Tag Archives: Event catering

How to Throw Together a Fabulous Last Minute Event

Planning an event can take months of careful devising of all the details, finding a venue, mapping out where the decor, tables, chairs and entertainment will go and outlining the perfect menu. But what if you don’t have months? What if you have to plan an event last minute? Not to worry, you can still make it fabulous. Many people agree, some of the best work is done under pressure and the same is true with event planning. You just need to know where to start and how to best utilize your time and resources. Slow down and concentrate, there is no sense in running in circles, you need to focus on what is important if you want to pull together something great in the short time you have. Here are a few tips to help your event go off with a smashing success.

Schedule the venue and entertainment ASAP

Your event needs a location. Finding something free in a pinch might be tricky but keep an open mind. There are so many ideas and places willing to let you reserve their space. Here are a few ideas to help you think out of the box:

  • Reception centers
  • Parking lots
  • Parks
  • A friend’s big backyard
  • A nightclub for daytime use
  • School or church gymnasiums
  • Hotel meeting rooms
  • Art galleries
  • Rooftops or lofts
  • Beach

There are so many ideas where you can hold an event and it does not have to be expensive. Booking the entertainment, if applicable, is also a must in the first stages of planning. DJ’s, musicians, clowns, magicians, traveling petting zoos—find entertainment to match the theme of your event. Obviously a group of Marvel characters would not fit with a wedding, but it would go fantastic for a children’s fundraiser. Schedule your venue and entertainment first and foremost and do not overthink it.

Hire a caterer

One of the most difficult parts of event planning is the food. When you have a time crunch, you can’t be running to dozens of stores picking up ingredients or sitting down sifting through handfuls of recipes or slaving at a kitchen stove cooking it all up yourself. This is simply not possible and with limited time, do not attempt it. You need to spend your time on other parts and caterers such as Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering are professionals when it comes to laying out a beautiful spread of the most delicious dishes imaginable. Our goal is to see your guests rave about the food, the taste and the presentation. While the purpose of your event should not be overshadowed, oftentimes, food is half of the event. The food is one of the ways you can wow your guests and you want it to taste sensational. Hiring a really good caterer takes the pressure off you and also makes you look good. Everyone will be amazed how well you threw together a party so perfectly so quickly. We have your back. Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering takes care of the set up, the food presentation, the clean up and even the dinnerware! Our events menu is a great idea for hors D’oeuvres and beverage services. This is a huge load off your back, you can’t afford NOT to hire a caterer.

Give your event a theme

Theming an event makes the entire planning process flow smoothly. If you have been put in charge of a large family reunion, giving it a Luau or Fiesta theme is an exciting and lively choice. A theme makes the decor and food selection easier. Thomas Oliver’s sumptuous Hawaiian shrimp creole, grilled chipotle corn and fruit skewers for a Luau theme is delicious and fun. Toss around some tiki torches and leis for your guests and you have a memorable event. What about a backyard reunion with friends? Our Picnic Lunch theme a cheese a fruit plate, tomato and mozzarella pasta salad and fresh mint lemonade and ice tea is the perfect summer theme for your party. When it comes to last minute helps, you can’t go wrong with a theme to help you gather decor and food selection.

Don’t do it all yourself

When time is involved, you can’t do it all alone, get help. Assign friends to take over specific tasks. Or better, hire someone to accomplish several areas at once. For instance, did you know that Thomas Oliver is not just a catering company? If you need party equipment rentals, floral arrangements, photography and videography services or venue ideas, we have the resources at our fingertips to help you. If the budget allows it, hiring an event planner is also a tremendous help since it is their job to throw together splendid parties in a jiffy. However you choose to do it, do not overwhelm yourself with too many tasks, get help, divvy out the duties to buddies or let Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering assist you.

5 Reasons You Should Hire a Party Planner

Anyone who has ever planned a party or a big event can tell you what exhausting work it is. You kill yourself before the party, getting all the details ready and seamless and losing sleep at night wondering if you are forgetting anything or how you can make this or that perfection. Then on the day of the actual party, you run around all in a lather, stressed about getting food prepared, making sure the tables are ready, setting up the decor, coordinating the entertainment and so much more. By the end of the party, you need 3 days just to recover from the stress, fatigue and intensity of planning and putting together the event. Whether your event has 10 people attending or 100, making sure all the details of an important party or event flow together flawlessly can be a big task. It is way too much for 1 person alone to accomplish and that is why hiring an NYC party planner can simplify your life in more ways than you can imagine.

1-You will save time

This is the number one reason because everyone knows, there just is never enough time in the day to get things done and in many incidents, time IS money. Time is a precious commodity and if you can have a party planner take care of details like the food, set up, location, music and decor, you can concentrate on your guests and other details only you can finish.

2-You will save money

Most people skip the party planner because they are on a budget. “If I do it myself, I’ll save money.” This is surprisingly untrue. First off, tell your party planner your budget. Many times when people plan their own events, they hope to stick to a budget but as the purchasing, planning and organizing happens, suddenly they exceed that budget. A party planner does this for a living and knows how and where to purchase things as well as how to maximize your cash to your advantage. They also have relationships with particular venues that can save you money and help your event look spectacular.

3-You will be less stressed

As you sit down with your party planner and explain your vision, their desire is to bring it to life. Go over every detail so nothing is missed. And after that? Just sit back, relax and take care of the other little things needing your attention. Your party planner will create magic and all without you sprouting gray hairs and getting ulcers. You don’t need to fret over dinnerware or tablecloths, food or servers…you can simply focus on the purpose of your event and enjoy it.

4-Your event will look fabulous

A party planner’s sole purpose is to take your conception and materialize it. It is important for you to write down all the details you desire, talk about the food, the venue, the decor and let them get to work. The average person does not plan parties very often so whipping out a grand event can be an arduous task. For a party planner however, they do this every day. They create elaborate events with their eyes closed. Handing it over to the experts will only make you look good.

5-You can spend time with your guests

Whether your event is a wedding, a birthday party, a corporate dinner or a family reunion, your focus is on your guests and purpose for the event. By having an NYC party planner take care of the details, you can enjoy the special things, cultivate relationships and actually breathe. The alternative is running around, stressing over details that won’t matter later and missing all the important moments. It’s time to cherish those seconds and an event planner can help you do that.

Relax and let an NYC party planner do the work

Thomas Oliver’s Gourmet Catering and Events is not only an exceptional catering team but has access to dozens of party and event planning connections. Enjoy sitting back and letting our professional staff whip up the most delicious and succulent dishes, serve your guests and prepare the tables and decor. We have relationships with numerous beautiful venues, NYC party planning teams that specialize in any kind of event such as weddings, birthdays, reunions and corporate events. Everything you need from equipment rentals, floral arrangements, wedding cakes, photographers, videographers and more are at your disposal with Thomas Oliver’s exceptional services. Don’t hesitate to call us, we look forward to assisting you with your next NYC event.

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.