Yes, Serving Food Buffet-Style Can be Chic. Here's How.
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Buffet meals tend to elicits two kinds of opinions. The first includes a scoff: Is it even sanitary? The second is more welcoming. Overindulgence is king for some, and, hey, what do you think all-you-can-eat means?
When it comes to events like weddings, galas, and parties, buffets can be either highly glamorous (see: Slim Aarons's photo of a seafood spread at Lyford Cay) or disastrous (at a gala I once attended, guests were confused as to when and where to go). This sort of division was seen on TikTok last year. One user was filmed at his friend's wedding getting up and screaming with joy after his table was finally called to the buffet line after a long wait; according to the videos, the host found the guest's response inappropriate, and the relationship ceased because of it. How did the buffet, a style of serving that originated in 17th century France, become such a toss-up between a luxurious experience and hosting faux pas? And how can you pull off one successfully?
"There's a social element to buffets that makes them a good choice for some events," Libby Russell and Alice Garretti of the boutique catering company Acquolina Catering tell T&C. "Unlike a seated dinner, you can socialize with more people as opposed to having to stick to the person next to you. It's easier to get up from a conversation with one person to have another conversation with someone else." Take it from the fashion designer Zac Posen, who recently told T&C that he landed his job creating the costumes for Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans in part because he crossed paths with series producer Ryan Murphy in a buffet line at a mutual friend's house. "I ran into Ryan on the buffet line at a friend's house and we started talking," Posen explained.
To do a one well, "it all comes down to scale and the flow of traffic," Woldy Reyes, the chef and founder of the boutique catering company Woldy Kusina, tells T&C. "If you're going to cater to your guests using a buffet-style, I'd advise that having different types of stations is best. This ensures that guests aren't waiting for a long time and that there aren't any traffic jams." If you've experienced grand buffets at places like the Sea Lounge in Taj Mahal Palace, then you'll see this tactic used. Pastries here, meatier options there.
To elevate the experience, Reyes advises that one employs guides for each station. Can't arrange the extra manpower? Signs set before each dish featuring descriptions written in beautiful calligraphy are necessary. But, Reyes brings up a point about the need for staffing, especially for bigger events. Think about the process of having guests get food. Often, hosts will try to manage by having an announcer call tables as if it were a school cafeteria. This creates a social hierarchy at events, so if it wasn't obvious that you sit at the bottom of your host's pecking order, being called to get food near the end certainly makes it clear. As hosts, take a few of your caterers and station them where they can easily communicate to guests what the situation is, and to encourage them to get their food as they please.
Now, when it comes to all-you-can-eat, here's a golden rule: "Hosts should never, ever run out of food," says Alex Hitz, the chef and founder of the food product line the Beverly Hills Kitchen. "If you run out of food, it's a pitiful event." Take it from Les Grands Buffets, otherwise known as the hottest reservation in France right now, a restaurant which the legendary chef Michel Guérard has called "the greatest culinary theater in the world."
"We know down to gram how much to allot for each client," Pierre Cavalier, the general manager told the New Yorker. Once, the restaurant had hungrier guests than usual. When the stock of shrimp got low, Cavalier rushed to the local fishmonger to purchase more without looking at the price. For your next party, channel that same energy. Russell and Garretti agree. "A buffet should never look like it's been picked through. Each dish should always look full and neat. After all, you eat with your eyes."
But, like most things, having a successful buffet requires consideration from both guest and host. People probably knows the basics: be courteous of how long you're taking to serve yourself, place serving utensils back on the assigned resting place so food doesn't get mixed up, etc. Meanwhile, Hitz offers advice for a crime that many among us have committed. "Never park yourself in front of a dish," he says. "But, it's a double-edged sword that I'm saying this, because I'm guilty of it. I went to a dinner that had a caviar buffet and I stayed near it for most of the first course. What can I say? I love caviar."
As someone who spent the ages of 14 through 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada, a prime destination for buffets since they were first introduced by the El Rancho Hotel in the 1940s, I have seen both sides of the buffet experience up close. There are buffets that I've been to where the food was flimsy and the interiors severely depressing. I won't name them. I've also been to buffets where lines of cooks quickly prepare lobster and pastry chefs are ready to explain their variations of cakes and chocolates to people waiting with bejeweled necks and crisp button-down shirts. I'll let you in on that secret: It's the buffet at the Wynn. Both experiences are surreal; one like a David Lynch film, the other like the work of Salvador Dalí. If you're planning a buffet of your own, it's imperative you choose correctly which you'd rather be.
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