Corporate. Inspired by Community.

5 Must-Knows When Choosing a Caterer for Your Event

Creating a memorable guest experience doesn’t have to equate to losing sleep over details and logistics. Whether you’re hosting a corporate happy hour or private product launch, we invite you to take advantage of our secrets to an easy planning process. Sit back, grab a vanilla latte and get one step closer to becoming an event coordinating aficionado:

1. Set an event budget. Before you begin contacting caterers and venues, set a budget that aligns with your vision. Remember to consider staffing, rentals and décor when you’re outlining anticipated costs.

2. Educate yourself about the venue. The majority of venues in Manhattan provide in-house catering and bending the rules isn’t an easy feat. If you’re hosting an event at a space outside of your company, you should weigh the options of in-house catering versus selecting an independent caterer. Choosing an in-house catering typically means you’re in the running for a set menu at a lower cost. While seeking out an external caterer will increase your budget, you’ll have the creative freedom to customize your menu and hone in on food design. In short, researching the venue guidelines upfront can save precious planning time and help guide your catering decisions.

Featured above: “Adult Candy Bar” DIY shot station

3. Define the guest experience. Take a moment to picture the experience you want to create for your guests. Your approach should be dependent upon who your guests are and the message you want to communicate. Do you want to bring your guests together over an interactive component, like our “Adult Candy Bar” shot station? Is the goal to excite potential clients about your brand? Incorporating your company logo in edible elements and design aesthetics is a great way to make an impact on your guests. And don’t forget, an amazing caterer will help you make an amazing impression.

Pictured above: Lobster Cannoli Re-Imagined

4. Think about food that represents your brand. Be prepared to talk about food inspirations what you want your guests to remember when they walk out of your event.  Food isn’t just an event accessory, it’s a talking point. If you’re hoping to create a media buzz from your gathering, impressive culinary presentation is an easy way to increase your brand visibility via social media.

5. Vision boards will streamline your process. By creating a mood board of images, your caterer will have an instantaneous understanding of the tone you want to set at your event. The less is more theory doesn’t apply here; the more images, the better. In the words of Julia Childs, “The more you know, the more you can create. There’s no end to imagination in the kitchen!”

Accounting Firms

Accounting Firms – They Count and Count on Us

NK has been serving two of the four largest accounting firms in New York City for over five years with services ranging from drop-off breakfasts and luncheons to full-service luncheons, dinners and cocktail parties. Both clients recognize NK for their reliability, creativity and flexibility while staying within their budgets.

Downtown Conference Center

For over six years NK has been the primary caterer for one of New York’s major conference centers. Providing food and staffing, NK has raised the bar on quality, variety, flexibility and presentation. NK purchased custom made rolling tables and buffet presentation to enhance the client experience.

Holiday Parties With Neuman’s Kitchen

We’ve been keeping pretty busy this holiday season creating lasting memories for our clients and their guest.  Here we are at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts serving over 1000 guests.  All guest enjoyed our luxurious raw bar along with our Southern Comfort, Kosher and Pan-Asian stations.  Take a peek into the fun with this latest photo gallery…

Internet Services Company

NK was selected by a Silicon Alley leader to provide freshly made, pre-packed sandwiches, salads and desserts that are given away to employees in their pantries. Since NK took over the program employee satisfaction has skyrocketed, owing to the variety, creativity and freshness of the selections.

Major Hotel

NK provides boxed lunches and VIP cocktail snacks for one of New York’s leading hotels. Working closely with the chefs and purchasing department, NK developed customized menus that have helped to supplement their in-house food production. This has enabled them to provide extremely high-quality foods while reducing their labor costs and satisfying both their clients and their bottom line during peak periods.

Major University

For one of New York’s pre-eminent universities Neuman’s Kitchen provides services ranging from seated dinners for 300 for medical school alumni to full-service cocktail parties and drop-off breakfasts and luncheons for groups ranging from 20 – 500. Innovations include custom logo cookies and themed events that have been particularly welcomed.

Clients in the various schools have remarked about how refreshing they find NK’s quality, ease of doing business, flexibility and creativity.

Not-for-profit – Daily Luncheon Program

A not-for-profit reached out to Neuman’s Kitchen regarding their ongoing luncheon program for 250 staff members. The client had used a series of caterers, but after a year each one had run out of ideas to keep the food and experience fresh.

We upgraded the style of presentation, reduced the use of disposable platters and created a six-week cycle menu that changes eight times a year to ensure that the food continues to delight the audience. Seven years later Neuman’s Kitchen is still finding new ways to keep it fresh every day.

Team Building at Neuman’s Kitchen

Neuman’s Kitchen Launches Corporate Team Building Events!

Last week Neuman’s Kitchen opened its doors in Long Island City for our first Iron Chef Style Cook-off Challenge!

Working as a team, participants prepare, enjoy and celebrate a multi-course gourmet meal based on a secret ingredient- which is revealed only moments before getting into the kitchen! The kitchen is a great place to forge relationships, foster teamwork and improve morale. There’s no better way to get to know your colleagues or clients then cooking and sharing a meal together.

Don’t have any culinary skills? No worries!  Each team will get a dedicated chef to guide and teach all the necessary skills for working in our state of the art 10,000 sqft kitchen.

-Run of Show-

UNWIND
Kick off your evening with a cocktail reception, followed by an intro of the evening’s activities and a lesson in kitchen safety!

Once teams are picked, we’ll do our Iron-Chef Style reveal of the evening’s seasonal ingredients!

TURN UP THE HEAT AND COMPETE
It gets hot in the kitchen! That’s why we provide a Chef to teach valuable tips and trick of the trade.

Once you’re guided through your cook-off challenge, we’ll get back into the dining room for a taste off!
All teams enter but only one can be a winner!

BON APPETIT 
The evening will conclude with a sit-down dinner and an endless flow of wine.

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To book or find out more information a corporate team building event email us at eventinfo@neumanskitchen.com or download our brochure!

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 “We decided on cooking as an alternative to usual corporate team building challenges. We enjoyed the friendly competition while cooking the dishes, and of course, eating them at the end of the session with our chef instructors. Who knew that cooking with co-workers would turn into cooking with family?  Some of us might have even learned some new skills that will be handy at home.”  – Testimonial