How to Decorate a Buffet Table for a Caterer

Buffet tables must be both decorative and functional. A bold, lavish buffet table display with dramatic flourishes to excite the diner is encouraged by Nicole Aloni in "Secrets from a Caterer's Kitchen." A well-decorated buffet table entices dinner guests to it. The design should provide a feast for the eyes even before anyone eats the food on it. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Cover the serving table with a buffet tablecloth, which is longer than a dining tablecloth, to accommodate the 5-foot-long buffet table.

2

Arrange the chafing dish setups on the buffet table at one end of the table closest to the kitchen to allow for the fastest transfer of hot food to the buffet table. Keep at least 6 inches of room on all sides of each dish to allow for airflow and space for using the serving utensils.

3

Place two 14 oz. cans of vegetables next to each other and cover with a cloth the same shade as the table cloth to hide the cans. Put them toward the back of the buffet table, but within reach of guests from the front of the table. Set a serving plate on top of the covered cans.

4

Arrange two cans of tuna fish to the side and slightly in front of the platter on top of the taller vegetable cans. Cover the tuna cans with a cloth and serving platter. These platters on top of cans create dynamic height in the buffet display, adding visual interest to the arrangement.

5

Place a floral centerpiece on the buffet table between the hot chafing dishes and the cold appetizers and salads to create a visual break between the courses on the table.

6

Cover any remaining empty spaces on the buffet table with silk flowers, paying careful attention to setting flowers in front of the cloth-covered cans under the raised serving platters to hide their support structure.