Expert: Glen Davis - 3/23/2009

Question
Mr. Davis,

I will be brief, I dont want to take up a lot of your time.  I am serving snack foods (cheese and crackers, meatballs from a slow cooker type things) for the family and friends of my special needs friends.  I have a dance class held at the YMCA for special needs people.  There will be about 40 people.  I will be serving coffee, hot and cold tea too.  I am on a super tight budget.  Can you suggest any light snacks to serve.  Food will be prepared/organized at home. I will be having a table to put everything on, it will be a serve yourself sort of event.  You probably want to know how much I have to spend, I would love to get away with $150.  I also would love to have a fruit platter too.  Any ideas you have I would greatly value.

Thank you again for your time and input,

Chris

Answer
When you say catering on a budget a few things come to mind to help save money. First of which is going to a "bulk" grocery club such as Sam's or Costco. Second, if you know anyone that works for a restaurant who could order items for you, they typically can get them for MUCH cheaper than you could purchase them for elsewhere. I think you are on a good idea with the fruit and cheese/cracker trays. I would also have a vegetable tray, there are other things you can find "pre-made" that will save you some time and can be cheaper than making them yourself. some ideas for these "finger foods" are:
taquitos (kind of like a taco rolled up in a corn tortilla)
spanacopita (probly spelled it wrong, but it is spinach and feta wrapped in phyllo dough, one of my favorites)
"pigs in a blanket" (hot dog wrapped in bread dough)
turnovers (basically a filling, sweet or savory, wrapped in a pastry dough)
"springrolls" (can be traditional, or filled with a wide variety of ingredients)

These are just a few examples, many different types of hours devours can be found at the "bulk" clubs, especially at Sam's Club, because they cater to small restaurants and catering companies. Some items can be found at your local grocery store, but they tend to be VERY expensive.

I hope this helps, please let me know if I can be of further assistance.