

    If you want an elegant wedding, your food needs to match. Our French Connection theme with succulent chicken francois, sliced sirloin steak and rosemary potatoes will bring that fancy feel to your special day. And let’s not forget desserts! Each theme comes with a divinely satisfying dessert to end with, such as cannolis and Italian cookie platters with our Godfather themed meal or French macaroons with our Mardi Gras theme. Whatever your flavor, no matter your craving, we can satisfy it with delicious meals designed to make your wedding a hit.

    Take the stress out of wedding planning

    Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is not just scrumptiously planned meals, but we also offer other wedding services designed to take the stress from a day you want to remember forever. We will happily provide you with the dinnerware, set up, clean up, waiters, and even venues, wedding cakes, photography and more. Contact us today and we can help you relax when it comes to planning this big event. It’s time to enjoy the rest of your engagement and let us do the difficult work. We are excited to make your day the spectacular, memorable one that you have always imagined. For wedding catering in Manhattan, trust Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering to do it right.

    Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering

    240 West 35th Street
    New York, NY
    10001

    Phone: (212) 239-0090

    Blog

    Food Planning For Your Next Party

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    You’ve been anticipating it for weeks and now it’s time to start planning for the big event you’re in charge of. With several hundred people on the guest list, the most stressful part of the party is always planning the food. When you have that many people, coming up with a menu is daunting to say the least. Whether it’s for a company party, a wedding, a family reunion or any other large event, you want your guests to be pleased with the food. Here are 4 reasons why you should opt for catering vs. doing the meal yourself.

    1-Stress less

    When you hire Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering to take over, you can relax a little. The food is the biggest part and now that we have taken over the hard part, you can concentrate on the fine details that will make your party sizzle. We have a wide variety of menu options and food themes to fit all occasions. Let us go over the many choices with you so the food will match the atmosphere you’re desiring to create.

    2-Party extras

    We are happy to assist you in any other party extras you need. Let us help dot your i’s and cross your t’s. We work to make your job easier. Do you need a venue? We can help with that! What about photography or videography? You don’t want to worry about capturing all the special moments, you’d like to be IN those moments. Let us help you. What about equipment rentals like a cotton candy or snow-cone machine? We can hook you up! Talk to one of our professional staff members about your options. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is not just the best catering in Manhattan catering options, we are a full service party planning company.

    3-Setup and cleanup

    When Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is in charge, we bring the serving platters and dishes. Our staff will lay out the spread in a pleasing and eye catching way to delight and entice your guests. And once it’s all finished? You can kick up your feet and take a deep breath because we will take care of the dishes and cleanup. Your successful party is now over and we will finish the dirty work.

    4-Variety and selection

    If you are doing the food yourself, it is simply impossible to come up with several entree selections, appetizers, hors devours, and desserts. You would need a team to help you and even if you did have several awesome friends to count on, who’s to say they would do a good job at expertly, beautifully and deliciously creating your menu options. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering takes care of this for you. We provide the team of servers and professionally prepare the most succulent dishes for your guests to dine on. The meal will be unforgettable and your party will come away as a smashing hit.

    Schedule your event today!

    Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is here to bring your party from mediocre to magical. You can slave over a hot stove for hours upon hours with a few stressed out buddies, feverishly working to make enough food for everyone. Or, you can leave it to us to make it marvelous while you worry about the other details that need your attention. Call us today, we look forward to serving your upcoming event.

    Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering

    240 West 35th Street
    New York, NY 10001
    (212) 239-0090
    Blog

    Mother’s Day Catering

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    Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and it’s time to think of something amazing to do for these special women in our lives. They do so much you and this is the one time of year you can really spoil them. Coming up with creative ideas to show your appreciation year after year can be really difficult, but this year, we’ve got you covered. Spoil your wife, mother or grandmother on this lovely day the most memorable party where they won’t need to lift a finger. She will be the regal guest of honor and feel completely spoiled. That doesn’t mean you need to do the work, you’ve got to worry about the guest list so let us take care of the details and you can spend your energy pampering the special women in your life. For the best Mother’s Day meal in Manhattan, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is your answer.

