The role of a high-end catering company at your corporate event has changed over the years. I’m Marisa, the owner of Olive Events, and I’ve been catering for 25+ years, and the changes I’ve seen over time has been significant. Long gone are the days of puddled linens with white ruffled table skirts! And a row of boring chafing dishes is no longer acceptable. Clients want a beautiful tablescape, with innovative food, and professional staff that are excited to be serving at their event. It’s important to know and understand the role of a high-end cater at your event, so that you see all the benefits they bring to making your evening a success. And as a high-end caterer in Kansas City, you can know what is fair to expect of your caterer here, but also in other cities.
CULINARY EXCELLENCE
Photo: BG Studios
At Olive Events, we work closely with our corporate clients to create an event that is unexpected, visually stunning, and executed successfully. How do we get that done? Well, first, our experience and discipline in the kitchen. I attended culinary school in the 90’s and worked at several high-end and fine dining restaurants in Kansas City. That experience engrained in me to use the finest, freshest ingredients available. You will never see us open a jar of garlic, full of preservatives and an off-tasting product, we chop fresh garlic every day for the freshest taste and flavor for our clients. It sounds trivial, but dedication to that one action, multiplied a thousand times, takes us to the next level in the catering industry. Short cuts are what give most caterers a bad rap. We treat our catering like a fine dining establishment, and it shows at our client’s events.
Food Meets Art
Of course - there’s the food aspect. High-end caterers create visually stunning, artful fusion in food at every event they produce. And that has become the backbone of our success. We develop menus that are seasonal, work within client’s budgets, and step out of catering norms to create an event that is both innovative and attainable. Generic menus that lack flavor and style are just not us.
And then we display it in a way that makes you admire it before you devour it. We not only strive to impress your guests from a taste standpoint, but we also want them to visually see their meals artfully designed using unique colors and placement.
UNIQUE GUEST EXPERIENCES
Photo: Espy’s Photography
Food stations create chef interaction, that get your guests up, mingling and exploring something they haven’t experienced before. One of our popular summertime experiences is a live Oyster Station. The chefs shuck the oysters to order for guests and offer some traditional and some not-so-traditional garnishes for them to select from. Or as a fun passed appetizers we fill a mini mason jar with pebbly ice, place a freshly opened oyster on top of the ice with lemon and Vodka Mignonette and a baby bottle of Tabasco. It’s so unexpected for guests, and they love it!
Diverse culinary traditions mingled with old favorites and new concepts make for a great party! Do you love Street Tacos? Italian food? Are you feeling a little more conservative and looking for Steak and Potatoes? You can incorporate all these ideas for an evening that will impress your guests – but put a fun spin on it! This all goes back to the discipline of creating menus from scratch, using the freshest ingredients, and thinking beyond the “rubber chicken’ catered event.
PAIRING FOOD & VENUE EXPERIENCE
Visualizing the event from start to finish is an important part of the process for a successful event – and your catering! And a high-end caterer will take your venue information and lend it to creating a seamless flow of guests through their venue and food experience.
Knowing the ins and outs of your venue is crucial. Where will your guests park? Do you need to rent a downtown parking lot? What is the occupancy? Does the venue host multiple floors? What is the general flow of the event? For example, most corporate events have a check in area at the front door – so it may be ideal to offer a bar and light appetizers near this area for approximately an hour to ensure all guests have arrived, immediately feel comfortable with a drink in hand and a bite or two to eat.
Where to go next? Do the guests move to a larger dining or ballroom area? How many seats have been allocated for guests? Is there an additional bar in this area? These questions are important for proper staffing, rental requirements and catering facilitation for a positive overall experience.
Movement throughout the venue by our staff and your guests is an important aspect of planning. An experienced caterer will ask all these questions (and more) during the planning process. Having worked at hundreds of corporate events, we help to eliminate problems before they arise. You want your guests to be comfortable and create an easy flow for them to fall into while enjoying your event.
HEIGHTENED VENDOR COLLABORATION
Photo: Rivas Photography
Vendor collaboration is key! A high-end caterer works closely with event coordinators, DJ’s, artists, calligraphers, stationery designers, lighting, rental companies, venue managers, florists, audiovisual, fabricators, photographers and cocktail beverage companies at every event. And as one, the full vendor team works together to create a successful celebration on your behalf.
We literally know everyone in our industry in Kansas City – and have worked with so many talented people. So we know its truth when we say that a solid vendor team will heighten client care and ensure the best and most innovative solutions for your event. As a high-end caterer, we work with many talented, local vendors to collaborate, bounce ideas, and figure out how to create a unique and over-the-top night for you and your guests.
EVENT BRANDING
Branding takes every event one step further… Menus, food cards, stationery, company colors, signage, uplighting etc. all are crucial so for attendees to differentiate the event from your competitors. Brand identity can be strongly created through so many different aspects - all the way down to the food stations and menu concepts. We work to help our guests find a unique taste for their events, instead of giving them boxed menus. And once we know the flow of the venue, the vendor team involved, and the creative ideas flowing to make your brand stand out - we provide our own ideas on how we can elevate the culinary experience.
TRUST IS EARNED
A catering company doesn’t open their doors as a high-end caterer. That can only be earned through years of experience and client dedication. So it’s simple to say, the trust is not given, it is earned.
An excellent reputation is imperative for catering consideration. How long have they been in business? Have they successfully executed parties of your size? Is the food prepared from scratch? How many servers, bartenders, culinary and coordinators from the catering team will focus on your event?
As a boutique catering company, we are 100% dedicated to your event. Yes, we take multiple events in a day, however, we also turn down a lot of events when we feel we won’t be able to give our clients all of our attention. We care deeply about the preparation of the food and how it is executed at the event. Our top-notch team is there to take care of your guests. This dedication is what has led us to becoming a high-end caterer.
All these elements are important ways that you can lean on your high-end caterer when planning your event. You don’t need to feel the pressure of planning the perfect event, when you have an A-list team by your side to bring your vision to life. Give your caterer the opportunity to assist you in building an amazing event, and the sit back and bask in hosting such an amazing celebration for your company.
If you are currently planning or will be planning a corporate event soon, we’d love to have the opportunity to work along your side. Just way when!