Culinary animation: is said of a culinary preparation catered for which all or part of the recipe is made at the place of reception of the guests.
What is the purpose of an animation?
Devoting a part of the recipe to be prepared on the spot meets one or more of the following objectives:
To propose a hot dish. Unless you are able to provide hot delivery*, which requires costly and complex logistics and organization, the best way to serve hot dishes is to reheat them on site. This reheating generally includes the final cooking.
Offer more "freshness" to your dishes. An example: the use of creams or mayonnaises. Preparing and serving them on the spot will limit oxidation and preserve their consistency or lightness. Another situation: the use of herbs. Adding them on the spot will avoid their "cooking" by combining them with acid or vinegar sauces.
Create interactivity with the guests. This has been a major trend in the catering industry for several years. We are all looking for conviviality, exchange, and knowledge of the culinary world in general. Companies, for their part, are more concerned about the well-being of their employees and wish to create meeting points, sharing and challenges. The catering event is part of this, and the culinary animation in the first place.
The culinary activities most frequently encountered by caterers are the cutting of ham, the use of foie gras on toast or pan-fried, the serving of waffles, pancakes and galettes or the opening of oysters in the cold season. Catering HK offers all of these, and more, which you can find on its animations page.
How much does it cost ?
The cost of a culinary animation is composed of four elements:
- The upstream preparation, i.e. the cost of food and the cost of processing in the culinary laboratory,
- The transportation on site,
- The provision of equipment on site, such as the electrical appliances needed for heating or the small plates for tasting,
- The cost of the preparation and service personnel and a cook
Can I take several culinary animations for the same evening?
Indeed, you can, indeed, you must! It is considered that you can order an animation for about 100 to 150 people, to create enough diversity on the day of your event and to allow an optimal flow of movement for your guests. In fact, for an event of 200 people or more, with the integration of several animations, we invite you to contact us on our contact form to determine the right proportions to choose for each animation. Indeed, depending on the situation, you will want each of your guests to pass by all the culinary stands, or rather only one on average. This will depend not only on the budget, but also on the planning of the event and the catering service as a whole.
Technical points to remember before ordering
Some hot culinary animations can cause smoke. Ask us if you have any doubts, and make sure that your venue can withstand the smoke;
Some animations are odorous. Check with us that the space you have is not too confined, at the risk of disturbing your guests;
Plan one to two weeks in advance to order your animation. This is so that we can guarantee the presence of a cook at your service.
A culinary animation is not necessarily a complete dish. It is usually an accompaniment to the rest of the catering service as a whole.
Ready for a lively end of the year ? Then check out our quote page or contact us by email or phone to get an estimate for your next event, with a Catering HK culinary animation, of course!