Blog | Vibrant Table Catering & Events

SUMMER SOIREE: how to create a magical outdoor event

July 21, 2017 Filed Under: Catering, Catering Chronicles, Events, Inspiring Ideas

Photo by Andie Petkus Photography

Are you planning a summer get-together? From menu to look to general comfort, Vibrant Table’s professional event staff has some ideas to make summer hosting a breeze.

FOOD
Reduce the stress of entertaining by prepping ahead. We recommend plenty of cold sides with hot entrees that come straight off the grill. Have everything ready to go in the fridge, with little or no assembly required. Want to handle some things but not all? Your local caterer or deli will gladly help. Order times vary, so call ahead to see when you should place your order.

For menu ideas, peruse our recipes on our blog.

DRINK
Premixing signature cocktails makes serving much easier. For a wide range of guests, consider a fruity beverage that can be made alcoholic or non-alcoholic, such as a strawberry lemonade. Serve the lemonade in a bubbler and let them add the liquor at their discretion. Sangria is always a popular libation, and there are tons of delicious sangria recipes to choose from. A red wine lover? Try chilling a light red for a refreshing summer option.

APPEARANCE
Pretty buffets by serving dishes at varying heights. Boxes covered in a linen work great. Think outside the bowl or platter for a fun twist. Consider fruit salad skewers or individual desserts in shot glasses or mason jars (reuse mason jars in fall canning). Stylish with a social conscious? China is the most sustainable option, but for larger groups we recommend banana leaf plates. Creative Director Kurt Beadell adores MyDrap, attractive cotton-linen napkins that come on a roll. They can be washed up to six times and offer a vast array of color options. Completely biodegradable, throw them into the compost bin when done!

GATHERING
Guests are drawn to food, music, and seating areas. To keep guests out of the kitchen, provide them with alternative gathering spots by setting up food and beverage stations in a more convenient location. Consider setting up the beverage station on the porch, with seating nearby. Create an area for outdoor games, such as croquet, badminton, or horse shoes.

DECOR
Choose a color scheme with 2 colors and work it throughout. An attractive garden needs few extra touches, but you might consider signs to direct your guests or labels for food items. Have a few blank labels on hand for items your guests bring. DIY flag strands or pom-pom balls can be added to brighten up gathering spots or food stations.

LIGHTING
Stumbles to the restroom are no fun! If you plan to go after dark, light all food stations, gathering spots, and important pathways. Popular solutions include hurricane candles, string lights, torches, or solar lamps.

COOL OFF
Take advantage of naturally shaded areas. If your party isn’t at home, survey the event locale during the same hours as your event so you know where the sun hits. Lack natural shade? Consider a shade sail with a pretty cloth, muslin or canvas. Ikea has ready-made shade sails for $25, but we found this DIY tutorial on Apartment Therapy. Mint extract and water in spray bottles can be cooling misters. Kids love water guns or balloon fight, but prepare to be target practice!

BUG DISTRACTORS
Bugs are a fact of life with outdoor hosting, but there are some tricks to deterring them. If possible, connect a fan so that a breeze runs over the food display. Use attractive glass containers with lids (i.e. apothecary jars, cake stands, etc.). Lemon candles can supplement citronella, and there’s always the standby bug zapper. If meat-loving yellow jackets are a problem in your area, the best approach is to bait them away from the festivities with meat or seafood scraps (but not too far to be ineffective), taking care to place canisters out of reach of pets and children.

PORTLAND PARKS, PERMITS & RESOURCES

Based in Portland? Here are some handy links and resources:

Holding Your Event in a Public Portland Park – Leaflet outlining general things to know when holding an event in a public park. Offers broader information than specific manuals listed below.
Reserving a Park for Your Picnic -This brochure is for you if you want to reserve a Portland park for your event. Includes locations, rates, and how-to instructions. Download application.
Wedding Brochure – Planning a summer wedding in the Rose Garden, Hoyt Arboretum or other park? This is the brochure for you. Portland Parks reserve quickly for weddings, so book early!
Special Event/Use Permit – Instruction manual for large public events.
Block Parties – Webpage devoted to hosting a block party. You’ll find tips, guidelines, and application links.

