Ask any of these caterers about their specialties, and all will tout their versatility. After all, nobody wants to be pigeonholed - it can translate into less business and less interesting projects. But being the go-to caterer for a certain niche is a different story. These caterers provide insiders' guides to how to make their specialty yours.
LOCAL, SEASONAL AND ARTISANAL INGREDIENTS
COMPANY: Great Performances
EXPERT: Liz Neumark, founder and CEO
LOCATION: New York
BACKGROUND: Great Performances' 60-acre Katchkie Farm produces 28 organic vegetables, from arugula to winter squash. The company also personalizes menus to event locales with its 100 Mile Menu, which features ingredients produced within a 100-mile radius of the event site.
CATERING TO A CROWD: Today, organic's appeal knows no bounds. Neumark says she receives "requests and even demands" from a wide range of clients, including beauty and fashion houses, financial institutions, media conglomerates and law firms. Approximately 30 percent to 40 percent of Great Performances' clients request locally grown food, resulting in a mix of local and nonlocal items on menus.
SAMPLE TASTE: A menu made especially for a Rainforest Alliance event included tomato consomme with basil dumplings; pureed Hudson Valley butternut squash soup with roasted pear and foie gras timbale; and an entree of bacon-wrapped lamb crepinette, Katchkie Farm vegetable tian and local heirloom bean puree.
PRICE POINT: The 100 Mile Menu starts at $85 a head, and whenever Great Performances outsources nonlocal items, prices tend to rise.
INSIDER'S TIP: When going local, Neumark suggests starting a dialogue with local green and farmers' markets. Check out www.localharvest.org to find sources of local food near you.
