Work here at Catersmith is, in short, incredibly interesting.
As a premium restaurant catering provider, we’ve had the privilege of working with many cool local and international brands – from Google to A*STAR – to create out-of-the-box events.
Besides providing incredibly yummy spreads, we constantly push the envelope with food presentation and décor to give clients and their guests an experience that truly stands out.
And the thing is, you too can have an unforgettable event – it all begins with a spark of inspiration.
Not sure where to start? Here are 5 of the most memorable events we have been part of to get your wheels turning:
1. GoogleServe at Assisi Hospice
One of the most meaningful events we’ve worked on is GoogleServe, a global community service initiative that address local needs around the world. For this year’s edition held at the Assisi Hospice on 1 June, we were tasked to cater lunch and tea break for the home’s residents.
We decided to curate a menu with Dignity Kitchen Catering, one of our restaurant partners and Singapore’s first hawker caterer run by the disabled and disadvantaged — because why not support two worthy causes at the same time?
With the residents’ palliative needs in mind, we came up with a menu that’s light, easy and safe to eat, with a little spicy kick. There were Singaporean delights like curry chicken and Yangzhou fried rice for lunch, while pan-fried carrot cake and chicken char siew sou (chicken char siew puff) were served for tea break.
Thoughtful and brimming with local flair, the food was a hit amongst the residents, who particularly loved the chicken curry!
2. G-Dragon 2017 World Tour Crew Meal
One of the highlights of our journey as a premium restaurant caterer has got to be feeding K-pop royalty G-Dragon and his crew while they were in town for his 2017 World Tour.
It was an exciting job, but it also came with its own set of demands — one particularly challenging request was to translate the food tags into Korean!
Working with our Korean restaurant catering partner Seoul Yummy, we served up a spread of Korean delights, and also ensured that traditional Korean colours of blue, red, yellow and white were represented on the buffet line.
Buffet tables were laid with strips of coloured cloth and adorned with beautiful handcrafted blooms made by our buffet décor partner Ektory. With vibrant and sophisticated ornamentation, even a crew meal can be instantly elevated. Imagine what it can do for your next bonding lunch!
3. National Book Development Council (NBC)’s Asian Festival of Children’s Content
The best themed parties are fun and never tacky, and we managed to do just that for the NBC’s Asian Festival of Children’s Content, Indonesian Night dinner.
In honour of the old kampong days, traditional Indonesian and Malaysian dishes were catered, including off-menu dishes like Gado-Gado, Ayam Masak Merah, Assam Laksa and Chendol served at live station stands.
The kampong spirit was also reflected in the décor. Instead of having live station stand with the usual attap roofs, we chose to give the stands a more sophisticated look by decorating them with freshly-cut palm fronds, red ginger flowers and heliconias. Also, there were old-school decorative items like gunny sacks filled with dried sundries, satay fans, old biscuit tins and rattan luggage to give guests a trip down memory lane.
4. Ground Up Initiative’s Launch of Kampung Kampus
To celebrate the launch of their new Kampung Kampus, Ground Up Initiative — a homegrown non-profit that advocates environmental- and self-awareness among youth through farming — requested for wholesome, all-natural and vegetarian catering.
The kicker? The food could not be made with mock meats or processed ingredients, both commonly found in vegetarian cooking.
Thankfully, this was not a tall order for our premium Thai catering partner Nara Thai. At the opening ceremony, guests were treated to a range of unexpected creations like the fragrant thai herb fried rice, naturally-coloured a vibrant blue by butterfly pea flowers, as well as tofu with a piquant tamarind dip and simple steamed tapioca with coconut milk.
The food wasn’t just tantalising and visually-stunning, it also gave guests a deeper understanding of green living, and how vegetarian cuisine is both a delicious and responsible dining option.
5. A*Star ETPL Networking Event
Think Vietnamese food and the words ‘comforting’ and ‘homely’ usually pop into our head. How does fare like that then translate into canapés? That’s the challenge we faced while doing a networking event for the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)’s ETPL office.
With our authentic Vietnamese restaurant catering partner, Wrap & Roll, traditional Viet dishes were transformed into bite-sized canapés that could be easily consumed while standing. We had a rich and spicy Vietnamese curry chicken crostini (it’s the most fuss-free way to eat chicken curry!), Vietnamese vegetarian steamed rice crepe roll, turmeric and dill fish bites and chicken banh mi.
Guests weren’t just intrigued by the blend of flavours, but also the elegant (and Instagram-worthy) way each dish was plated and presented. Familiar cuisine can work for a fancy dinner party or event — all you’ve got to do is dress it up.
These are just some of the many memorable events we’ve had the chance to be part of. By sharing them here, we hope that you’ve gotten some fresh ideas for your next gathering - feel free to contact us if you would like to bounce off ideas!