Originally posted, written and conceived by Faith Adams and Vibrant Table Catering and Events.

Portland Showcase at the Armory

June 9, 2017 Filed Under: Catering, Events, News, Spectacular Spaces, Uncategorized, Venues, Vibrant Vendors

Vibrant Table showcased Portland’s bounty to the nation’s elite organization for American theaters, the Theater Communications Group, on Thursday, June 8, 2017.

Portland Center Stage hosted the annual TCG conference in early June, and invited their preferred Portland catering vendors to participate, offering prime exposure to impress upon the masses, Portland’s amazing culinary talent. The Armory’s space was transformed into a Portland Wonderland with entertainment lined up by the Ukeladies, break dancers, Oregon’s iconic Unipiper, and more.

Beverages were provided by Artslandia and Deschutes, and on the Mezzanine level, Vibrant Table was accompanied by fellow Portland based catering companies including Artemis, Art of Catering, Devil’s Food and Hunt & Gather.

Our Oregon-centric hors d’oeuvres were the crowd favorite Beet Napoleon with chevre, orange-honey and toasted hazelnuts, and our Spicy Port-Poached Figs wrapped in prosciutto.

Take a bow for a job well done, Portland Center Stage. Thank you for inviting us to participate.

©Evrim Icoz Photography

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As one of Oregon’s premier hospitality purveyors, VT Group provides casual to high-end, full-service catering, event production and facility management. VT Group’s flagship brands include Vibrant Table Catering & Events, Food in Bloom Catering, f&b cafe and catering, and Vibrant Flowers. VT Group also manages several of the city’s most beautiful and diverse spaces including five event venues and three cafe locations in the Portland Metro area.

Our mission is to foster exemplary relationships within our community, developing and maintaining quality connections with partners who share our same ambition, drive and values.

Dinner at My House for Our House

October 5, 2016 Filed Under: Events, News

Our House, a non profit organization that provides healthcare, housing and vital services to low-income Portlander’s living with HIV, is in the midst of their 2016-2017 dinner series, “Dinner at My House for Our House”. Earlier this summer, our Creative Director and Principal, Kurt Beadell, hosted his annual garden party, “Get Down in the Garden”, switching gears this year to focus on Portland’s darling meal period, brunch. Alongside his eclectic art collection and boozy brunch cocktails, guests were treated to Kurt and co-host Lucy Hardiman’s lush gardens in the heart of the Buckman heighborhood. Miniature chicken n’waffles, mini eggs benedict and smoked roulade were passed about the garden leading up to waffles made on site and a hearty display of Oregon’s bounty in buffet form.

Our House’s dinner series spans nearly 80 intimate events taking place throughout Portland that encompass some of our region’s iconic chefs, venues and vendors. Portland Opera, Oregon Historical Society, Elk Cove Vineyards, revered restaurants, back yard gardens, and even VT Group’s brand new facility in inner southeast are hosting incredible wining and dining events. The nonprofit’s premiere dinners, the brainchild from Kurt dubbed “Chef’s Table Series”, invites top chefs and wineries to create multiple course meals and pairings to satiate guests and Our House’s Circle of Friends. Aaron Adams from Farm Spirit, Chris Paquette of Bamboo Sushi, Chris Lascik and Cathy Whims from Portland’s iconic Nostrana, and Chef Christopher Israel, most recently of Gruner highlight the elevated dinner series taking place throughout late summer to early January.

To learn more about the incredible work Our House does, how you can get involved, and to see the full schedule of events and bevvy of participants, head over to Ourhouseofportland.org

Why Karaoke, Grapefruit and Drag Queens Will Save Your Holiday Party

August 24, 2016 Filed Under: Catering, Holiday Parties

©Evrim Icoz Photography

How many holiday work parties have you been to that feel obligatory? Do they feel obligatory because they’re just, well… boring? Yeah. We hear ya. So, we’ve got some great ideas to shake things up for the run of show, the menu, and the entertainment.

