Blog posts tagged with 'restaurants'

In case you haven’t already heard, National Event Supply will be exhibiting in Booth #340/441 October 27 & 28th 2013 at the BC Connect Show, BC’s largest foodservice and hospitality industry event which brings together thousands of food, drink and lodging decision makers. In our previous blog post, we highlighted the Five Reasons to Attend the BC Connect Show. With the BC Connect Show less than a week away, we thought it made sense to showcase what to expect to see from National Event Supply at the trade show.

With the addition of our warehouse in the Vancouver area, we can more easily, quickly and cost-effectively ship many of our products to BC, Alberta and the surrounding areas. Because of this, we’re able to showcase the following items at the show:

If you’re interested in getting a quote on some of our tabletop items, request a quote here. We look forward to seeing you at the show!

Often blocks in creativity can be likened to writers block. When I experience a block to creativity or writer’s block, I often find that reviewing inspirational content helps to stimulate my creativity. I find this generally works (at least for me) because it allows me to take a step back from my day-to-day life and examine the current problem from a different angle.

With the competitiveness of the restaurant and catering industry, introducing new and exciting products onto the market can be the catalyst needed to differentiate from the competition and thrive. Finding sparks of genius can sometimes be daunting – so without further ado, I’d like to share with you the 2 TED talk videos I think are fascinating, awe inspiring (in some cases) and cause you to take a step back and evaluate your menu from a different angle.

First, David Kelley suggests that creativity is not the domain of only a chosen few but something everyone can do – to turn fear into familiarity and build confidence to create

And my personal favourite, Homaro Cantu + Ben Roche, of Chicago’s Moto restaurant, play with new ways to cook and eat food that is beyond fun and flavour-tripping.

I hope these video offer some inspiration. Make sure to send myself and the NES team some samples of your new inventions.

Being officially in the last quarter of the year, I thought now would be a good time to reflect on the trends we've been seeing in the 2013 season and present some of my thoughts towards what we at National Event Supply see for the 2014 bar season

2013: The year of the variety, glassware & bottled cocktails

This year has brought about some exciting trends. We’ve seen a greater variety of beer being sampled with pale ales and lagers no longer being the staple beverage of choice – making way for wheat beers, fruit ales and much more. Along with the greater variety being sampled, we’ve seen a greater reliance on glassware. Beer glasses have seen a huge comeback-no longer can a beer be sampled in a singular glass but more and more bars/restaurants are taking a hint from European establishments and serving beer in properly branded and stylized beer glass.

On the cocktail front there’s been a trend towards making the traditional cocktails such as cosmopolitans, margaritas and mojitos, available in bottles for personal consumption instead of having to hit a bar to get a delectable drink in a 7oz martini glass.

2014: The year of sparkling bubbly, innovative cocktails and the continuance of craft beer

Over the course of 2013, there`s been a large amount of sparkling wines that have popped onto the beverage scene – perfect for our Serenity Crystal Champagne Flute. Locally produced sparkling wines seem to be popular as well and are taking the place of normal table wines, or its counterpart Champagne as a toasting beverage.

Innovative cocktails continue with dessert cocktails making their way to the scene. Without having to imbibe in their higher calorie counterparts, tasters can whet their sweet tooth with dessert cocktails such as Lemon Cream Pie Martini’s, Tiramisu cocktails or Strawberry shortcake.

Craft beers should continue to pick up steam with the “shop local” trend continuing to be a main food trend. With thousands of breweries across the country, and new brew master’s opening doors every day, this spells a plethora of different styles to sample. In Ontario, the LCBO does a great job of highlighting the different craft beers available for Ontarian’s – often showcasing different breweries across Canada both in-store, in advertising and in their fabulous Food & Drink magazine.

Got a trend you think will be big through the start or all of 2014? Let us know in the comments!

If you’re interested in receiving samples of our glassware, or want a quote on some of our glassware, contact us for more information.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, now is the perfect time to look at your large serving piece inventory. For more than 5 years now, National Event Supply has offered a range of large melamine platters and bowls to complement our great selection of porcelain platters and bowls. While platters and bowls are nothing new to the hospitality/party rental/catering industry, Melamine has gained popularity for use in platters and bowls as it is durable, light weight, and has the same look and feel of porcelain serving pieces without the worry of breakage! Because of the high customer demand, we are now stocking three new melamine pieces just in time for Thanksgiving!

