Fabulous Finger Food Catering Blog

10 steps to a perfect party

relax and let www.fabulousfingerfood.com.au do all the work

Best Friends

Involve the birthday party boy or girl in the planning

• If your child is old enough, sit down with him or her and offer a few suggestions for the theme and structure of the party, and let the birthday boy or girl choose from your list the one they want. Don’t ask your child to come up with the party plan because disappointment may follow when you say no to a petting zoo on your apartment’s balcony.

Plan

• Plan what you are going to eat, play and give to each child when they leave. Start collecting party paraphernalia a couple of weeks prior to the big day and store it all in a plastic tub so it’s easy to access when party time arrives.

Guest List

• Use the Kidspot guest list to keep track of the who’s who of your party.
• Big is not always best.
• The rule of thumb is that the number of guests should be the age of your child plus one once your child is aged three and over.
• If you are planning games make sure you invite an even number of children so no one is left out.
• Older children handle bigger groups better than younger children.

Invitations

• Order personalised invitations six weeks before the party. Send out invitations at least three weeks ahead of time. Many venues provide invitations so make sure to ask if you’re holding the party away from home.
• There are also free electronic invitations that you email to all invited children and then receive RSVPs electronically. We love www.evite.com.

Timing

• Weekend parties are better for younger children and family can attend too, while older children will enjoy an after school party, if you can manage it. They love spending all day in anticipation of going home together, plus your party won’t clash with Saturday sport. If you are planning a Sunday party, keep in mind many people attend church in the morning.
• The time of day you choose to start your child’s party depends on whether you want to serve a meal or cut straight to cake.
• If serving a meal, start the party between 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
• If you plan to serve cake only, have your party two hours before or one hour after traditional meal times, for example, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Venue

• Home parties are generally less expensive than hired venues and you are free to hold the party at whatever time suits your family and guests.
• Venues, on the other hand, can be exciting and make your job a lot easier.

Menu     leave it all to www.fabulousfingerfood.com.au

If you want to serve a small meal, keep the offerings simple. Familiar snacks like pizza or sandwiches work well and can be turned into special party food by using cookie cutters to make star-shaped sandwiches or heart-shaped pizza.

• If parents are dropping off children at the party, be sure you know about any food allergies. It’s best to avoid anything with nuts (including peanut butter sandwiches) because so many children are allergic to them. or ring www.fabulousfingerfood.com.au

Games

• Sometimes old-fashioned games work best for the youngest children. Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Simon Says are exciting for four-year olds because they may be discovering them for the first time.
• Six year olds may like a twist on an old favourite such as Pin the tiara on the princess or the Eye patch on the pirate. Older children will be ready for simple crafts like making pirate hats or treasure boxes.

Present Opening

• Do you or don’t you open presents with your party guests? Opening presents after everyone has gone home is much less stressful (there is no one to hear your child announce he or she doesn’t like the present) and you are less likely to lose bits and pieces if you are on hand. It is also a wonderful way to end a day that may well have been filled with both laughter and tears.
• If you open presents after everyone has left, it’s nice to send thank you notes. Ask your child to tell you why they loved each gift and include it in the note. Some editing may be required.

Hi Adam,

Thanks for all your help organizing our party! The night was perfect, the food was wonderful, and

the staff were lovely.  It was such a problem free enjoyable night.

Thanks so much.  We will certainly recommend fabulous Fingerfood, and when and if there is another significant event, give you a call.  Thanks so much.

Pam Young

It was a fantastic night and Carolyn was just magic she was perfect for us and did a beautiful job and everyone of my friends were so happy with the service and quality and quantity of food.

Everything was magic and i can’t thank you enough Adam.

Please extend my sincere thanks to Carolyn and I hope she found us ok to work for that night, i would love to have her back should we do another function :-).

Adam again thanks so much i was very happy last night with the way everything went.

KINDEST REGARDS AND MUCH THANKS.

Fab

Once again, (like every week) we have some great testimonials from our weekending work!

31/05/08 - 50th Birthday

Despina and annissa were excellent and very helpful on the night ,the food was more than enough and also was excellent.

Thankyou again for your services we will be recommending you whenever the opportunity presents.

Thank you

Alan and julie

31/05/08 - Surprise Wedding

Dear Lisa,

Could you please let your Management know how very pleased we were with the young ladies who attended and helped us at our function on Saturday. They were most helpful, courteous and hard working, and always smiling and cheerful. I was able to relax and enjoy the Wedding because of their wonderful efforts and it was a delight that they left the work areas so neat and tidy.

