Choose foods you can prepare ahead, so you won't take time from your guests. Otis recommends you ask yourself and answer the same questions she asks her clients. At a buffet, you'll want places for people to sit down, whether on the patio, or at tables inside. Balancing food on your lap can make. eating more of a challenge than a delight. Like this spring buffet, Otis suggests your menu should be subtle, light and not overpowering.
People enjoy trying thing, so they take small portions.
This can affect your choice of entrees as well as beverages. For instance, a light wine and iced tea and coffee may be perfectly appropriate for a luncheon, but a more robust wine and perhaps an after dinner liqueur may be preferred for an evening or midnight buffet. The crab salad and papaya may be prepared ahead, and constructed the day of the event. Even the salmon benefits from preparation the day before and refrigerated, with the vinaigrette and garnish added the day of the party. You'll be surprised how relieved you'll feel with those decisions out of the way.