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Entertaining Food: How Food Can Bring Your Party To Life [Infographic]

Culinary Culture

Event Planning

Holiday

When it comes to party planning, food is more than just a meal; it’s part of the entertainment! Interactive food stations are not only fun, they can also serve as inspiration for the party’s décor so that the entire event has a cohesive feel. The best part is, themed food stations allow guests to interact with chefs, mixologists, and other food specialists to learn about the food and see it made right in front of their eyes.

Whether you’re planning a wedding, holiday party, or corporate event, check out this infographic from Blue Plate Chicago to see how you can make food part of the entertainment at your next party!

Hollywood Holiday: Celebrate the spirit of the season with food inspired by classic holiday movies. Graphic of the Buddy the Elf character. Buddy the Elf Waffle Bar: Give guests plenty of topping options from the Elf food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup. Graphic of three classic holiday movie characters: The Grinch, Rudolph the Re-Nosed Reindeer, and Ebenezer Scrooge. Chefs or servers can be dressed as classic characters. Graphic of a cookie sheet, covered in holiday-shaped cookies, with frosting bags. Cookie Bake Station: Guests can decorate cookies in classic holiday shapes and enjoy them fresh out of the oven. Graphic of appetizers served in a movie reel canister. Serve appetizers on film reel trays. Graphic of a vintage film projector. Use a movie projector to set the scene. The Mixologist: Work with a mixologist to craft cocktails based on popular holiday drinks. Graphic of a bartender along side a hot chocolate, a mulled wine, an eggnog, and a hot cider.

The Great American Food Tour: Take guests on a guided culinary adventure that features signature dishes and decorations from some of the country's favorite food cities. Graphic of a passport being stamped. Give every guest a Food Passport that's stamped at each station they visit. The chef at each station acts as a tour guide, giving a brief history of each dish and explaining how it's made and why it's unique to that city. If guests get a stamp for every city, they're entered into a Grand Prize Raffle to win a gift card to a local restaurant. Chicago: Graphic of a photo strip in front of a city skyline. Set up a photo booth with a skyline backdrop. Serve deep dish pizza and mini Italian beef sandwiches. New York City: Graphic of a street food cart. Serve from an NYC-style street food cart: NYC pizza slices and cheesecake. Graphic of a chef wearing a Chicago Cubs cap and holding a deep dish pizza, facing a chef wearing a New York Yankees cap and holding a thin-crust pizza. Chicago and New York City pizza chefs have a cook-off to give the audience a sense of how the different pizza styles are made. Philadelphia: Graphic of the Liberty Bell. Decorate with Philly landmarks like the Liberty Bell and Love sculpture. Serve Philly cheesesteak sliders and soft pretzel bites. New Orleans: Graphic of green, purple, and gold beaded necklaces. Hand out beads to every guest who visits the Mardi Gras-inspired station. Serve Mini po' boys and beignets. Austin: Graphic of a food truck. Give a live grilling demonstration and allow guests to customize their orders. Serve brisket tacos and pulled pork bites. Graphic of a golden raffle ticket. End the evening with a grand prize raffle drawing.

The Wonderful world of Willy Wonka: Create n event that brings guests into a world of pure imagination. Graphic of: A chocolate bar, half-unwrapped, with a golden ticket peaking out. Hand out a chocolate bar as every guest enters. The person with the Golden Ticket in their chocolate bar wins a prize! Graphic of: Recreate Wonka's Three-Course Dinner Gum with Roast Beef Potato Bites hors d'oeuvres, served with mini cups of Tomato Soup. Graphic of a Chocolatier Chef and a Confectioner Chef holding up desserts. Create Chocolatier and Confectioner stations where guests can watch and learn how sweets are made. Graphic of: an illuminated lightbulb. The Inventing Room: Put out an assortment of ingredients and have guests create their own culinary concoctions. Graphic of: transparent bubbles. Fizzy Lifting Drinks Room: Decorate the drink station with a bubble machine. Graphic of an Oompa Loompa character holding a sign that reads 'eat the cup'. Servers in costume as Oompa Loompas. Trays decorated like giant lollipops. Drinks served in edible cups.