The Service Series: Focus on Action Stations

Whether you call them Chef Attended Action Stations, Performance Stations or Chef Bars (our favorite), this service style is HOT! Today’s feature is the last installment in our Service Series and is a specialty at Puff ‘n Stuff Catering.

Action stations are the most interactive ways to serve your guests and bring an added level excitement, entertainment and…action to your special event. Guests watch with excitement as their food is prepared to order by lively chefs! The concept is simple and can be adapted to most event styles:

• Cocktail Reception: server pass specialty cocktails, set-up full bars and sprinkle hors d’oeuvre portion action stations through out the space to encourage mingling, conversation and movement around the room.
• Chef Bar Party: arrange mixed size and height tables through out the event space, select your favorite mini plate portion action stations and enjoy! Guests explore Chef Bars at their leisure, select their preferred seats and experience a tapas-style dinner they won’t soon forget.
• Family Style Meal: couple a salad and side dish buffet with 2-3 entree portion action stations arranged evenly through out the room for a relaxed atmosphere with a twist.
• Formal Dinner: select upscale action stations with 2-3 complementary dishes at each station such as a mini steakhouse wedge salad, grilled and sliced filets and smashed potatoes. Provide assigned, formal seating to give guests the option to eat while mingling or comfortably in their seats.

Action stations can be set-up in formal event spaces, outdoors or in a private residence. The flexibility, interaction and creativity offered by this service style continues to increase its popularity for all event types including weddings, corporate events, and social events such as birthdays, anniversaries and bar/bat mitzvahs.

The Puff ‘n Stuff Catering team continues to “passionately perfect” the art of action stations and we love creating unique and personal stations for our clients. Stations can be developed from family recipes, favorite dishes and our vast menu of action stations. Some of our most popular action stations include Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese in which our rich, creamy lobster mac is freshly prepared and served from a hollowed 80 pound wheel of Grana Padano cheese, and the Vertical Bento Box – a rotating, Asian-inspired display filled with multiple dishes such as our Asian Trio Plate and King Crab with Pink Grapefruit served on peeled grapefruit slices finished with a tangerine gastrique and lemon foam.

Why not try this growing trend at your next special event? For more inspiration, keep scrolling to see highlights from the Puff ‘n Stuff Catering kitchen and check out this Perfect Wedding Guide post by our friend Jody Wimer, board member of the International Caterers Association and President of JPC Event Group in Pennsylvania!

Thank you to K & K Photography and Unrue Photo for sharing your images in this post!

Photo Credits:
K & K Photography, Jeff Kathrein, www.kandkphotography.com
Unrue Photo, John J. Unrue, www.unruephoto.com

2 Responses to “The Service Series: Focus on Action Stations”

1. The Service Series: Focus on Action Stations | Central Florida … | Windermere - Latest news on Windermere says:

   June 29, 2011 at 1:29 pm

   [...] from: The Service Series: Focus on Action Stations | Central Florida … This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged downtown, food, guests, guests-and, [...]

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2. > > Event Catering How To “PuffnStuff” | Real Party Blog | Event Vendor Directory | Planning Ideas says:

   April 11, 2012 at 2:50 pm

   [...] prepared live by our chefs and presented as small plates. To learn more about Action Stations, click here!Please join us as Jessica and Ian enjoy one of the things that set Puff ‘n Stuff Catering [...]

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