The Brief
Create a themed function for this organisation’s staff Christmas party, inviting 100 staff and partners for drinks, buffet dinner and dancing. With a wide range of ages of guests, the food and drinks had to appeal to everyone.The Result
It’s only once a year, so we helped our client splash out and acknowledge good work from their people. This time the theme was Masquerade Mardi Gras.Wanting to encourage people to mingle, get to know each other and to enjoy the themed decorations, we served passarounds and drinks as guests arrived, and moved on to a buffet dinner. Later the dancing started, with the party concluding after midnight.
We worked closely with Cut the Mustard theming company, who transformed Shed 11 on Wellington’s waterfront into New Orleans for the night. All the furniture, linen, crockery and glassware were brought in and set up, and of course we cleaned up completely afterwards.
For a major party like this, we provided a function managers, three chefs and six servers from our team to keep things moving, with the buffet constantly replenished to avoid it looking "picked over” . We hate that!
In keeping with the Mardi Gras theme, we created a number of new food selections with more than a hint of Louisiana, and the guests loved them.
We don’t have standard menus or catering packages, as everything is custom-made to suit. Please call us on 06-364 3161 or email events@ruthpretty.co.nz to talk about your event and how we could help you. We can give you indicative prices to help you plan your budget, as well as other practical suggestions to make your event a success.
MENU
Passarounds
West Coast Whitebait Fritters
Creole Smoked Fish Cakes with Caper Sauce
Vegetable Fritters with Caramelised Onions
and Sour Cream
Main Course Buffet
Hot Glazed Ham on the bone,
with Cranberry Chutney and Mustards
Barbecued Beef Fillet
with Smoked Tomato Sauce and Mushrooms
Whole Baked Salmon
with Melissa’s Barbecue Glaze
Accompanied by
Mixed Wild and Long Grain Rice Salad
with Spicy Sausage
Creole Tomatoes with Café Dressing
New Orleans Coleslaw with Mint Dressing
Summer Vegetable Salad
with Orange Cumin Dressing
and
Little Corn Bread Loaves with Butter
Buffet Dessert
Angel Food Cake with Lemon Curd,
Fresh Raspberries and Whipped Cream
Pecan Pie with Whipped Cream
Creole Cheesecake
with Caramel Sauce and Whipped Cream
To Finish
L’Affare Plunger Coffee
& Twinings loose leaf tea/Mint tea
and
Lemon Meringue Shots
West Coast Whitebait Fritters
Creole Smoked Fish Cakes with Caper Sauce
Vegetable Fritters with Caramelised Onions
and Sour Cream
Main Course Buffet
Hot Glazed Ham on the bone,
with Cranberry Chutney and Mustards
Barbecued Beef Fillet
with Smoked Tomato Sauce and Mushrooms
Whole Baked Salmon
with Melissa’s Barbecue Glaze
Accompanied by
Mixed Wild and Long Grain Rice Salad
with Spicy Sausage
Creole Tomatoes with Café Dressing
New Orleans Coleslaw with Mint Dressing
Summer Vegetable Salad
with Orange Cumin Dressing
and
Little Corn Bread Loaves with Butter
Buffet Dessert
Angel Food Cake with Lemon Curd,
Fresh Raspberries and Whipped Cream
Pecan Pie with Whipped Cream
Creole Cheesecake
with Caramel Sauce and Whipped Cream
To Finish
L’Affare Plunger Coffee
& Twinings loose leaf tea/Mint tea
and
Lemon Meringue Shots