Themes Dreams and Schemes or Chefs Book of Formulas Yields and Sizes

Themes, Dreams, and Schemes: Banquet Menu Ideas, Concepts, and Thematic Experiences

Author: G Eugene Wigger

Are you looking to put more fun in your functions? More bang in your banquets? Now real help is at hand—with Themes, Dreams, and Schemes, the complete guide to menu and theme management for banquet, catering, and meeting/event planning operations.

Filled with practical advice and using a step-by-step approach, this hands-on reference contains everything you need to know in order to design unique theme parties, develop winning menus, write compelling proposals, and negotiate effectively.

The book features over 375 theme experiences and is packed with hundreds of innovative menu suggestions to get you started. There are menus for meeting breaks, receptions, and theme parties, as well as sit-down and buffet breakfasts, luncheons, and dinners—including low-cholesterol, low-fat, low-sodium, and kosher menus. New food combination and presentation ideas let you take the "blahs" out of menu planning and put the imagination back in.

Drawing on over 30 years of international catering expertise, G. Eugene Wigger brings his well-informed perspective and tremendous enthusiasm to every aspect of the management process, from attendee and staff involvement strategies to smart ways to save on food and budget costs, prop purchase, and more.

So why wait? Transform your dreams into wonderful themes, and devise the schemes that will make them come true. With this comprehensive sourcebook, you're on your way to memorable special event planning.

"Gene is a genius! This book will be THE resource for every caterer or special event manager who wishes to go beyond the ordinary and expected to produce a visual and culinary medium of delight." —Richard E. Marriott, Chairman ofthe Board, Host Marriott Corporation.

"Gene Wigger is one of the most creative people in the business of 'Experience Creation.' This book is a wonderful resource." —Paul R. O'Neil, Vice President, Managing Director, Sheraton New York Hotel, Sheraton Manhattan Hotel.

"Bravo! We have needed a book like this for a long time! It will be a valuable resource to stir up the creative juices of caterers and meeting planners alike." —Patti J. Shock, Associate Professor/Department Chair, Tourism & Convention Administration Department, William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

"Putting on a successful event that truly meets your objectives is both a science and an art. Gene Wigger is considered the 'Doctor of Creativity' of our industry. His work is a superb guide on how to get it done with taste, flair, and professionalism." —Frederic V. Malek, Chairman of the Board Thayer Capital Partners (Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts).

"When it comes to creative catering and special theme party events, Gene Wigger didn't just write the book, he invented it!" —Scott A. Dillion, President SDI Travel and Incentives.

Table of Contents:

The Theme and Scheme of Things.
Raise Food and Beverage Management to a Higher Level.
Don't Kneel to Propose.
Creative Thematic Meeting Breaks.
Breakfast Appetizers.
Lunch/Dinner Appetizers.
Soups.
Salads.
A Guide to Vegetable Dishes.
Desserts.
Breakfast Entrees.
Seated Breakfast Menus.
Buffet Breakfast Menus.
Buffet Bruncheon Menus.
Luncheon Entrees.
Seated Luncheon Menus.
Luncheon Buffet Menus.
Dinner Entrees.
Seated Dinner Menus.
Buffet Dinner Menus.
Signature Line Gourmet Dinner Menus.
Reception Menus.
Low-Cholesterol, Low-Fat, Low- Sodium Menus.
The Fantasy Factory(r) Theme Menus.
Kosher Menus.

Book review: 50 Classic Japanese Recipes or Wedding Showers

Chef's Book of Formulas, Yields, and Sizes

Author: Arno Schmidt

The ultimate quick-reference cost control resource for busy kitchens

The Chef's Book of Formulas, Yields, and Sizes is a powerful tool for controlling food costs in any foodservice operation. Now in an updated third edition, this encyclopedic reference is packed with helpful, practical information, including kitchen yields for more than 2,000 ingredients listed by food groups, sample purchase quantities, suggested serving sizes, tips and tricks for working with various ingredients, and other helpful tools for getting the most out of any size budget.

This Third Edition broadens the knowledge of seasoned chefs and novices alike with new material on 150 previously unlisted ingredients, as well as:

• Coverage of ingredients unique to Indian, Chinese, Latin, and Japanese cooking

• Information on caloric counts, nutrition, and seasonal foods

• Serving sizes accepted in most fine restaurants A versatile, exhaustive resource, the Chef's Book of Formulas, Yields, and Sizes also offers many informative, easy-to-read tables for quick access to facts on can and bottle sizes, weights and measures, steam table pan sizes, and table and tablecloth sizes, as well as more than fifty basic, large-quantity recipes for mousses, soups, dough, cakes, and much more.

The Chef's Book of Formulas, Yields, and Sizes, Third Edition is absolutely indispensable for any foodservice professional who must calculate costs for inventory management or determine exact measurements for portion control.