Tasteful (and Tasty) University Events
JG Domestic, one of the Garces Group Restaurants in Philadelphia, PA. Garces Catering can offer groups menu items from its various restaurants or create unique options that still offer the Garces flair and flavor
“Alternatively, if a group prefers, we can create box lunches either with simple sandwiches, or perhaps with some sand- wiches from our restaurant menus to give the event that extra Garces flair, or even a combination of the two.”
For those with dietary restrictions, Garces can accommodate any request, from gluten-free options to vegetarian selections and more. It is never a problem to adapt or adjust their offer- ings to meet the needs of a group.
Garces Catering provides a wide variety of delicious fare for a number of university events. This could include anything from a volunteer event for 300 to 400 people where the menu includes hotdogs, burgers or tacos, to an alumni gala with food choices taken from the menus of one or more of the Garces Group Restaurants.
“Formal and prestigious university events might include alumni galas, or events of the university president who may be speak- ing to attendees at a hosted dinner. At Temple University, for example, we have worked with their president’s office in creat- ing some refined and high-end events for capital campaigns,” notes Beth Koenig, catering sales manager for Garces Group Catering.
“We are extremely versatile,” she continues. “We can create an elegant meal, serve up fare from our restaurant menus, or do something simple as part of a picnic-style event - like grilled chicken breast. Whatever the group wants for their event, we can certainly do for them. What’s more, even the simple menus we create can be ‘Garce-fied.’ This means that we will add flavors and options that are used in our restaurants so that the food always retains the signature Garces taste.”
When Garces works with the University of Pennsylvania, since Distrito is so close to the campus, they get a lot of requests from fans of the restaurant to incorporate flavors and menu items into university events. “We can definitely do that for any of our restaurants, or even create a menu just for a specific event that still includes the flavors of Garces that people know and want,” says Koenig.
“We can arrange an event where there are three stations with offerings from a couple of our restaurants to provide guests with a taste of some of the different things that we have to offer - and that we can do for events,” she continues.
26 May June 2015
University events aren’t all focused on volunteers, presidents and picnics. Sometimes traditions are born out of graduation commencement celebrations. Koenig noted that a group of mothers came up with an idea to hold a luncheon for up to 200 guests to celebrate student graduations at JG Domestic at the Cira Centre in Philadelphia. This became a great way to share cost of the celebration. “Tickets” were sold to anyone who wanted to attend, and it became a big celebration for all involved. Since it first started, this tradition has been passed on annually from that initial group of mothers of graduating students to the next year, and so on.
“Sometimes events can be huge and offer a lot of surprises and excitement,” adds Koenig. “Once, for a capital campaign at the University of Pennsylvania, for example, the kickoff cele- bration featured a huge party with several different themes. There even was an appearance by Grammy-award winner, and University of Pennsylvania graduate, John Legend. The event was a resounding success and featured a variety of entertain- ment, performances and more.”
Garces Catering works closely with university planners to come up with the perfect menu for each event; they also exchange ideas in the creation of various event themes and menu tie-ins. This could be anything from a Latin-themed celebration to a 1950s soda shop.
“Whenever there is a building naming and dedication, universi- ties like to thank and celebrate donors, and we put together high-end menus for such celebrations,” says Koenig. “When we host alumni weekends, which tend to be some of the biggest university events outside of homecoming, we might create a picnic meal for 1,500 people and then host a smaller event the next day at one of our restaurants where we can offer a discount since they used our catering services for their picnic event the day before.”
Food is an important part of any event, but the type of food being served really depends on the message and the desired goal of the function. When a group is looking for a huge
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