What You Missed During NRA: Innovative Ideas

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) show made its return to Chicago May 18-21, and Catersource was there to take it all in.

Last week we took a look at all of the delicious food that was experienced throughout the conference, this week we're breaking down of the innovative ideas we spotted.

Flip through the following pages to see what you missed.

All photos courtesy Catersource staff unless otherwise noted

Perfect pairings

Tasting dinners with pairings are becoming increasingly popular at events, whether its wine, beer, , cocktails, or even non-alcoholic options as guests look for fun and engaging dining experiences. 

This trend especially prevalent among those guests looking for meaningful connections. While large events have their place, the trend in 2024 leans toward smaller, more intimate gatherings. These events offer greater opportunities for networking, learning, and engagement. Think smaller and more intimate events with the focus on high-end dining experiences for smaller groups such as a six-course tasting dinner with beverage pairings. Additionally, this pairing trend also taps into the demand for interactive and immersive experiences, since they deliver a shared experience among attendees, thus strengthening connection among attendees. 

Even unique options (such as an Uni and Whiskey Pairing Dinner) are being sought out by guests looking for innovative pairing ideas.

In the case of the National Restaurant Show, the National Restaurant Association partnered with Let’s Talk Womxn to host several dinner experiences featuring various pairings. 

One of the culinary adventures was hosted at Bistronomic, the home of renowned French Chef Martial Noguier & Lulu Noguier. For the dinner experience, the restaurant (part of Chicago’s Gold Coast and James Beard Award nominee and recipient of Best New Restaurant in Chicago) partnered with Pretty Cool Ice Cream and its owner Dana Cree to create a one of a kind, cxclusive, tasting menu where each course was paired with a specialty sorbet or ice cream. 

Homemade chicken liver mousse with cornichons, dijon mustard, and baguette paired with Oloroso Sherry Ice Cream

Baby & Chioggia Beet Salad with Artisina Capriole Farm Goat Cheese, sunflower seeds, roasted hazelnuts, ginger hazelnut vinaigrette, and marigold flowers paired with Black Raspberry Sorbet

Beef Filet au Poivre with pomme puree and cognac sauce paired with Normandy Savory Camembert Ice Cream

French Kit Kat Bars with praline and Espresso & Vanilla Creme Anglaise paired with Burnt Sugar Ice Cream 

Top it off 

Like an unwrapped gift, a meal without a garnish will no doubt be accepted gladly, but it’s the effort to dress it up with a flourish that elevates just about anything.

Plating a dish beautifully is akin to art. The colors, textures, placement, and flavors work together to create something truly masterful when set in front of a guest. Beyond eye-appeal, clever and beautiful garnishes often contribute to the overall flavor. 

You can charge more for a garnished plate also, and your clients will appreciate the added touches. 

During the National Restaurant Show, garnishes made quite the impact throughout the week with two noticable standouts: finger limes and edible flowers. 

Finger limes

Finger limes (also known as caviar limes) are approximately the size and shape of a human thumb (hence the name). There are several varieties of this fruit, with skins in varying shades of green, red, yellow, and purple, each with slight variance in flavor. But here’s the really special part: Instead of the juicy wedges found in a standard Persian lime, a finger lime’s juices are stored in tiny globules known colloquially as lime caviar that can be used as flavor pops on anything from ceviche dishes to guacamole. 

Finger lime caviar pearls provide a functional garnish that is bold, crisp and adds flavor to your dish. It stimulates the senses with it's stunning visual appearance, tantalizing texture and aromatic citrusy elements for your taste buds. Native to Australia, this ready-to-serve gourmet product has a myriad of culinary and mixology uses. Garnish seafood, sushi, salads, cheeses, desserts, cocktails - or any dish that could use a pop of citrus. Chefs love them for their textural and visual interests. The finger limes come in four different varieties (yellow, green, red, and pink) all with a slightly different taste.

These tiny citrus pearls were spotted throughout the National Restaurant Show as Australia company Mad Honey made its debut at the show. Finger limes add visual and textural interest to any dish. 

Red caviar limes were added to prosecoo during the grand opening event for Flashpoint Innovation Kitchen. 

Finger limes topped off coconut gelato. 

Chef Ian Ramirez (who delivered a demonstration in the Avocados from Mexico booth) used caviar limes to top his Avocado tartare (layered using a ring mold) featuring salt roasted beets, beet puree, avocado foam, compressed watermelon, guacamole, and cucumber.

Edible flowers

Edible flowers aren't really anything new, but the Flashpoint Innovation Kitchen grand opening took it a step further by utilizing its in-house garnishes fresh from its greenhouse to top their cocktails. 

