Catering cocktails event for 50 people

[NhumiSD]

Hi,

I will be catering for an acquaintance who is doing a party for 50, with a artistic theme showcasing photographic arts. I will have alot of freedom in the food, about 4 savory small bites + 1 dessert, and will include a champage, a red and white wine, along with a dessert wine for this event.

I will also have another person helping in the prep/cooking, and a server who will bring food out and pour wines.

This will be my first time catering, so any information on how much I should charge would greatly help and also suggestions on the food. Iam mainly a dessert person, so I really need ideas on the food.

Thank you.

-Nhumi

[jaspar1]

Hi,

I will be catering for an acquaintance who is doing a party for 50, with a artistic theme showcasing photographic arts.  I will have alot of freedom in the food, about 4 savory small bites + 1 dessert, and will include a champage, a red and white wine, along with a dessert wine for this event.

I will also have another person helping in the prep/cooking, and a server who will bring food out and pour wines.

This will be my first time catering, so any information on how much I should charge would greatly help and also suggestions on the food.  Iam mainly a dessert person, so I really need ideas on the food.

Thank you.

-Nhumi

←

I have been catering for many years and will be glad to help if you will supply some further information:

Time of event

Who will be attending? mostly women, couples, age range, any particular ethnicity?

(i.e. Jews or Muslims, etc. with diet issues?)

Area you live in

Are you pricing this for profit or to cover expenses?

Are you serving on plastic or china/silver/glass?

Do you require tables/equipment you need to rent?

This will give me a better picture of what's involved.

Cheers!

Jaspar1 aka Graddie

[NhumiSD]

Hi,

I will be catering for an acquaintance who is doing a party for 50, with a artistic theme showcasing photographic arts.  I will have alot of freedom in the food, about 4 savory small bites + 1 dessert, and will include a champage, a red and white wine, along with a dessert wine for this event.

I will also have another person helping in the prep/cooking, and a server who will bring food out and pour wines.

This will be my first time catering, so any information on how much I should charge would greatly help and also suggestions on the food.  Iam mainly a dessert person, so I really need ideas on the food.

Thank you.

-Nhumi

←

I have been catering for many years and will be glad to help if you will supply some further information:

Time of event

Who will be attending? mostly women, couples, age range, any particular ethnicity?

(i.e. Jews or Muslims, etc. with diet issues?)

Area you live in

Are you pricing this for profit or to cover expenses?

Are you serving on plastic or china/silver/glass?

Do you require tables/equipment you need to rent?

This will give me a better picture of what's involved.

Cheers!

Jaspar1 aka Graddie

←

Hello Graddie,

Thanks for the reply.

The time of the event is from 8:30pm - 11pm.

Mostly young 30ish+ age range, probably same ratio men/woman.

Iam in southern Californi - San Diego.

It will be a cocktails event - so I will send food out with server on platter with disapposable skewers, or buffet style- on nice disposable plastic plates.

I will rent champagne, wine glasses, possibly tables and table clothes if my client decides he wants buffet style.

I would like to be able to pay the server, and my helper and make a little profit. I will be making everything from scratch- from the focaccia, walnut breads, to curing the salmon.

So far I have a problem in deciding how much food to make to feed 50 people. Iam terrible at estimating, and I rather have more then not enough.

Below are some ideas I have thus far. Thank you.

-NHUMI

Some Ideas I have so far :

Appetizers

1

Fresh Heirloom Tomato Tart with Crème Fraiche

or

Roasted Cherry Tomato, Onion & Arugula Tart

2

Atlantic Salmon Crostini with Cucumber Dill Cream

or

Fresh Atlantic Salmon Ceviche with Lavash Crackers

or

Shrimp Focaccia Crostini

3

Filet Mignon

4

Cheese Plater with Quince Compote,

Crackers, Walnut Bread

Deserts

5

French Raspberry Macaroons

[jaspar1]

Nhumi,

Based on what you told me, here are my notes and random thoughts.

Time:

In my area if you invite a guest at 8:30pm, you are telling them to “eat before you come.” (This may not be true in Southern California.) But to me, the menu looks good. Small bites will suffice. I might even go heavier on the desserts.

Fresh Heirloom Tomato Tart with Crème Fraiche

or

Roasted Cherry Tomato, Onion & Arugula Tart

Either looks good. Borrow a couple different height cake stands or mount them on risers of different heights (A riser can be a stack of plate covers, or books or blocks of wood covered with remnants of satiny fabrics or linen napkins, tucked under to poof.) Cut small slices or make mini tarts.

