Gourmet Appetizer/ Hors d'Oeuvres Catering in a Wide Range of Themes and Formats

Bite Catering Couture was founded on our signature appetizer/ bite menus. We love the concept of combining the many different flavors and prominent tastes that come with great appetizers (and desserts). Our menus focused on Appetizers and Hors d'oeuvres can be used for cocktail parties, the start of a meal, or extended into a tasting menu that can become the meal itself!

We offer a wide range of themed menus. If you don't see exactly what you're looking for on this page, please feel free to use the search bar or reach out for help. We'd love to guide you to the best appetizers for your catered event!

Having a smaller event or looking for a delivery of beautiful platters and appetizers? Please see our a la carte options below which are designed to deliver!

Our Approach to Appetizers/ Hors d'oeuvres at Catered Events

Our approach to catering appetizer menus is that each one should make its presence felt. This is not an entree that stays in front of you for an extended period. Every individual piece gets only a moment to catch your attention with its presentation and a bite or two to convey its texture, flavor, and essence.

With a passed service, we also believe that moment of engagement should not be artificially extended. We recommend staffing ratios with bussing that allows for the quick handoff (directly to a server or to a discreetly placed bussing tray) of any toothpicks, napkins, spoons, shot glasses. or other elements used in presenting or serving the food. This allows the guest (our avatar is an elegant model in a black dress with a glass of bubbly in her hand) to quickly sample another morsel or greet someone in conversation without trying to figure out why they are still holding a toothpick (or worse, a shrimp tail).

With more of a display, it's important to think about the guest experience through the entirety of the event, rather than just the beginning. We recommend more food for a displayed station, as people will tend to take more. Many caterers can put together something that looks nice at the beginning of the event, before anyone has touched it. The experience once the event starts, however, is what people will remember. A display should feel fairly full, so replenishment or consolidating it as food shrinks is important. Ensuring tongs, knives, spoons, etc are easy to use and have a nice resting space (and backups in case of drops or people walking away) keeps utensils in good shape and fingers out of the display. The type and size of napkin or plate can be the difference between people trying one or two vs. loading plates that you later find mostly set aside or in the trash.

While ordering appetizers, it's often important to get a mix of different flavors and ingredients to make sure you've got something all of your guests can enjoy. We also recommend figuring out the pacing of food amounts for your event. For Passed apps, we generally recommend ~3-4 bites/hr and a bit more for stationary displays.