Bon Soir Caterers, the prime in NYC Catering, does not mess around when it comes to their buffets.  If you ask for a buffet, you are going to get a full-fledged buffet that will allow people to be coming back for seconds and thirds.  Buffets can also make events more casual by letting everyone serve themselves and find exactly what they are looking for.

Here are some of your buffet options that you can choose from at Bon Soir Caterers:

• Cold Buffets: You can get a cold buffet that comes with premium cold cuts among other food items, or a deluxe cold buffet with an assortment of bread, salad, cold cuts, and cheese.  Another option is the salad buffet, which is perfect for that small luncheon.
• Hot Buffets :All the entrees are homemade in our kitchens, made with the best meats, seafood, vegetables and herbs.  Choose from a wide variety of pasta, poultry, seafood, vegetables and grains, beef and pork, and ethnic specialties.
• BBQ Buffet: BBQ is hugely popular and a great way to create a casual and fun environment for all.  With 7 different BBQ buffets to choose from, such as “Cow-Poke” or “Ranch Hand,” you can go in a good many BBQ directions.

Bon Soir Caterers also does Brooklyn catering.

One of the best things about Bonsoir’s Brooklyn catering is chicken cacciatore. But what is it?

Phonetically, cacciatore sounds like an action you might take to capture a particular proponent of the British and larger Commonwealth political system: to catch a Tory. As absurd as this reading of the word sounds, it does in fact cut to the heart of the matter. Cacciatore is Italian for hunter. So, someone seeking and capturing something else is not entirely foreign to the dish. Any strange similarities aside, the hunter referred to by the name is not in fact one who kidnaps political figures, but a traditional hunter of the Italian woodlands.

When we hear Chichen Cacciatore, the name is intended to mean chicken prepared in the manner that a hunter might prepare it. And in the context that the name was derived, this means braised meat served with a mix of cooked vegetables and pasta. Think of a hunter with newly caught prize, rustling up the vegetables over a fire, and this is the spirit of the dish.

To that end, it makes sense that the dish varies from region to region, where local produce might be different. Traditional takes on the hunter’s meal depend largely on native vegetation and trending tastes.

This is but one of the many delicious dishes available through Brooklyn catering venues like ours.

Mozzarella is a popular cheese. The name refers to the Italian verb, mozzare, which means to cut, as this cheese is prepared via an initial spinning followed by cutting. Like so many other cheeses, it can be made from the milk of dairy cows, and in fact has been historically (and very popularly), but with mozzarella another delicious choice looms large, casting a tasty shadow over all other options: that of Buffalo Mozzarella.

What is it? Buffalo Mozzarella is mozzarella made from, you guessed it, the milk of a buffalo, specifically a water buffalo. This milk is exceptionally rich. It takes almost double the amount of dairy cow milk to create an equivalent amount of cheese from water buffalo milk. As well, the digestive system of water buffalo transforms vegetation into a much more nutritional product than standard dairy cow milk, containing higher yields of protein and healthy minerals, including calcium, phosphorous and iron.

“Mozzarella di Bufala Campana,” buffalo mozzarella made in Campania, has been granted Protected Geographical Status by the European Union, but there are many purveyors of the cheese throughout the world, in countries on almost every continent.

Brooklyn catering specialists choose this cheese for its taste, for its richness and its nutritional yield. If you are looking for Brooklyn catering that considers the details, look for Buffalo Mozzarella on the menu.

Amid great social unrest and the upheaval of the French government, King Louis VXI attempted to flee to Austria in 1791.

The King was known for his opulence, and in fact hated for it. His rule was marked by greed, over abundance and gluttony. Understandably, he retained a large retinue of cooks and attendants. What is surprising, though, is that even during his escape, largely fueled by his previous excesses, he did not forego his enormous appetite.

Rather, his escape was elaborately catered.

According to one article, 383 clerks and his 103 helpers provided by those loyal to the monarchy furnished the fugitive with veal and champagne in elaborate picnics along the escape route.  This is a larger party than even most modern New York Catering establishments provide for enormous wedding engagements or corporate events.

These flagrant choices caused his eventual capture. Still, even in prison, he demanded the services equivalent to New York catering, just for himself. Every single day in prison he ate  at least four entrées, upwards of three roasts, at least four entremets, along with a host of breads, jellies and fruit, all washed down with fine wine.

Even on the night before his head was violently removed with an enormous blade, he enjoyed an equally if not more enormous meal, comfortably and with great pleasure, as if at an event catered by today’s New York catering services.

Thus ended the French monarchy, catered until the last moment. Luckily, there’s no guillotine punishment for catering today.

What exactly is Catering by Briana? In a word: it’s art.

But let’s get a little more specific.

In the world of New York Catering, new trends are always popping up. You can’t turn a corner without running into a new culinary fad. So, even though Bon Soir caterers has been providing immaculate full service menus for New York and New Jersey events (like picnics, weddings, corporate outings and fundraisers) for over thirty years, there are always new foods and preparation ideas to consider. Not adapting and not growing is a surefire way to fail.

After the resurgence of urban barbecue, we unleashed our Smokin’ Grill BBQ Events Specialist service, proud sponsor of the nationally recognized Barbecue team, “FUHGEDDABOUTIT,” specifically to meet the evolving tastes of consumers.

Likewise, we have done the same with Catering by Briana, the newest in our full service arsenal of New York and Brooklyn catering.  This extension of our work aims to provide the level of flexibility found in boutique catering, while buttressing that nuance with thirty years of full scale experience. It’s artistically presented and locally sourced whenever possible.

In New York, there are all sorts of different tastes and needs. Catering by Briana is our way of meeting all of those various tastes and needs head on and with pleasure.

