A friend and I are slated to serve a nice lunch to about 75 guests. This occurs every year and I have helped provide food in the past, friend has been in charge of event for the recent few years. Recall that prior entrees have been Sloppy Joes, BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches, cold deli meat sandwiches with a fancy twist, submarines, etc. We will be working out of a prep room with only a sink, coolers of ice, electric roasters, crockpots, etc. In the dining area is a display refrigerator we have access to, but not alot of shelf space available. This past lunch we offered 4 different cold salads - coleslaw, layered SW bean salad, macaroni salad; potato chips, veggie tray and 3 different dessert bars to accompany the Pulled Pork sandwich. There are quite a few vegetarians in the group and my co-chair is gluten intolerant (however, she does not restrict the menu because of this).
Our goal is to offer a nice luncheon to thank the guests for their services, some eat from laps, a few tables are available, others take lunch out of area to offices or outdoors. We limit menu to needing fork as only utensil.
What would you suggest or do if this was your event to plan?
Posts: 2136 | Location: Midwest | Registered: Nov 29, 2007
The only thing that pops to my mind is wrap style sandwiches. You can make vegetarian fillings -- cream cheese with veggies and herbs or such, and then chicken salad or tuna salad, or even deli meats. Fruit on the side, maybe some other salads and cookies or bars for dessert.
Maybe someone else with more imagination will be along soon! Good luck with this project.
Lurah - For your totable luncheon you could offer prepared burritos - veggie, chicken, beef. Or, if there is space, outfit a taco bar so that folks could prepare their own. Prepared wraps are good - lately I've seen turkey, veggie, salmon.
The taco bar is a great idea. You could have shredded chicken & ground beef in crockpots, shredded greens, cabbage, shredded cheeses, olives, tomatoes, peppers, refried beans in a crockpot... different crispy taco shells, soft tortillas for wraps, chips for a salad.
You could also have your main entree a series of quiches. Easy to serve and to eat and less work than individual sandwiches.
When I am at a buffet type meal I prefer the veggie selection to a salad that maybe has dressing on it and that needs two hands to serve.
I also love Paula Deen's recipe for Bobby's favorite goulash. That could be eaten with a fork and would be easy to make a lot of.
Maybe because I have always lived in the NE where only lately have burritos and tacos and wraps etc. been made available, they are not usually my go-to choice in eating out. I find the fillings fall out a lot.
How about spaghetti with different noodles,or chicken parmasan(sp) and a side salad.Easy and rather cheap.Even those that are vegetarians can have a nice rich & saucy spaghetti without any meat.Can be put in crock pots too.
I think a pasta dish with penne or rigatoni that can be prepared in a crock pot would be good with a salad with Italian dressing and a piece of good Italian bread and butter. That's a nice plate of food. I like what you did in the past with a selection of dessert bars. That's always fun!
