The Cutting-Edge Banquet

TREND #2 
Good for you  Eating well throughout a multiple-day meeting is notoriously difficult -- but hotel chains and other caterers are making it easier.

"Our customers eat healthfully at home, and they don't want their momentum interrupted when they're on the road," Hyatt's Santiago says.

As part of its new philosophy, Hyatt is providing more reduced-calorie and vegetarian or vegan options, curbing the use of processed ingredients, adding fruits and vegetables in place of refined carbohydrates, and shrinking portions.

Hyatt's breaks are getting healthier, too. "Everyone's familiar with the chocoholic break," says Steve Enselein, the chain's vice president of catering and convention services. "Now you'll see a break that's focused on superfoods  -- blueberries, turkey and salmon. Or one that's all vegetarian or gluten-free."

"Our new breaks are focused on the nutrition the attendee needs, vs. the traditional 'let's give them a sugar high at 3 p.m. to get them through the rest of the day,'" Santiago adds.

Lisa Hopkins, CPCE (certified professional catering executive), CMP, president of the National Association for Catering and Events and director of catering for the 289-room Houstonian Hotel in Houston, is seeing a major push toward portion control that is sensitive to guest opinion, such as one customer who looked at the standard rib eye offered at in-house meals and told her it was too much meat.

She's now seeing a lot of items in miniature, like chocolate lollipops and tiny cupcakes (she describes them as "a little piece of sin"). And the Houstonian's new chicken-and-waffles appetizer is a small piece of chicken on a stick with a waffle coating, dipped in tabasco maple syrup.

Smaller portioning benefits not just the waistline but the bottom line, too. During the recession, many planners eschewed seafood because of its price and perceived luxury. Now shrimp, oysters and scallops are all back, but served in shot glasses. "We're not doing the old-school shrimp-on-ice, where you take 25 shrimp and walk away," Hopkins says.

Four Seasons has tackled the continental breakfast, offering a broader range of choices within a category that typically centers around starches and sugars. New menus include yogurt, housemade granola and items made with bran.

At the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, chef Elder brings in a juice bar into breakfast buffets. Making "juice martinis" with mango and strawberry purees and passion fruit and pineapple juices is a festive way to make breakfast healthier.

Meanwhile, the biggest thing since sliced bread seems to be gluten-free bread -- and other products. "The number of people who for medical or dietary reasons are avoiding gluten has skyrocketed," chef Jackson says.

One things caterers aren't doing to please people with dietary restrictions is offering two choices on the same plate. "Gone are the days of the duos," Hopkins says. "Instead, people are letting planners know what their requirements are, and we'll make sure we have enough options to suit everyone's needs."