Gluten Free Catering (Menus and How we Protect You)

Requests for gluten-free catering ideas, menus and meal preparations for Arizona event catering has easily tripled in just the last few years.

It is now a common practice to include gluten-free catering menu creations during the planning process for your special event catering menu. This includes:

• wedding ceremony receptions
• full service catering and drop off catering delivery for corporate events
• social cocktail receptions, including private in-home catering and meal delivery

Here are some quick tips to “quiz” your local gluten-free caterer if you’d like to test their gluten sensitivity knowledge before placing your next gluten-free catering order.

What is gluten-free?

Gluten-free requires eliminating flours that contain gluten – a dietary protein that is found in wheat (including spelt), barley, and rye.

At first, this sounds like a simple process, but there are other factors to consider…

While many may think a gluten-free catering menu is simply a menu without breads and pastas, a true gluten-free menu meets much stricter guidelines to really be considered gluten-free.  We at Creations in Cuisine Catering are well versed on gluten free catering and happy to create a wonderful gluten free menu for any occasion.

Watch for Hidden Sources of Gluten in Food Items You Have Selected

It is not always obvious which foods might contain ingredients that are actually loaded with gluten and must be avoided by those who require a gluten-free diet as part of celiac disease management or have a gluten sensitivity.  Make sure to be careful and always remember to look for hidden sources of gluten in food items prepared by an outside source, such as:

• soy sauce
• peanut butter
• natural and artificial flavorings
• some salad dressings
• deli meats
• potato chips
• and even organic foods!

Avoid Cross-Contamination by Exercising Care, Caution & Concern

You and your guests should feel confident that your event’s catering staff are properly educated in regards to gluten-free food handling as well as preparation guidelines and techniques. Accidental cross-contamination between foods containing gluten and those that are to remain gluten-free is the largest concern for those who are extremely sensitive to gluten. Your gluten-free caterer should always be actively working to minimize any potential risk for cross-contamination. Care, caution, and concern must be exercised when preparing gluten-free meals – especially when gluten-free catering menu items are prepared within a single kitchen area workspace that is shared with other meal items that may contain gluten.

Some examples where cross-contamination might occur would be…

• on the commercial kitchen grill or in a toaster
• using the same fryer or frying oil
• shared cutting boards or prep areas
• or freely swapped or shared serving utensils on buffet lines

Diet Restrictions Don’t Have To Restrict Your Catering Tastes or Style

A quality catering service will take the time to meet with you to learn your likes and dislikes. Pin-pointing your unique tastes might require a brief meeting, but we urge you to take the time initially to share and discuss your unique tastes and desires with our catering and events team. Sharing your likes and dislikes upfront will help us ensure your ultimate satisfaction with our delicious catering when your custom dietary restriction requirements are handled perfectly – just as you requested.

Gluten-free menus often spotlight items such as fruits and vegetables which are naturally gluten-free.   For instance, a colorful array of roasted vegetables or a chef’s blend of mushrooms can become a focal point of an entrée.  But swapping grains for fruits and veggies doesn’t give your caterer an easy out. Gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian catering menu creations should still be enticing when reading off your event’s menu and they should taste and look just as good as any other catering meal presentation we serve.

Here are two suggested gluten free menu options:

Gluten Free Menu #1

Appetizer:  Hummus filled artichoke bottoms

Salad:  Mixed baby lettuce with teardrop tomatoes, goat cheese, and raspberry balsamic dressing

Entree: Roasted vegetables with brown rice

Dessert: Macarons

 

Gluten Free Menu #2

Appetizer:  Caprese “bites”

Salad:  Caesar salad with gluten free croutons

Entree:  Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan

Dessert: Gluten free cheesecake with strawberries

We Patiently Practice & Tirelessly Taste-Test Gluten-Free Recipes

Creating a customized gluten-free catering menu that is both special AND tasty while still adhering to these strict gluten-free food standards requires lots of creative thought and careful consideration. Cooking up tasty gluten-free catered meals might be considered akin to setting up a science experiment – as many flour, barley, and rye substitutions might be diligently tested before the proper flavor or perfect texture of a gluten-free food is finally achieved.

Chef Tony and the rest of the culinary staff of Creations in Cuisine Catering regularly invest a great deal of time to personally research, patiently practice, and tirelessly taste test new gluten-free recipes and gluten-free food products to make sure perfectly delicious gluten-free catering menu creations for your next event are delivered.

To make sure your gluten-free catering is diverse and complete, Creations in Cuisine Catering offers amazing gluten-free breads and imported pastas. We have recently been testing gluten free hand-made pasta as part of our Pasta Rea fresh pasta line.  In the meantime, we have sourced a wonderful gluten free pasta from Italy.  It is available upon request and can be substituted for any pasta recipe on our extensive Italian menu.  We are happy to customize a gluten free pasta menu.  Additionally, gluten-free breads, gluten-free desserts, and other baked gluten-free food product options provided by several other local Phoenix sources are available so sourcing new and interesting gluten-free ingredients isn’t a huge challenge anymore.  We have had many requests for gluten free wedding receptions, corporate, and social events over the years and our clients have been thrilled with our ability to create a delicious, imaginative menu.

Whether planning a corporate lunch, a sophisticated wine pairing dinner, or an elegant Arizona wedding, Creations in Cuisine Catering will work closely with you to ensure that our gluten-free meal creations will exceed yours and your guests’ expectations in not only dietary requirements but with taste, freshness, and creativity.

Imagine the (gluten-free) possibilities…