Our first new piece is also National Event Supply’s first melamine plate. The 11.5” x 7” White Melamine Rectangular Plate is great for use as a salad plate or luncheon plate. It can also be used for appetisers or to simply present three amuse bouche samples on (as seen below).

NES Item: M0962

Description: 11.5" x 7" White Melamine Rectangular Plate
Price: $12.95

With the popularity of our 16” White Melamine Square Bowl we decided to add a second square bowl to the mix. Large enough for a family style salad, the 10” White Melamine Square Bowl is perfect for serving close friends and family or integrate into a buffet at larger event functions.

NES Item: M1338

Description: 10" White Melamine Square Bowl
Price: $25.95

Lastly, we present our very first round melamine bowl! The 10” White Melamine Bowl gives you a more traditional look compared with the 10” White Melamine Square Bowl. Mix and match, with the square to create your own perfect arrangement.

NES Item: M1120

Description: 10” White Melamine Round Bowl
Price: $25.95

The BC Connect Show is a brand new trade show combining the successful BC Foodservice Expo and the BC Hospitality Industry Expo into one big show! Everyone here at National Event Supply is excited at the prospects of the new show and we want you to be just as excited about the BC Connect show as we are. Here's our top 5 reasons that you should attend this year’s BC Connect Show in Vancouver.

The BC Local Food Pavilion

Everyone knows that fresh is better. Many restaurants, hotels, and caterers have turned to sourcing local ingredients to maximize the quality and flavour of their food offerings. British Columbia is lucky to have many great local products prefect for your spring menu. Are you interested in seeing what local flavours are available right here in British Columbia? If you are, the BC Local Food Pavilion is a must see at this year's BC Connect Show.

It’s in Vancouver

Okay, so I realize if you live in the lower mainland area of British Columbia, the prospect of traveling into or around the Vancouver area may not seem like a great idea to you. If that is the case consider this, not only is Vancouver one of Canada’s largest cities, it is also one of the world’s most livable cities. That's right, coming in just ahead of Toronto (4th place), and Calgary (5th place, tied), Vancouver was ranked as the 3rd most livable city in the world by The Economist. Don’t you just love to beat out the folks in Toronto and Calgary! Still not enough? Add in that the fantastic selection of restaurants, cafés, world class hotels, and fantastic setting and visiting the BC Connect show becomes a pretty exciting proposition.

Free Attendance

That’s right! CRFA members get to attend the BC Connect show for free. Compare that to the Toronto CRFA Show which costs $50 to attend and it is a no brainer! The BC Connect show gives you a great opportunity to visit with new and existing suppliers, talk to others in the industry, and maybe even learn a few things.

The Industry Lunch

The Industry Lunch features a keynote speech from Kevin Brauch, an Iron Chef America personality and Food Network Star. Kevin, on his TV series The Thirsty Traveler, explores food and drink in exotic locations. Having spent years in Toronto’s hottest night life establishments and restaurants before making the jump to TV, Kevin has extensive knowledge of the Food and Beverage industry.

The Beverage Showcase Pavilion

Looking for a new British Columbia based craft beer to serve? What about an award winning British Columbia wine? If you are, you have found the right spot! The local craft beer scene across Canada has been a hot market for a few years now. Most restaurants and hotels are offering at least 1 local craft beer with many more offering 5 or more. If you are not offering any craft beer selections you are missing a great opportunity! You will want to be sure to check out the Beverage Showcase Pavilion at the BC Connect show to sample a variety of beverages that you may want to add to your menu.

Now that we have convinced you to attend the BC Connect Show, it only seems reasonable for you to visit our booth # 340/441. We look forward to seeing you October 27th and 28th, 2013 at the BC Connect Show in the Vancouver Convention Centre!

"Vancouver Skyline And Stanley Park" courtesy of Rosemary Ratcliff / FreeDigitalPhotos.net