Recreating Your Menu

Things To Notice When You Attend A Tasting Session At Your Catering Service

When you're looking to hire a local catering service for an event that you're holding, there are several ways to assess the food that you may order. You can have a catering service representative describe certain dishes to you and show you photos, and you can also read testimonials from past clients. Perhaps the best way to assess the food, however, is to book a tasting session. Many catering services offer this option for prospective clients, so you can visit the caterer with one or more family members or friends to sample a few dishes. Here are some things to notice as you go through the tasting session.

Presentation

One of the things that many catering professionals do very well is present their dishes in an appetizing manner. When a dish looks appealing, it can get your guests' taste buds tingling before they take their first bite. During your tasting session, one of the things that you'll definitely want to focus on is how the caterer presents each dish. Generally, you want to see that the caterer has put time, effort, and creativity into ensuring that the dishes look unique and appealing.

Variety Of Flavors

While a catered meal should have an overall variety of flavors, many individual dishes can benefit from several unique flavors, too. As you taste the dishes, take note of how many of them offer this variety. Even simple foods can have a variety of flavors. For example, a serving of mashed potatoes may have several subtle flavors that you can notice on your palate — perhaps garlic, cheese, and more. It's often a good sign when you take multiple bites of a single dish and are able to discern different flavors with each bite.

Variety Of Textures

It's also important to notice how many textures are present when you sample each dish. A talented catering professional will often work hard to include multiple textures in a variety of dishes, as this can help to make each bite pleasing. Even simple foods such as sandwiches — which may be applicable to you if you're planning a catered lunch — can have multiple textures. For example, the bun might be crusty on the exterior and soft on the interior, fresh lettuce can provide crunch, cheese can provide creaminess, and more. If you're booking tasting sessions at multiple caterers, you may wish to hire the one whose food best addresses these points.


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