Good to the Last Bite

Your guests have burned up the dance floor with their best party moves and plundered the bar in the process. Spirits are high and the mood is jubilant. How to take the celebratory mood up one more notch? With a surprise round of after-party food. Put a little pep in their second-line step and send your guests home satiated and singing your praises for thinking of every detail, down to the last morsel.

Aaron Shaffer of Mr. Mudbug and Twelve Seasons Catering finds that a mini version of a classic Crescent City treat serves as an inspired idea that’s just the right size for the ride home. Case in point, at a recent reception at Benachi House, his team incorporated miniature po-boys for some fun foodie flair.

“When the motorcoaches came to pick the guests up, we filled paper bags with hot peewee po-boys in brown pressed paper, added a bag of Zapp’s and a wet nap, then sealed it with a monogrammed sticker stamped with ‘laissez le bon temps rouler’ and put one on every seat of the bus,” says Shaffer. “They were a big hit.”

If you want to send your guests off on a sweet note instead, Shaffer suggests a spin on a NOLA staple.

“The callout we see most is for classic mini beignets sitting on top of shot of a cafe au lait,” he says. “When your guests have been drinking all night, they want that little extra shot of coffee and chicory to get back on track.”

Stacey Messina of Messina’s Catering & Events finds guests love a sweet tooth moment at the end of the festivities.

“I have seen passed, late-night sweets and dessert stations taking the place of a traditional wedding cake,” said Messina. “Donut trees, macaron trees, and King Cakes are very hot right now.”

She suggests that late night food can also add one last personal touch to the night that caters to the couple’s personalities.

“Most couples ask for traditional New Orleans late night food — bananas Foster flambé, bread pudding (tons of variations), beignets, pralines, and hand pies — but we like to turn the tables to include a dish from their hometown or even their favorite recipe from Mom,” she says. “Mom usually loves to share!”

 

 

Save the date for our June Bridal Show, June 12 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. Click here for tickets and more information

 

 

 

 

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