Board Meeting Luncheon

[PopsicleToze]

Preparing an all day business meeting affair. Breakfast is pretty easy, but I'm wondering what everyone here likes for such lunches. It's a board meeting, so I would like something nice, but my DH likes sandwiches and such for lunch so that it's light and not too filling in order to concentrate in the afternoon.

What would you like to eat for such an occasion?

Thanks!

[Darcie B]

Part of it depends on what equipment/facilities are available. I've catered several small board meetings (15) in an office with no cooking equipment. I've brought in a small induction cooktop and crockpots. Usually I keep it pretty simple since the food is not the focus (stupid board meetings). I often make a soup ahead, reheat in the crockpot, and serve sandwiches, but with variations on the usual dry turkey. I've made curried chicken salad, homemade egg salad, falafel (fried in an iron skillet on the portable induction), and sometimes just good quality deli meat on fresh bread. I made a lot of chilled salads too. Once I made Swedish meatballs, but that was a little heavy (although well received). It depends on your equipment first and then your group.

I have always steered away from stuff that is too messy or spicy. I end with good cookies, cheesecake or pound cake for dessert.

[PopsicleToze]

I'm having the luncheon catered. Chafing dishes are available.

I was just wondering if the preference would be something good or something light like sandwishes and the like.

[BeeZee]

Having been stuck in boardrooms/training for whole days at times...I vote for lighter fare. Really, if you have hot food, who doesn't want to take a nap about an hour afterwards? If you do want to have something warm, a nice kettle of soup goes over well.

A selection of interesting sandwiches (not the usual deli stuff), side salads, fruit, cookies.

The hot food that worked best for a recent meeting was a mexican theme, where you could make your own soft tacos or make a salad (chili-seasoned warm chicken and beef; seasoned rice; shredded cheese; guac/sour cream/salsa, etc). You might want to skip the beans. It being a closed room and all...

[Meredith380]

I work in a Conference Center. If you're having what I would classify as a board meating, it's a meeting of the Executive board members. In that case, I would talk to their admins about their food preferences. Believe me, they have them.

If it's just a lunch meeting, I would opt for cold foods-- salads, sandwiches, etc. They allow for eating during meetings without food losing it's desire temperature.

[heidih]

I think ease of eating tops the list along with consideration of quick nutrition. Although tea sandwiches are not anywhere near the top of my list I have found that they give a nice protein carb few bites without being messy to eat. Things like interestingly flavored chicken salads, goat cheese with roasted tomato, moz with pesto, etc They do not crunch which is a plus or crumb on your suit and papers. Soups sound appealing, but can be awkward to eat. plus you do not want to be excusing yourself for the restroom too often due to liquid intake. Nice chunks of fruit on small skewers, mini quiches- that type of thing.

[nibor]

My complaint about these types of lunches is that they are often very high carb. Bready sandwiches, chips, fruit and cookies. Argh.

My favorite option is a chicken caesar salad that doesn't skimp on the chicken.

[Catriona]

The all-day meeting I had yesterday included a lunch: cold salmon, a selection of salads (green, mixed bean, fennel, tomato and mozzarella), a cheese plate and a fruit bowl. Bread rolls were available.

I'm a big fan of having something which resembles "real food" rather than sandwiches, especially in the context of a long meeting. It looks much more as if an effort has been made, and even if you only take a 5 minute break while people serve themselves from a buffet it gives people the illusion that they have had a proper lunch "break".

[jgm]

I think you need to offer as much variety as you can. These days, people have all kinds of food sensitivity issues. Sandwiches would be a disaster for someone who has celiac disease. Many are lactose intolerant. Quite a few have allergies. Etcetera.

I would suggest soup (maybe two different kinds), half sandwiches or tea sandwiches, cheese, vegetable salads, fruit, and perhaps a light dessert such as cookies or small cakes.

It wouldn't hurt to get the word out to those attending that if they have specific food requirements, they should contact you ahead of time.

I've done a small amount of catering, as well as being in the position of having to order lunches for large meetings. Another possibility is to give attendees a proposed menu ahead of time, and have them mark what they'd like to eat.

[nibor]

I have used the catering service where I work for this type of luncheon, maybe their menu will give you some ideas: (http://www.ucicatering.catertrax.com/)

I emailed a list of choices to the attendees ahead of time and let them order what they wanted. They were so appreciative, particularly the vegetarians. Someone upthread mentioned Mexican. I would stay away from spicy food. Older people in particular (and even some of us not-quite-older ones) can't eat it. I would have to skip lunch entirely if that was all you served.

[Lindacakes]

I've eaten a lot of lunches in conference rooms. We have a cafeteria at our office, and they bring food up so we can keep workin' workin' workin'.

Pet peeves:

The smell. Sandwiches with mayo and cold cuts smell like the dickens after an hour or so in a small room.

I'm in agreement that the people eating want to be refreshed, not sleepy. So . . . no cookies. If there's a platter of them, in your boredom, you can't leave them alone. Little carb bombs.

Nothing drippy. Don't wanna have to deal with that in public, with people I normally wouldn't eat with.

Pasta salad. See smell rant.

What would delight me:

Something with clean protein and vegetables. A chicken salad of some sort. Cleverly done.

A small unusual sweet. Tiny little lemon tarts. Mini cannoli.

Has to be easy to eat. I'm always uncomfortable in these situations -- I've noticed co-workers who won't eat at all.