Gorgeous greenhouse garnishes on display at the bar. 

Lavender G&T (Drumshambo Gunpowder  Irish Gin, Monin Lavender, lemon, and tonic water). Photo courtesy Miter Box Media/Emma Rimsa/Nathaniel

Another eye catching idea we spotted was to elevate your plating by adding a pop color with the help of condiments. 

By spreading this avocado and beet mousse around the bowl, Chef Ian Ramirez added a beautiful aesthetic to his plating.

Serve it Up

Catering and novelty have always gone hand-in-hand—novel menu ideas, novel food displays, and one of the easiest (and maybe one of the most memorable or impactful) are novel serving vessels. The miniature martini glasses and charcuterie cones have had their moment, but caterers today are looking for even more whimsical and outside-the-box thinking for showstopping bites and cocktails.

Here's a look at some of the crreative serving vessels tthat we spotted during the National Restaurnt Show. 

This miniature ice cream cone was too previous for words! The tiny size is perfect for a late night snack, or even as an amuse bouche. 

Miniature paper sacks (reminiscent of school lunch bags) were the perfect serving vessel for miniature grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Edible vessels (in this case spoons) is quickly becoming a solution to cut out waste by harnessing innovation. For instance, you can replace metal spoons with spoon-shaped crackers or cookies.

During the Flashpoint Innovation Kitchen grand opening, the Idaho Potato Commission served up Parmesan Idaho Potatoes (parmesan, confit garlic, and chili crisp) presented adorably in mini tin foil packaging (a la classic baked potato). Photo courtesy Miter Box Media/Emma Rimsa/Nathaniel Hamilton

Real California Milk served up a Carajillo featuring Wheywar Spirit Wheysky and French vanilla ice cream in miniature coffee mugs during the International Foodservice Editorial Council's Bubble 'n Biz networking event. Photo courtesy Buzz Orr Multimedia

Now, any caterer worth their salt knows that pipettes are a fun way to add a condiment to a dish, but what about a syringe in a cocktail? During the International Foodservice Editorial Council's Bubbles 'n Biz networking event, guests could turn their prosecco into a French 75 rift by dispensing a pink lemonade and gin concoction from the accompanying syringe. Photo courtesy Buzz Orr Multimedia

On Display

Finding new and exciting ways displays is always a must for events. Here's a few of the fun and creatives ones we spotted during the National Restaurant Show. 

This impressive seafood display added a bit of whimsy by not only having the claws emerge from the ice, but a cleverly arranged bananas resembled birds. 

During a dinner with Unilever Food Solutions (at Michelin star restaurant Esme), miniature caviar bites were served on a sunflower (also edible). Check back next weekf or more from this event.

Champagne Creative made an impact during Catersource + The Special Event 2023 with their napkin delivery service, could plates and silverware be the next iteration? 

Boats have been synonomous with sushi for years, but why not extend this display idea to other seafood, such as oysters, shrimp, lobster rolls, caviar, etc. 

 Decorate your buffet setups with garlands and other decor to add a pop of color. In this case, this citrus crochet garland would be right at home at a rustic barn wedding. 

Tomahawk steak carving stations have been all the rage in recent years, but why not up the ante by setting up an Iberico ham carving station. 

Elevate your charcuterie display by serving cheese cubes directly out of a cheese wheel. 

Dress up your dessert table with florals presented adorably in ice cream cones.

The Personal Touch

Today’s eventgoers want a hyper-personalized experience, something that makes their experience different from that of other attendees, even. During the show, attendees witnessed products and activities that provide opportunities to weave in unique touches.

Edible printing has been gaining traction, especially in the realm of corporate events as it relates to branding and customization. 

Expanding on the edible printing trend is foam art, which prints customized images on top of coffee or cocktails. Add the couple's photo or customize with a company's logo or mascot. The options are endless! 

Customized molds are a fun way to bring the theme to life at event: personalized desserts, custom ice cubes, etc.

Personalized miniature ketchup bottles can not only be a great take-home favor, but can also be a fun placecard idea.

The Extras

Want more inspiration? Here are a few other creative ideas to bring to your next event. 

Draft cold brew coffee carts offer the perfect pick-me-up.

Do your clients want a build-your-own hot dog or burger bar? Why not display all of the available condiment options on draft. 

Individual, portable mouth wash pouches are perfect for favor bags, or displayed in glass vessels on the bar or in the restroom. 

Want more from the NRA?

Want to see more of what you missed during the National Restaurat Association Show? Check back next week when we take a look at some of the innovative ideas we saw throughout the conference that might be a good fit for your catering business.