Three Spring-Inspired Tablescapes and Menus

Guest Post by Marcus Longinotti | Creative Director, Gastronomy, the art and science of food

One of the best things about planning events in Sydney is that it’s brilliant no matter what the season. It’s always abuzz and you’d be hard-pushed to not find something new to see, taste or experience throughout the year. Sydney is the perfect social playground.

In saying that, Spring – synonymous with flourishing newness – is undoubtedly my favourite season. Beanies are exchanged for boardies, the city’s parks are reclaimed by fragrant blossom and Spring ingredients bring fresh opportunities for delicious menus.

Creating beautiful experiences is what we love most here at Gastronomy. Our food is always the hero, but we also like to carefully consider all the elements that surround the dining experience when curating memorable events for our clients. From the type of platters our food is presented on, to the textures and colours we can integrate into our tablescapes, we thrive on finding ways to elevate our menus to be multi-sensory dining experiences.

We recently got together with Divine Events (aka we borrowed a collection of their gorgeous décor) to create a series of Spring inspired tablescapes. Taking inspiration from the latest styling trends and the ingredients used in our latest Spring menu, we are delighted to present three concepts that you can adapt for your own Spring entertaining.

Al Fresco Dinner Parties | Modern Natural

Not all Spring styling has to be green and yellow or covered in daffodils. There are ways to be far more sophisticated and on trend.

For this look, we created something colourful that is both natural and modern. We opted for a palette of navy and teal with the blonde wood table and Bentwood chairs to accentuate the natural Spring feel.

We used a combination of mid-height geometric vases (using only green foliage for the floral arrangements) and some modern geometric candle holders to fill the space on the table.

The entrée dishes pictured feature vibrant Spring ingredients, so we served them on black plates to really make it pop. The edgy black cutlery gives this look a modern, masculine take on Spring.

Menu items featured:

Salad of roast baby beets with pistachio, watermelon and goat’s curd, spiced beetroot vinaigrette (v)

Cured and smoked duck breast, bitter leaves and nasturtium

The Main Event | Fresh Elegance

Here we used a blue, white and gold palette. Again, avoiding clichés and choosing an unexpected colour selection for a Spring dinner makes it feel fresh and relevant.

Dark blue and black napkin detailing, paired with purple kale flowers, creates a regal palette that’s also delicate and has a considered feel.

Again, we ditched the traditional Spring florals in favour of thistles and kale flowers. This enables the food, flavours and aromas of the menu to sing. Using kale flowers reinforces the food as the hero.

To give the table a sense of light, we used glassware in abundance – small votives in line with our colour palette make the overall look feel premium and luxuriant.

To add height in the tablescape, we used clear glass and sparse leaves – this also means guests are not blocked from engaging with the guests opposite them. Interaction is important!

Menu item featured:

Turmeric and lemongrass king salmon steamed in banana leaf with goji berry and pomelo salad

Sweet Spring | Colour Rush

When creating a canapé menu – especially with Spring ingredients – we like each bite to look delectable. We pack a lot of flavour into one or two bites, so we want to entice guests to eagerly take canapés off the plate with anticipation.

To present our sweet canapé items we used a clean white and grey palette with elements of gold to give a refined look. This allows each canape to be the ultimate colour pop.

White marble gives a great texture to the look and with a range of mismatched crockery it feels less staid.

Edible florals again, support our concept that the food is the hero. People eat with their eyes and this is one visual feast!

Menu items featured:

Mini black cherry bar

Blackcurrant and lavender lollipop

Pineapple lumps with vanilla marshmallow

Pistachio and orange blossom cupcake

Raw brownies with fresh coconut shards

Final words…

If you like what you see, but have no idea how to make this magic happen just give us a call. We’d love to create a beautiful experience for you.

You can connect with Gastronomy via their website or check out their Instagram page for some more visual deliciousness.

Photography: Anliette Photography

Decor: Divine Events

Food stylist: Marcus Longinotti, Gastronomy

Guest post by Marcus Longinotti | Creative Director, Gastronomy, the art and science of food

Marcus Longinotti is the Creative Director at Gastronomy, the art and science of food – one of Sydney’s leading event caterers. Marcus LOVES working with clients to create an experience that will stay in the hearts and minds of their guests – as well as reach far and wide on social media.