The Journey to our 2024 Fall + Winter Lookbook

With a bevy of accolades and a roster of events, it can become challenging to continuously ideate genius on and off the plate. To keep the creativity ever flowing, we like to travel around the world, immerse ourselves in other cultures and explore unique cuisines to draw inspiration often found in our seasonal lookbooks! In our industry, caterers create these sample menus that give potential clients a look into our culinary artistry. 

This year, the Schaffer Fall + Winter Lookbook is inspired by our travels throughout Japan. For us, the beauty of the land was only rivaled by its cuisine, which is an experience not to be missed and offers an abundance of delights with an endless variety of regional and seasonal dishes. Dining in Japan is a journey to be explored and consists of different cooking methods, regional flavors and a range of types of dining establishments that include mobile food stands to century-old counters, atmospheric bars, and eateries with robot servers. For us, our most memorable experience was a meal at LURRA in Kyoto. Fun Fact: LURRA˚ translates to "Earth" in the Basque language and the circle ° in their name represents the moon. Led by the gastronomic genius Jacob Kear, LURRA˚ showcases and highlights local ingredients from the ancient capital of Japan. Combining innovation, tradition, and nature, with the hope of presenting the Japanese seasons and culture to the world. 

Back home in the States, the experience has stuck with us. Thus, we drew inspiration from our dining experience there - as well as the rest of our travels across that stunning country - for our 2024 Fall + Winter Lookbook. Below are a few creations stemming from that trip and other destinations we’ve explored.

• Autumnal Appetizers:
  • Jerk Chicken Spliffs I Hempseed Ash I Mango Sauce 
  • Mini Shrimp Po-Boy I Remoulade I Shredded Lettuce 
  • Crispy Rice Cake I Spicy Scallop I Kewpie Mayo I Masago I Shiso 
• Seasonal Salads
  • Persimmon Salad I Pickle Raw & Grilled Baby Gems Cashew Nut Fet 
  • 3 Sisters Salad I Roasted Squash I Rancho Garbanzo Beans
  • Roasted Romanesco + Cauliflower I Crispy Pickled Enoki Mushrooms Baby Gems 
• Main Star:
  • Okinawan Sweet Potato Gnocchi I Crispy Maitake Mushrooms I Black Garlic Cream I Fresh Herbs 
  • White Miso Glazed Red Snapper I Baby Bok Choy I Lobster Fried Rice I Rice Paper Flowers 
  • Za’atar Spice Chicken Pot Pie I Kataifi Nest I Herb Salad I Pickled Turnips 
• Desserts:
  • Lavender Berry Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich 
  • Pumpkin Miso Caramel Bites 
  • Vegan Mango Passion Cheesecake I Coconut- Almond Graham Cracker I Tropical Fruit Salad I Chia 

Our menus are carefully designed to make every celebration we cater unforgettable for guests. Whether you’re hosting an elegant dinner party, a holiday get-together, or a cheerful brunch, our culinary creations are here to delight and take you on a bit of the culinary adventure we’ve been on! Contact us to create a menu that brings global flavors to your special moments.