Planning a Menu for Baby Shower
June 6, 2012
•Le Cordon Bleu
•San Francisco
• 0 Comments
Planning a Menu for Baby Shower
Is it time to plan a baby shower? What a great time to celebrate with mom the coming arrival of a new baby (or babies…yikes!). Planning a shower can be fun and one is only limited by one’s imagination. One of the main components of the baby shower is the menu. Culinary arts creations can make or break your party so be sure to put some time and effort into it. You never know, this event could lead you to culinary school in California!
A little preparation and planning can go a long way towards a successful overall baby shower. Planning the menu for a baby shower does not have to be daunting. The general idea for a baby shower is to be a help and blessing to the new mom. You can start by finding out a few things; i.e. the time of the baby shower, some of mom’s favorite foods, foods that she cannot have, or is allergic to; the color scheme of the shower; is she having a boy or girl or multiples? Answers to these questions will provide the basis for the baby shower menu.
The time of the shower can determine if the menu calls for a culinary arts “meal” or if it is to be appetizers or snack foods. If a meal, then will it be a light meal with appetizers, or more along the lines of a potluck? What kind of foods does mom like or dislike? Obviously, you do not want to serve something that mom doesn’t like, or something that would disagree with her, or effect an allergic reaction. That would definitely make for a bad party. A potluck style menu is great as long as the volunteers coordinate and communicate together. No sense in having everyone bringing one type of item and nothing else. Also, the expense of the menu doesn’t have to fall on one or two people. It would be good to have a contact person, where any questions could be directed, and any coordination could be taken care of.
Not going with a meal style? Appetizers and snack or finger foods work beautifully for a baby shower. Again, keep in mind the foods that are easy to fix, and will not be disagreeable to the guest of honor – mom. Also, get an idea of potential guests for the shower. That way, it will be less likely that there will be enough food to go around. Make sure there is plenty of refrigeration/freezer room where the shower will be held. Or better still, make sure that most of the foods can be safely used and/or stored without refrigeration.
Traditionally, the centerpiece of a baby shower menu is a shower cake. It is usually specially decorated with the new mom and baby in mind. Whether it will be commercially made or homemade, be sure to order well ahead of time, to prevent any last minute snags, which unfortunately, do sometimes come along. Also make sure of the number of potential guests, so that there will be plenty of cake to go around. If there are any guests, or especially, the guest of honor that has dietary restrictions, it would be great to offer an alternative to the traditional cake.
So, with these ideas in place, careful planning, preparation, and coordination, you should be able to have a wonderful baby shower menu, which will be memorable for mom, and everyone who attends and perhaps it will lead you to culinary school in California.
This article is presented by California Culinary Academy. California Culinary Academy offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in San Francisco, California. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/San-Francisco for more information.
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