Caterers earn a living helping their customers plan and execute perfect holiday parties that look and feel as elegant as they do effortless.

Caterers make it look so easy because they have lots of practice. Professional caterers have also developed strategic shortcuts to perfect their craft. Today, the Utah catering experts from Brown Brothers Catering are going to share some of those insider tips, to help you host the perfect, budget-friendly holiday celebration.

Serve Only Single-Bite or Finger Foods

You will save time and money – and drastically reduce your cleanup tasks – if you avoid any food choices that require plates or utensils.

Caterers know that you can put out an impressive spread using finger foods and one- or two-bite items on picks and skewers. Think beet-dyed deviled eggs, arancini and cucumber slices with smoked salmon and crème fraiche. You can even make a mini caprese salad on a skewer for a vibrant, holiday-colored bite.

You can set up a food station with trays of each item or place an assortment in multiple convenient locations throughout the space. This approach will reduce your need for holiday decorations.

Or, if your party has a more formal theme, you can have trays of passed appetizers. You can get away with less food when you take this approach. Caterers recommend having approximately eight to ten items per person.

Choose Food Items You Can Make Ahead

Nothing’s worse than trying to perfect the final touches and get ready for your party – while you’re cooking hot food. Choose menu items that you can make ahead and simply set out at party time.

Caterers use this trick to their advantage because, otherwise, becomes much more expensive and labor-intensive to prepare for an event.

This doesn’t mean that all of your food items have to be cold, however. If you want to serve hot items, you can use warming trays, chafing dishes or even your slow cooker.

Pre-Plan Your Holiday Party Cleanup

Caterers have mastered the quick and easy cleanup.

You’ll need one large or two small trashcans for every eight guests. If you don’t have enough, you can purchase recyclable cardboard receptacles that hold standard size garbage bags. Prior to the party, put six garbage bags in each can, one on top of the next.

Outside, in the garage or in another handy spot, position one or two large trash bins receptacles.

Every 30 minutes or so, circulate around and pull the top bag, leaving the rest in place. Once you’ve hit every small trashcan, take the bags out to the large receptacles and drop them in.

This way you’ll never have an overflowing receptacle or over-filled bag to worry about.

Keep in mind, as you think toward your holiday celebration, that you don’t have to tackle your party alone. Brown Brothers Catering, serving Provo UT and the surrounding areas, can help make your party or event a smooth and tasty success. Contact us today for a budget-friendly quote from Northern Utah’s favorite locally owned and operated caterers.

Your wedding catering choices will set the tone of the day for your guests. Your food will leave an impression they’ll remember for years to come – but will it be a good impression or a not-so-good memory?

Your wedding reception caterer will help you all along the way, reminding you when you need to make which decisions. Your timeline will also be outlined in your written agreement with your wedding catering company.

But, to be sure you’re prepared, here is a simple rundown of the couple’s obligations to their wedding caterer.

When Should You Choose Your Wedding Caterer?

Most wedding planners and catering professionals recommend choosing your caterer no later than seven to eight months prior to your special day.

However, if you’ll be having a holiday season wedding, you may need to get on the caterer’s schedule more than a year out. Corporate holiday parties and other seasonal events tend to schedule the subsequent year’s catering during this year’s festivities.

You won’t have to specify the details of your menu at this time but you will have to commit to a style of service (buffet, sit-down dinner, carving stations, etc.) and estimate your guest count.

Three Months Pre-Wedding Catering To-Do Items

With three months to go until our wedding, catering professionals need to have a better headcount and a commitment to your menu.

For your count, give your wedding caterer a number equal to 80 percent of your total guest list.

If your caterer will be providing a tasting for you, you should schedule this now. After your tasting, you will provide the caterer with your final menu selections. You will also have to finalize your choices for anything else the company will be providing, such as including your beverage selections, linens, etc.

Once you have finalized all of these details, your catering company will send you the final cost breakdown and payment structure.

One to Four Weeks Pre-Wedding Catering To-Do Items

Contact your wedding caterer and ensure they have everything they need from you, and confirm the date, time and location of the event with them. Ask what amenities or information they need from the venue and coordinate those with your venue contact.

Send out the final payment in advance of the event, if possible. Otherwise designate a trusted friend or family member to deliver the final payment at the reception venue.

Confirm with the company when they must have the final “drop dead” guest count. Some companies will let you make changes up to 72 hours before the event. Other companies require your final number at the one-week mark.

In Provo, Brown Brothers Catering provides Northern Utah’s best wedding catering services, with award-winning food at realistic prices. We offer regular complimentary tasting events, to introduce couples to our exceptional quality and service. Contact us today to reserve your spot, or to request a price for your wedding catering or event.

Event catering isn’t just for wedding receptions and special occasions. In fact, any time you need to feed a group – large or small – your caterer can help you create a menu to match the occasion and your budget.

Here are three occasions where a local catering company can help relieve the pressure of feeding your guests or attendees.