The food was delicious and served hot and nicely presented.

We would not hesitate to use your services again or recommend you to others.

Kind regards

Sonia Thomson Q3633

01/06/08  40th Birthday

Hi Lisa and Adam, My name is Cara Panaia, you guys catered 8 platters for my husbands birthday party on /6/2008 - on very short notice!! Just a really quick email to say a big THANK YOU!  From the time of my enquiry to the delivery to the tasting of the food- everything was superb! The level of customer service provided to me was great- and the platters were amazing. All my guests commented on how fresh and tasty the food was. I will definitely be using you guys again and have recommended you to all my friends.

Thanks again,

 Cara

This is the question so many people ask when planning their function. Do we hold the function in house (ie; at our own offices, or in our own house) or simply go with a venue.

There are many reasons for deciding upon each style, as there are many different advantages and disadvantages of each.

If you opt for going with a venue, you are assured you don’t have to stress in terms of cleaning up, making sure everything is neat and tidy for when your guests arrive, possibly arranging for alternate living for your pets for the night, and the worry about if you have enough room to hold the guests invited. Some great venues come time mind, as Fabulous Finger Food provides catering to some fantastic venues in Melbourne.

Arcadia Hotel provides an inner city location, settled in trendy South Yarra, with a large function room upstairs to cater for up to 200 - 300 people standing cocktail style. It also boasts a smaller more intimate function room downstairs for numbers up to 80  - 100.

The Arcadia Hotel is the perfect venue for your next function. We can cater for functions from 30 to 300 people and can tailor functions to suit your needs. Whether your looking for a fun location for your corporate functions or an entertaining venue for your next celebration, you cannot look past The Arcadia Hotel.

The Arcadia Hotel understands the time and hard work that goes into organising events and the Arcadia team are willing to assist with all aspects of your function. With numerous function spaces, food and beverage packages and entertainment options, The Arcadia Hotel is the perfect function venue.

Melbourne Rowing Club, based on the banks of the Yarra river, with a skyline view to the city, showcasing Federation Square, Flinders St, and the Ferris Wheel. This venue i perfect for numbers of people from 70 - 300 ad includes a dance floor space, balcony overlooking the views to the city, full kitchen facilities and your own bar. You are able to bring in your own liquor (provided you have a license) (see our fabulous fingerfood liquor packages) and you can bring in outsourced catering services to make your night as individual as this venue is!

Liquid Catering  - 171 Dorcas St offers a very individual experience for your guests - stunning drinks in a mood filled atmosphere. 

Cocktail parties, product launches, intimate celebrations, tasting nights and cocktail making courses are all perfectly suited to the venue.

Beauiful cocktails and old world service were the motivating forces behind the space.  Of the two courses available, ‘The Evolution of the Cocktail’ showcases the drinks that influence society from 1850’s, into prohibition, the 80’s and the trends of today.

Killara Park Estate Winery -  Killara Estate is the perfect location for your special day, set amongst 80 acres of lush vines with panoramic views of the surrounding mountain ranges including Mount Donna Buang. Our wedding & function menu’s are designed to suit a wide range of taste, whether it be a casual wedding or a lavish affair, we can tailor a package to suit your needs.

Here at Killara Estate we look after every minute detail to ensure that your event runs smoothly and is a day to be remembered for you and your guests.

If your doing the function yourself at your own premise, be that a private house, or your own office, fabulous finger food can cater for those function as well. We can provide you with portable ovens (if yours are not large enough) hire items such as marquees, heating, lighting, tables, chairs and glassware! We can even put you in touch with some great djs to complete the atmosphere for your function.

See for full details at www.fabulousfingerfood.com.au

Fabulous Fingerfood has signed an agreement to launch itself on radio! This exciting time of the year, will allow us to strengthen our brand across Melbourne to the our customers. So listen out for our radio comercials appearing frequently on Magic 1278 and 3aw 693!

Of course in the mean time why not see our extensive gourmet finger food range here or our standard finger food here

Mycaterer.com.au can get you 3 catering quotes fast!

www.mycaterer.com.au
Let us help you compare Prices, Menus & Service!
My Caterer provides free advice and guidance on how to make your functions and parties a great success.

We cover catering services operating in Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.

They are waiting to serve you with menus from $3.95 to $29.95 per guest. Spit roasts, finger food, bbqs, buffets — any function from 20 to 2000 guests.

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1300 850 720
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1800 251 440
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1300 730 033
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