Switch Up the Line Up.
If you’re planning the event, and you’ve planned a lot of these, try shuffling the deck with your time frame. If you traditionally have a very conservative three course meal, add in a cocktail reception where your colleagues can have a glass of wine, mingle and loosen up a bit. Or, perhaps make dessert interactive by having an action station where the guests have to get up and include themselves in preparing the dessert to order. You can further this idea by having palette cleansing activities in between courses, like a scavenger hunt between the salad and entrée course. Instead of having a cocktail hour before your party, you can opt for a low key after dinner parlor party with cognac and digestifs.

Engage Your Audience.
The easiest way to keep people happy and entertained is to keep them engaged. Keep them busy, keep them laughing and having fun. Ping Pong, Karaoke, an Ice Luge with signature drink, or even a good old fashioned “Soul Train Dance Off” are fantastic ways to make the static holiday party a bit more electric. If you’re going all out with live entertainment, make sure to do your research. Nothing makes a party more awkward than a comedian who doesn’t know their audience, a singer who can’t banter with the crowd, or a drag queen who makes mean spirited jokes. You want this to be an amazing time for all!

Surprise the Tastebuds.
Classic green salad. Choice of chicken or salmon. Wow. Mouthwatering. Surprise your guests with an innovative menu. If you are a traditionalist and really want to abide by the three course, then start off with an invigorating salad that is more than just Romaine. Radicchio, arugula, fennel, endive, butter lettuce, frisee or kale are all great bases, and don’t be afraid to add zing with herbs like mint or basil, even citrus notes like grapefruit. As for your main entrees, chicken and salmon are always a safe bet, but you can take it up a notch and impress the table with a simple seasonal vegetable option, an appropriately suited beef or pork entrée, or go rogue with lamb or buffalo. Desserts are the final hurdle, and mini desserts are always playful and offer variety. Pick three different types, a fruity, a chocolatey and a creamy, keeping textures in mind, and you’ll nail the lasting impression.

If you want to steer away from the three course approach, incorporate passed hors d’oeuvres or action stations during your cocktail reception, create a mesmerizing buffet for your main meal period, or keep the party lively and tables engaged with family style service.

The dos and don’ts of drink tickets

August 3, 2016 Filed Under: Alcohol, Catering

Evrim Icoz Photography

Be it a corporate, social or nonprofit event, drink tickets can play a pivotal role. Drink tickets might have a handful of pros and cons, but at the end of the day they can provide an easy assist with creating a smooth and successful party.

What to think about—

Will you be offering hosted drink tickets to your guests?
If so, how many will drink tickets will each guest receive?
Who will get the drink tickets?
If you are not offering hosted drink tickets not, how much will guests be expected to pay per ticket? Will the price be different for alcohol, beer & wine?
Limit the amount of drink tickets your guests can purchase.
Keeping your caterer in the loop. We can help.

The perks –

Drink tickets help limit alcohol consumption.

This helps:

Guests, employees, friends, colleagues and family wake up the next day without the feeling of embarrassment, as do you.
Avoid driving under the influence. Although, any event where alcohol is served, you as the host, should provide adequate alternative transportation services, like cabs, public transit, or car services (Uber, Lyft).
If you provide guests with hosted drink tickets it will control your costs, instead of hosting a full bar where guests can line up and order crazy pricy and complicated drinks with no limit.

What to avoid –

Tasting the rainbow. Stick to one or two drink ticket colors. One for alcohol. One for beer & wine. Don’t make it too complicated. You are hosting the event and already have a lot on your plate. Two ticket colors is simple for you, your guests, and the serving and bartending staff to understand.
Offering certain guests more drink tickets than others. The last thing you want to do is upset somebody at a celebratory event because you provided favoritism. That being said, you may have a very good reason for giving your CEO or owner an extra ticket, since ya know, he is paying for the whole event.
Cash bars. If you are offering drink tickets for your guests to purchase, you are also avoiding any cash handling with the bartenders and serving staff. This is great news, because they can focus on making drinks, and you and your team can handle the cash.