12 Jul Food Stations to Set Up at Your Team Event

Planning your next team event? A lot of thought goes into the venue, décor, and program, but nothing can make or break an event like food.

If you’re getting ready for a team building event, try these fun food ideas.

1. Sushi

This traditional Japanese dish often takes on a westernized appearance in the form of California rolls, but it has a lot of variety, making it a versatile offering at any team event.

Discover a range of textures, flavors, and shapes as you delve deeper into sushi making. Developed in the 8^th century, sushi was traditionally made with sticky rice, often with vinegar, salt, or sugar, and with different ingredients, including pickled fish and eggs. Today you’ll find all kinds of sushi made with offbeat ingredients like bacon, beef steak, and cheese.

The most well-known sushi variants include:

• Norimaki – Possibly the most popular type of sushi outside of Japan, norimaki, or makizushi, is made with rice rolls wrapped in a sheet of nori or seaweed, and cut into smaller pieces. Common ingredients include tuna, salmon, and cucumber.

• Nigiri – Widely believed to have been invented as a quick snack for workers in Tokyo during the Edo era, nigiri is as highbrow as it gets these days. Known for its distinctive cylindrical shape, this dish is made of rice topped with fish that is raw, pickled, or blowtorched.  

• Gunkan – The name translates to “battleship” which resembles its shape. Similar to norimaki, gunkan is rolled and wrapped in nori, leaving enough room at the top for ingredients like salmon roe, squid, and sea urchin.

• Temaki – Rolled into a conical shape, temaki is often filled with ingredients like umeshisho, a mixture of squid, pickled plum, natto, and omelet.

• Inari – This is made with sushi rice stuffed into tiny bags of fried tofu.

• Oshizushi – To make this type of sushi, fish is pressed onto a mound of rice inside a wooden box.

• Chirashi – Or sushi rice, is often served at celebrations, with toppings like seafood and salmon roe spread over a bed of rice.

As with any Japanese dish, the key to serving sushi is presentation. Thinking of unusual and creative plating techniques is part of the fun.

2. Vietnamese spring rolls

Also known as cold roll, this Vietnamese dish is a popular starter and finger food at team building events. Made with vegetables, pork, prawn, and rice vermicelli wrapped in rice paper, and often served with a peanut sauce dip, it’s a simple and refreshing treat that all your guests will love. You can also turn it into vegetarian-friendly dish by taking out the pork.

Although synonymous with Vietnam, this dish believed to have originated in China because of its similarity to a Chinese delicacy, and different versions of it can be found in many countries like Indonesia, Venezuela, France, and Germany.

The great thing about this dish is that it can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge for up to a day provided that the rolls are kept moist and wrapped in plastic seal.

3. Pot stickers

Or jaiozi, as they are known in China, are another popular party treat. Pan-fried on one side, and steamed on the other, these dumplings are made with hot water dough and a tasty pork filling. If you don’t have the time to make homemade dough, use wonton or gyoza wrappers instead.

The secret to good pot sticker is texture. When made the right way, pot stickers are steamed on top and brown and crisp on the bottom, sticking just ever so slightly to the pan (hence the name) but easily removable by hand or spatula.

A selection of condiments can also make your pot stickers even more special. Pork dumplings taste great with red rice vinegar, shredded ginger, soy sauce, and chili flakes in oil.

4. Charcuterie

For starters, lay out a tasty and visually appealing spread of artisanal cheese, cold meats, fruit, bread, dip, jam, and crackers. Not only does a charcuterie station give guests something to snack on while they wait for mains, it also makes for a gorgeous and bountiful presentation that they are going to want to share on Instagram.

Charcuterie boards are fairly easy to prepare despite their elegance. All you need to do is slice some meat, cheese, fruit, and bread, and arrange everything on a wooden board.

Moreover, this classic starter lets you play around with an endless combination of flavors and textures. Bring in some hummus to give your spread a Mediterranean twist, and feel free to substitute regular bread for the gluten-free variety.

Why not have a cooking team building event? Victors Food offers cooking classes to corporate teams. Not only does it make feeding people easier, it’s also a wonderful way to get everyone involved.