ICA CATIE Awards 2011 Submissionc.ymcdn.com/sites/internationalcaterers.org/resource/resmgr/... · ICA CATIE Awards 2011 Submission ... To prepare the concept for the menu and buffets

ICA CATIE Awards Submission 2011 Page 1

ICA CATIE Awards 2011 Submission

Category:

Best Buffet Presentation & Menu

Submission:

Harry Potter

and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Movie Preview Reception for 600 Guests

Event Date:

November 18 2010

Event Location:

Clearview Cinemas Chelsea, NYC


Best Buffet Presentation & Menu Synopsis

This submission is for the menu and buffet presentation we developed for a corporate client who was hosting a reception prior to an exclusive preview of the latest Harry Potter movie. The challenge was to create an over the top, one-of-a-kind dining experience for our client’s top clients to enjoy prior to viewing the movie. The buffet concept, which was to bring the magical dining hall scenes from the Harry Potter films to life in an interactive and imaginative display, was executed with amazing success.



THE DETAILS Approached by a client to produce an over the top, one-of-a-kind movie preview event for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part I. To prepare the concept for the menu and buffets the Thomas Preti team watched the Harry Potter films, read the Harry Potter books (as well as the books about the books), and researched recipes for traditional English fare. The buffets were to be rich and abundant, magical, with a Renaissance flare. All of the senses were stimulated using lighting, scents, and visual texture to bring the movie to life. The menu and buffet display concept were presented to the client through a detailed review process in order to get consensus to approve the ideas and budget.

To create something unique, specially designed pieces were created to display food in a “magical” way, so as to appear to be flying or floating.

The menu, while wholly English fare, was “Potterized” to reflect the movie themes and scenes. Treacle tart is featured in the Harry Potter books, and is known to be Harry's favorite food. He is often depicted as eating the dessert during various Hogwarts feasts, and the aroma of the dessert features prominently in "the most powerful love potion in the world" for Harry in the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Some other featured menu items on the buffet were both large and small versions of Sheppard’s Pie, Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, Chicken and Pig Pie and Dragon Eggs (Scotch Eggs).

To bring the buffets to life, the buffets were designed in 3-D. The “backdrops” for the buffets was the scenery of Hogwarts Castle and Three Broomsticks Pub. Guests physically walked into the buffet and entered the magical world of Hogwarts and Harry Potter. The food and scenery, the displays, all brought the vision to life.

DESCRIPTION and COLLATERAL


THE BAR Smoking caldrons were used to decorate the bar along with leaves, pumpkins and candles. A recipe was developed for Butter Beer, Harry Potter’s favorite, using cream soda with butterscotch syrup. Butter Beer, Gilly water (mulled wine) and pumpkin juice (carrot juice) were served out of hollowed out pumpkins – incorporating the client branding. To enhance the display, the bar menus with the list of drinks being offered, were created on labels affixed to the display wine bottles. The edges of the labels were burned to create an old fashioned look.

Bite sized foods served on interactive video screen trays displaying the movie beneath the hors d’oeuvres -mini versions of the buffet items floating around throughout the evening.



THE BUFFETS Imagine the very first dining hall scene where magically the food appears out of nowhere and flies around the room. The buffet was full of magical elements, set on a long farmhouse styled banquet table adorned with rich colored runners. Dozens of floating tapers as seen in all of the Harry Potter dining scenes were rigged up so that a sea of floating candles enveloped the buffets. Unique vintage propping was used including old books, wrought iron candelabras and lanterns, as well as specifically crafted pieces such as a warped, arched fork display and an upside down recipe book opening up and all of the ingredients falling out of it.

Traditional buffet layout rules were discarded as the floating design created a feeling that if you went to grab something, it could move on you. The nature of the event allowed for no seating so all the items were produced in bite size. Mixing sweet with savory to create decadence – there were lots of surprises as to what was to be served next. The buffet and menu was like an explosion of a fairy tale dream of food with savories and sweets magically paired together by texture and color. Larger items such as roasts, whole pies cakes and tortes were used as display although edible, they represented the smaller versions of the same items that were made to be finger food, playing with scale.


Treacle Tarts general recipe (makes about 2 dozen miniature tarts)

9oz pie crust pastry (enough for two single standard pie crusts) 11 tbsp black treacle (can use golden if desired) 1 tsp ground ginger 4 oz unseasoned bread crumbs

After greasing pan, line each cup of a miniature muffin pan with the pastry, rolled as thin as possible. Warm the treacle in a saucepan. Add ginger and stir in breadcrumbs. Spoon breadcrumb mixture into each pastry cup only about two-thirds full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, watching closely so the crust edges do not burn.

Licorice Wands

Black licorice sticks White chocolate candy for melting

Melt white chocolate according to instructions. Take licorice stick and dip into white chocolate to make a wand handle. Set hollow licorice stick over a wooden skewer so chocolate handle hardens straight at room temperature. Can be frozen and thawed before serving.

Butter Beer (makes about 2 quarts)

1 cup butterscotch schnapps (non-liquor) 7 cups cream soda (about one 2-liter bottle)

Mix together just before serving, adding the schnapps to the soda then stirring gently to mix well so the fizz does not dissipate too soon.


SELECT RECIPES


Menu presented to client

Straight from the Dining Hall of Hogwarts Castle… we will present an incredible display of savories and sweets

resplendent with stacks of pillar candles, candelabrums, gilded platters with whole roasts, vibrant color vegetables,

smoking cauldrons, pies and gateaus, mountains of marshmallows and fudge

Reception Menu

Dragon Eggs Our take on Scotch eggs

Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding

Chicken and Pig Pie Served in individual pastry shells

Sheppard’s Pie

Harry and Ron’s Favorite Chicken and Ham Club Sandwiches

Baked Stuffed Miniature Potatoes

Rosemary Scented Lamb Chops

Treacle Tarts

Potters Powdered Puffs

Chocolate Cake

Whipped Cream Cake with candied violets

Chocolate Éclairs

Licorice Wands

Fizzing Wizbees


Reception Menu Signage

CHALLENGES The big challenges were time and space.

With only three hours to set up, the event was held on two floors, each floor having a staging area no larger than a big coat closet.

Rigging the floating candles proved to be a time consuming and painstaking challenge. In the lower level room the drop ceiling was used to attach hidden spider thread wires (fishing line) to float candles. In the upstairs room there was a much higher ceiling so we had to create our own cross beams.

Following the two hour movie the theater opened for public viewing and the entire event needed to be struck quickly and efficiently, Harry’s wand would have been useful for this task.

We staffed the party with extra hands to meet the demanding set up and break-down requirements.



Buffet Set Up


Floor Plans


Buffet as scenery




Documents

ICA CATIE Awards 2011 Submissionc.ymcdn.com/sites/internationalcaterers.org/resource/resmgr/... · ICA CATIE Awards 2011 Submission ... To prepare the concept for the menu and buffets