    Meal themes to fit her personality

    As a mother, she has given thousands of hours to her children and it’s her day to get exactly what she wants. Our dinner themes will surely wow her. Why not pick her favorite type of food? Is she a big sushi lover? Then she will adore our Asian Fusion with delectable sushi selection. Featuring delicious rolls such as California, spicy tuna and salmon, with a side of steamed shrimp dumplings and miso soup. If Italian food is her forte, our Italian Feast is a show stopper. Incredible dishes like penne ala vodka, eggplant rollatini and chicken marsala as the main courses, paired with Italian breadsticks and New York cheesecake, there will be smiles all around when dinner is finished. From our French Connection, Mexican Fiesta, Hawaiian Luau and much, much more, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering will have the perfect meal to tickle her taste buds.

    Let Mother’s Day be relaxing

    Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is more than just exquisite dining and delicious desserts, we take care of all the party details. You won’t even have to wash dishes when the night is over, we bring the paper goods and tablecloths so cleanup is easy and quick. To make this day even more incredible, we have all the resources you need to add the pizazz and wow factor such as flower arrangements, party equipment rentals, photographers and even connections to some upscale venues if you’d like to move the party to somewhere exciting and modern. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is excited to surprise the wonderful women in your life with this mouth watering meal and event they will remember for years to come. For all your Manhattan catering needs, our professional catering fits all occasions. It’s time to splurge for these special ladies, give us a call today to get the night scheduled!

    Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering

    240 West 35th Street
    New York, NY 10001
    (212) 239-0090
    Blog

    Make Your Easter Dinner Magnificent

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    With Easter coming around the corner, the menu on Easter Sunday is a big deal. Whether you’re needing a casual dinner after an Easter egg hunt or a formal dinner dining event, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering is your trusted Manhattan catering company. Easter is filled with family, egg hunts, baskets, parties and more. Why worry about the food and meal if you don’t have to? Letting us take care of the meal arrangements means that you can spend more time on the important things, like spending time with loved ones and creating that perfect Easter day everyone will remember. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering also can help you with the set up. Why worry about the chairs, tables, dinnerware and other details when we can take that off your mind? We take the stress out of party planning and will help make it glorious event.

    Casual Easter meals

    If a casual Easter party is what you have in mind, we have some fabulous options to fit your event. Making it a themed event will add color and fun to your party. What could be better than a lively Easter egg hunt followed by our themed Picnic Lunch? Fruit and cheese plate appetizers paired with fresh tomato and mozzarella pasta salad, spiral ham with mustard sauce, chocolate covered strawberries and mint lemonade and tea. Does this meal not scream springtime? Your guests will be delighted by your choices. Other fun and casual theme ideas include our Hawaiian Luau, Carnival or Day at the Beach BBQ which are perfect endings to your springtime Easter parties.

    Formal Easter meals

    If a formal Easter Sunday meal fits your party style better, we have many superb dining choices. Of all the Sunday dinner meals of the year, your Easter Sunday meal should be the best and with Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering, it will be the tastiest as well. When you have to worry about your guest list, hand us the task of food and preparations, we are happy to help. Our French Connection theme is just the fancy meal you’re looking for with our succulent sirloin steak or chicken franciose, rosemary roasted potatoes, string beans almondine and lovely French macaroons. If that theme doesn’t suit your tastes, we also have the delicious Godfather with chicken parmigiana and mini cannolis or our Asian Fusion with sushi platters and steamed shrimp dumplings.

    Making your Easter party a perfection

    No matter the style of your party, Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering will meet your needs and desires. Our professional staff is excited to help make your party, event or wedding the most memorable it can be. Don’t hesitate, call us today to schedule our catering service. For the best Manhattan catering company in the business, look no further. Our customers are our top priority and our team stands ready to assist you.

    Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering

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