Social Event Catering

Are you planning a dinner party or another type of social event? If so, you’re probably already stressing about planning a menu, shopping and preparing the food. And, once our guests arrive, you’ll spend all your time trying to get the food ready – rather than enjoying yourself and your guests.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the food brought to your home or event venue, hot and ready to go?

With event catering, you won’t have to worry about any planning or prep. And, once your guests arrive, you can relax and enjoy your party. You can even coordinate with your caterer to have everything in place before anyone arrives, so your guests never have to know you didn’t spend the day slaving over a hot stove.

Business Meeting Event Catering

If you’re planning an all-staff meeting, corporate retreat, annual sales conference or even just a brainstorming session, consider using event catering to help make your meeting a success.

How often have you agonized over where to order food? And then, when your attention should be focused on the topic at hand, you have to scramble to send someone to pay for and pick up the food.

Next time, call on your local event caterer. The catering staff will come in, set up the food and provide all the utensils. At the appointed time, they’ll come back and clean up, so you never have to worry about a thing.

And the best part is that your caterer can work with you to ensure that the cost isn’t significantly different than you might otherwise spend ordering out.

Special Event Catering

If you’re having a fundraiser, HOA meeting, family reunion or gameday get-together, even catering can take all the hassle out of feeding your guests or attendees.

Whether you need to feed one dozen or one hundred people, your caterer can help you develop the perfect menu to fit your needs. You can choose from buffet-style, family style or plated service. You can choose anything from munchie-type food to a heartier, full meal. The event caterer will bring all the food, set up and provide everything you need, leaving you free to focus on your event.

Your caterer can work with you to develop the perfect menu that will leave everyone full and happy – all at a cost that is practical and affordable.

In Utah, Brown Brothers Catering is your locally owned, family-operated expert for parties, receptions and events of all types. Contact us today to learn more about how event catering can help make your occasion a success – whatever it may be.

Much like fashion, catering trends come and go from year to year – perhaps nowhere as noticeably as in wedding menus.

Wedding caterers like to anticipate the coming trends, so they can be more responsive to their brides, grooms and families who go in search of something unique and memorable. Over the next year – definitely throughout 2018 – these are some of the wedding menu trends that we expect to see lots more of.

Make Your Wedding Menu a Brunch

Catering for weddings has expanded in a variety of ways but, in the coming year, we anticipate an increase in receptions held during the prime brunch hours.

Brides are embracing the many benefits of having their wedding earlier in the day. Sunday brunch weddings will become more popular next year, for a few reasons. Most venues charge less for non-prime-time events and a late-morning wedding calls for brunch catering.

Also, because guests are likely to be less hungry at this time – and less interested in eating a large meal – couples can save money on their caterer.

Wedding Catering with Chef-Action Stations

In 2018, we predict that wedding catering will become much more interactive.

Think baked potato and street taco bars where guests can dress their food to their liking. But, to make the experience even more fun for guests, wedding menus will feature chefs in action.

Flambeeing, carving, tossing and cooking to order food stations not only give guests an interactive experience but it also allows them to have some input on their food. And watching a chef deftly handle a flaming crepe or carving knife is like dinner and show combined.

Comfort Food Wedding Menus

The crazier the world gets, the more we turn to things that are familiar and comfortable. You will see this reflected in wedding menus, themes and decor over the next year.

Caterers are ramping up their mac-and-cheese game. Other comfort food favorites include roast beef, baked potato soup and even mini burgers and fries. Even soup will become a popular wedding menu fixture in the coming months.

You’ll see this trend carry over into desserts too. Doughnuts, caramel apples, chocolate chip cookies and even old-fashioned ice cream sundaes will appear on dessert tables across the country.

Of course, at Brown Brothers Catering, we believe that you deserve to have the wedding of your dreams, no matter what the popular trends may be. That’s why we work with our clients to create the wedding menus they really want. We have countless options and themes or, if you have your own ideas, we will find a way to make them a reality. We are locally owned family business with many years of experience bringing happy couples’ dreams to life. Contact us today to learn more about how our exceptional catering services can help you have the wedding menu you truly want.

Come and experience the Brown Brothers difference at our July tasting! If you’re planning a wedding, corporate event, or if you’re just in the mood for some delicious food, then come join us! It’s completely free!

Let us know you are attending by RSVPing here.

As some of you may have noticed, a few months ago we undertook a drastic overhaul of our website. It had become a bit dated and it was due for an update. After a lot of revisions and changes we launched and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

As Brown Brothers has evolved over the years our style has seen a dramatic shift in style and presentation and as a result our galleries looked a bit dated. So as part of the new website, we created new photo galleries from scratch. As we were just starting, the galleries were kind of sparse, and there weren’t a lot of pictures. As time has passed, we’ve made some extra efforts to take some great pictures of our recent events and we’ve updated all of our galleries to reflect that.

Click here to view our new galleries, and be sure to check out the “Recent Events” gallery. There are lots of fantastic pictures!

We are very excited to be a part of this year’s Women in Weddings Luncheon. As a sponsor, we will be providing all the delicious food for the event. Check out our feature here.

If you haven’t already registered for the luncheon, check out the invitation below and don’t miss out on this fantastic event!