Entertaining: Serving Your Guests

by Sherry Holetzky | More from this Blogger

17 Feb 2007 10:16 AM

This article isn't going to be about food, so much as it is about how to serve your offerings to your guests. If you'd like to learn more about recipes, cooking techniques, tools, and particular foods, please check out our great Food Blog.

Here, we're going to address presentation. How food and beverages are presented can make or break your event. Everything should of course be served in an attractive manner, but how do you translate that into action? One of the best ways to do so is to look at the colors and textures of the items you're serving and try to use other items as well as serving pieces that complement these things.

This is not to say that you should run out and buy separate sets of dishes in different colors to go with every type of food, but having more than one color will definitely give you more flexibility. One example is to mix and match two different sets of dishes for a colorful look.

You can also use colored doilies beneath food to change the look. Placing a single, smooth layer of colored cellophane on a plate before filling it with cookies will also make them look even more appealing.

You can get some great presentation ideas from cookbooks of course, but another option is to carefully look at food photography in other settings. There are tricks of the trade, which are used to make every type of food look more attractive. From choosing just the right tablecloth to the perfect plate and garnish, even every day foods can be made to look like delicacies.

Flowers can also be used as garnishes, and some are even edible. Of course, it is imperative to learn which types of flowers (even if not edible) are safe to use with foods. Other foods and spices can also become attractive garnishments.

Serving beautiful meals is much like any other type of design. It requires some imagination, attention to detail, and the ability to look at things in new ways so you can create attractive presentations.

Learn more about Sherry Holetzky

Sherry Holetzky is a work at home mom and freelance writer. Married to her best friend, Sherry and her husband are raising their family in a quiet rural setting in the beautiful Ozark Mountains.

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