Corporate events are not just casual gatherings where people grab a hotel room and sit idly around chatting and ignoring lectures. Rather, a weekend workshop, conference or seminar series is about learning and getting things done. Many such events strike a balance between intake and output, scheduling learning opportunities around expectations for production.

Planners of such events often wonder what factors will best engender the focused attention great work requires. Environmental factors are well documented in their influence on work: comfortable temperatures, amenable color schemes, low levels of noise pollution, ergonomic furniture, ample space and materials all contribute to effective work. As well, institutional routines and habits like norming, group roles, and conversation protocols greatly effect focus. A study out of The National Conference Center suggests, as well, that for events in New York, NY catering might have an effect.

They purport that the foods selected for lunches and breaks have an impact on productivity! For example, fish and chicken, foods that require relatively little energy to digest, result in higher performance outputs than heavier foods. The report also suggests that local vendors provide higher nutrition and greater retention of nutrients, leading to more energized meeting participants. Discussing these implications with a New York caterer can have an impact on the success of your workshop or corporate events!

Brooklyn is filled with great architecture and gorgeous spaces. When planning an event like a Brooklyn wedding, find the perfect venue is pivotal for the success and celebratory nature of the gathering. Some places will no doubt be better than others. There is a certain excitement in the adventure of seeking one out on your own, but there is security and assurance in choosing a proven establishment.  Our preferred venues all have rich, professional and storied track records in entertaining and hospitality. As well, we have an established relationship with them, ensuring that a Brooklyn wedding will go off without a hitch.

The Green Building in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn is a fantastic example.  A New York caterer can thrive in this space, able to host a 250 person wedding. Built in 1889, most of the building’s tenure was spent as a brass foundry. Most of that brass has since made its way to Atlantic City casinos, leaving the space open for either minimalist design, or the ability embellish with signature flourishes. Exposed beams and brickwork define the rustic and rugged main room, only to be grounded in the elegant by four brilliant chandeliers.

A hidden door camouflaged by the coat check area provides access to two secret rooms. A Brooklyn wedding planner might use these spaces as a talent holding area or bridesmaid dressing area.

In any case, the Green Building is preferred for a reason: it’s unique and beautiful, distinctly Brooklyn and perfect for events.

When people think of New York catering, they rightfully imagine lush banquets of delicious entrees prepared for wonderful celebrations, often held in the afternoon or evening. These might be birthday parties, weddings, anniversaries, work events, fundraisers or seminars.  In the case of an event such as a wedding, however, or any type of celebration or occasion that calls for a multiple day celebration, there is another catering that can be of great importance: breakfast.

Certainly, breakfast catering has its place in professional development conferences. It’s often used to supply coffee and pastries to groggy employees revving themselves up for a day of ice breakers,  key-note speakers, learning games and round-robins, but the inclusion of this catering is  a bonus at best, many attendees likely having breakfasted on their own. It’s a welcome treat, for sure, but perhaps not of as great of importance as for an event like a wedding. In the case of an overnight event, especially one that is meant as celebration, one where guests and hosts alike might stay up later than usual, the prospect of waking and cooking a breakfast for upwards of 100 people is, to be frank, ludicrous.

Rather, New York catering is renowned for its breakfast options. Scrambled eggs, Belgian waffles, assorted quiche, croissants and juice can all be made available for large groups, ensuring that the night’s celebration is not undercut by anxiety for the oncoming morning.

A New York caterer truly made the difference in my family’s life one year. When my grandmother turned 80, my family wanted to make it a real celebration, the kind of party that would honor the rich and happy life she had made. Her six sisters would no doubt need to be there, not to mention her daughters and grandchildren, her nieces and nephews and their children as well. Throw in friends from the neighborhood and church, and suddenly you have upwards of 100 people that need to be entertained and fed.

Food has always been important both to my grandmother and our family in general, so there’s no way to skimp in that regard. Yet, if we had done the food preparation and serving ourselves, even if it were buffet style, there would have been so little time to enjoy the day with our grandmother. And obviously, at 80 years old, time begins to take on new meaning, every second and day a precious item to be considered and taken seriously. It’s a common problem in the city and elsewhere, the responsibility of preparing the party leveraged against a desire and right to be a part of what is celebrated.

Luckily New York catering is top notch. The best food and finest service is at our fingertips, an email or phone call away. For my grandmother’s birthday, hiring a NY caterer allowed us to relax, eat well, and enjoy an important moment in the life of a woman that means so much to us.

As a reflection of both the diversity and cosmopolitan nature of New York City,  with people from all over the world and roots in the finest cuisine across the globe, NYC catering can offer a long list of new and exciting foods, the terms for which are also themselves new and exciting. For example, drawing only from the cold appetizer list offered by the best Brooklyn catering service, Bon Soir Caterers (that’s us!), we can see crudités and concasse. What exactly are these things and why are they called that? Each has an interesting etymology.

Crudités, for example, is the French for any uncooked vegetables. However, the word originates in the Latin, crudus, which means raw. This food, though, is not crude at all in the colloquial sense:  we’re talking about garden fresh vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, carrots and peppers, olives and tomatoes, all served with dips ranging from cucumber dill to horseradish scallion.

And concasse? Another French term, it is dervied from the verb concasser, which means to crush. Interestingly enough, however, in culinary work a concasse is not something crushed, but rather chopped, usually tomatoes. The topping of bruschetta is typically tomato concasse, with the Bon Soir version including olive oil, basil, garlic, herb infused beans and Southwestern compote. If it crushes anything, it’ll be your desire for something delicious.

So, in NYC catering, you might experience a new word or two, a new flavor or two, but you can rest assured that it’ll be satisfying, for the senses and the mind.