Portion: 1 x 2” slice per guest plus some extra slices or about 3 mini tarts per person

2

Atlantic Salmon Crostini with Cucumber Dill Cream – Nice! butler-passed on a silver tray. Makes them just in time for the next tray to go out. Grill the bread before the party then rub with cut garlic while still warm. Use some cream cheese to make a thick creamy spread which you could pipe in rosettes if you want. If the salmon isn't smoked you might have trouble slicing it, but you could bake small diamonds of it to plop on the cream. Be sure to peel, seed then salt the cucumber and press in a dishtowel to remove lots of excess water. Snip fresh dill over the tray lavishly.

or

Fresh Atlantic Salmon Ceviche with Lavash Crackers

This sounds too messy to me AND the only thing you'd need Forks for.

or

Shrimp Focaccia Crostini

Don't serve Shrimp if you suspect attendance by Conservative or Orthodox Jews.

The shrimp crostini and the salmon crostini complement each other very well and actually give you another “thing” on a small menu. Make them look different from each other by garnish and alternate on the same tray or serve one then the other.

Portion: 150 baguette slices grilled, fine olive oil and whole garlic cloves to rub,

Salmon: 5 lbs. Fresh in 1 oz. Chunks or smoked/Gravlax 2 large sides sliced (if you're doing Gravlax you need to drain and press dry before slicing)

Use cheesecloth or a clean tea towel.

Cream cheese 3# whipped with cream, dill, maybe 2 long English cucumbers, chopped and pressed dry.

If also using shrimp, reduce Salmon by about 30%. I'd use poached medium shrimp tails-off or tiny bay shrimp in a little salad with roasted corn-roasted red pepper dice, cilantro, etc.

3

Filet Mignon

Time-of-day-wise, you could do without the Filet which is a chunk of change. I do like the idea of 2-bite kabobs if you serve it, perhaps presented impaled on a half sculpted melon, inverted on a silver platter. Punch holes in the melon with the pointy end of a metal skewer first, then insert the bamboo picks with beef tidbits held aloft. That way you can control portions. If you put out a Tenderloin platter or have a carver, some galoot with stand there and snarf it all down. You'll have to buy and prep twice as much.

Portion: 150 x 1 oz. Kabobs (1 x 7-8# Tender, peeled) or 3-4 oz. (2-3 tenders, peeled) Pre-Sliced or carved to order.

Plus you'll want silver dollar rolls, mini bagels, mustard, mayo horseradish. If you do Kabobs, you get more yield from the beef since you can use the chain and tail to make nice chunks.

4

Cheese Plater with Quince Compote,

Crackers, Walnut Bread

Sounds great! 4 cheeses: My suggestions

Whole Camembert or Brie for display (1 kilo) on the Brie box and maybe a half in portions to spread below

Gorgonzola or Stilton Blue Wedge 2#

Emmenthal or Aged Gouda, or a great aged cheddar in chunks or slices 2-3#

Port Salut or Fontina, or other semi-soft 2#

(You'll have leftover cheese but that's the nature of the beast!)

Crackers—big assorted box from BJ”s or Sam's Club

Walnut Bread 1.5 slices or chunks per person

Deserts

5

French Raspberry Macaroons

Maybe one other choice—something with chocolate? Tuxedo Strawberries?

Servers get $75-150/ event depending on work and the market. Be sure to bring them in early to help you last minute and get set-up.

Helpers get $10-$15 per hour depending on skill and experience

You'll need 120 wine glasses (4.5 glasses of wine per bottle 60% red 40% white unless it's above 80 degrees then reverse %'s)

2 racks Champagne flutes (6 glasses per bottle)

50# ice in 2 coolers

150 plastic plates 6”

Bevnaps and doilies for trays

Avoid table rental if you can get away with it. 50 is small enough to consider that.

Pricing:

Charge cost for any rentals. Have them deliver and pickup to event site. RENTALS here go back RINSED not WASHED!) Ask for a 10% courtesy discount but keep that for yourself.

Charge cost for servers and helpers.

With overhead, most caterers charge 3-4 times the cost of ingredients. If you're not paying rent, etc. you could probably cut that down to 2-3 times. Finally, do an estimate and look at the total cost divided by the number of guests then decide if that looks reasonable to you or fits your friend's budget.

In NC, I would expect that a beer/wine/champagne event with light menu including Filet Mignon might cost $50-$75 per person, everything included.

Final thought on menu: nothing on it for Vegans. Is this a problem? I usually think those folks will eat before they come, unless told otherwise by the host.

Hope this is of help to you!

[jaspar1]

OOps sorry you need a Fork for the Tart unless you serve the miniatures!

[NhumiSD]

OOps sorry you need a Fork for the Tart unless you serve the miniatures!

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Thank you for all your advice. It is very helpful. I will let you know know how it went.

-Nhumi