Unlike the long, teary-eyed toast that your bridesmaid plans to give at your reception, food has a way of telling a story in presentation alone. The art of the grazing table can provide that opportunity, particularly if you are of the mind to incorporate globally inspired fare. Whether it was the burrata buffet during your couple’s trip to Capri or the Argentinian picada your fiancé’s parents served to introduce you to their culture, presenting a map’s worth of palate pleasers through your reception menu can take your friends and family on a tasteful culinary journey.
“Cocktail hour is a great time to introduce guests to global cuisines through passed appetizers or grazing stations,” said Katie Morris, owner of Black Pearl Catering. “A lot of our passed appetizers have influence from different cuisines around the world,” she said, noting unique ideas like roast beef “po’bao” and fried green tomato bánh mì. “By adding appetizers from other cuisines, you’re giving your guests a taste of your heritage, travels or favorite foods, with a delicious bite, without taking over your entire reception menu.”
To feature your heritage through your wedding fare, Jen Sherrod, owner and general manager of Elysian Events Catering, finds that well-appointed grazing tables are exceptionally helpful, recalling ideas like serving takoyaki for a bride with Japanese heritage and pork loin with Chinese five spice served with bao buns for a bride with Chinese heritage.
Sherrod notes that a fun way to wow guests is to infuse New Orleans-inspired twists into these global bites.
“We took a classic New Orleans interactive station, the chargrilled oysters, and did a Japanese take with yuzu ponzu and fresh grated daikon, so it was a different and unique flavor profile of a distinctly New Orleans menu item. It still kept the fun and festive element of someone grilling the oysters to order!”
She also encourages couples to play up the global theme with specific utensils and vessels.
“Creative presentation is always important, especially when serving something that guests may not be familiar with. Using different elements such as décor pieces, dishes or serving utensils that are cuisine specific make it more interesting and fun,” she said, noting ideas like using Asian soup spoons and terra-cotta tagines as vehicles. “Using serving vessels borrowed from different cuisines helps paint a better picture for guests.”
In addition to introducing heritage through food, Sarah Hall, president of Joel Catering, finds that many couples rely on global grazing tables to celebrate travels they’ve experienced together.
“If you’re a couple who traveled to Italy during your courtship, you probably even considered having your wedding in Italy. But having it in New Orleans, you can still honor a travel theme, entertain people and give them something super beautiful to look at and enjoy,” said Hall, who suggests chef-designed grazing tables with a feast of cured meats, cheeses, breads and antipasto.
She advises that the most important thing to remember is to make sure that you are making it clear to people what you’re doing with your theme. “The impact comes from repetition and grouping things together, so if you’re doing an Italian theme, add in a specialty cocktail like an Aperol spritz and signage inspired by your travels. Giving people high visual impact will really drive it home and allow it to be the topic of conversation.”
