Want to know how your favorite local restaurants and caterers keep their menus fresh and foods even fresher? The answer is simple: it’s with the power of in season ingredients!
Whether you’re hosting a wedding or simply cooking for yourself, you’re sure to find reasons to love seasonal ingredients. If you’re curious about why you should choose a menu with seasonal flavors for your next event, read on.
Advantages of In Season Ingredients
In-season ingredients offer a host of benefits, from bettering your health to more decadent flavors. Let’s learn more about why these ingredients elevate any meal.
Better for Your Health
One of the main draws of cooking with fresh produce is that the ingredients are healthiest to eat right after harvesting. Fruits and vegetables contain more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants when consumed fresh versus when bought at the grocery store. These health benefits are powerful in protecting your body from disease; in fact, it has been shown that eating plenty of fresh fruits and veggies can reduce the risk of developing cancer.
If you want to protect your health, getting locally sourced, fresh ingredients for your next meal is best. Eating fresh is imperative in keeping you healthy for years to come!
Fresher Flavors
In addition to being better for your body, in season ingredients are also great because they feature bolder, fresher flavors. Berries are juicier, seafood is richer, and vegetables are crisper. Incorporating all of these high-quality ingredients into your next meal will make the textures and flavors more satisfying and varied, adding depth to your dish. You and your loved ones will love your next meal created with seasonal ingredients!
Embrace the Taste of Local Culture
In order for ingredients to be fresh and in season, they must be locally sourced. As such, cooking with fresh produce is a great way to get a taste of what kinds of foods are produced by farmers in your community. Every town and city has its own local cuisine that sets it apart; embrace your hometown’s culinary history by eating seasonal ingredients!
Traveling somewhere new? Getting local produce in the city you’re visiting is an excellent way to step outside your comfort zone and try fresh foods you may be less familiar with. This will also allow you to immerse yourself further into a new culture and get a better sense of what local life is like. After all, exploring new dishes is one of the most exciting aspects of traveling!
Support Local Businesses
As you seek out fresh ingredients in your area, you’ll be given the opportunity to support small businesses near you! Buying produce from local farmers means that you will not only receive fresh, hand-picked ingredients, but you will also get to support others in your community. Plus, now that farmers markets have risen in popularity, shopping locally has never been easier! Give back to your community while also getting access to higher-quality products.
Where to Find In Season Ingredients
Now that you know more about the benefits of eating seasonally, you may wonder, “Where can I get seasonal ingredients near me?” There are a variety of ways to get access to fresh ingredients. Let’s look at some of them!
Farmers Markets
As mentioned, farmers’ markets are one of the most accessible ways to sample various local farmers’ products. Farmers’ markets have it all, whether you are looking for deliciously sweet honey or local dairy products! Click here to find a market near you.
Your Own Garden
You can’t get any more local and fresh than your own yard! Starting a fruit or vegetable patch in your garden can be a great at-home project for eating fresh produce, saving you trips to the grocery store.
Starting a home garden is also a great way to involve the whole family in learning about fresh foods and how to plant and raise fruits and veggies. Plus, nothing is more rewarding than preparing a meal with ingredients you grew yourself! Take pride in your accomplishments and dedication to your garden, and enjoy the rich flavors you brought to life.
Local Restaurants and Caterers
Ditch the chain restaurants near you instead of supporting local restaurants and caterers. Family-owned businesses are more likely to work with local farmers to ensure their clients receive high-quality, seasonal dishes. Not only does this mean their menus are elevated by fresh flavors, but it also means they support the local farming community and may even participate in it themselves.
If you are in the New Orleans area and will be hosting a local wedding or corporate or private event, then Elysian Events Catering is an excellent option for your celebration. Our fantastic catering team prides itself on its local flavors, and we adore sharing our fresh ingredients with our community.
Elysian Events’ Commitment to In-Season Ingredients
Curious to learn more about how Elysian Events is committed to crafting meals with local, seasonal ingredients? Check out some of our menu offerings and our dedication to using the freshest produce.
Seasonal Salads
At Elysian Events Catering, we offer four different wedding packages to our clients, ensuring that everyone finds scrumptious options they’ll love. All of our packages include the choice of one salad from our full wedding catering menu.
What makes our salads special is that they change with the seasons; we prioritize always using fresh, local fruits and vegetables. As such, if you are hosting a summer wedding, consider beating the heat with our light and sweet Louisiana strawberry salad featuring baby arugula and pickled fennel. Another delicious spring and summer option is our garden salad, made up of farmers’ market vegetables and local tomatoes.
Opting for a fall or winter wedding instead? Try our roasted fall squash salad, garnished with toasted pecans and citrus-herb vinaigrette. If you’re looking for another sweet and savory option, consider our pickled beet salad with baby greens, goat cheese, and toasted walnuts. Fresh salads have never been more delicious!
Fresh Seafood
Our seafood truly sets us apart, especially our phenomenal oyster bars. Our oysters are farmed in the Gulf and along the East and West coasts, ensuring you get a taste of high-quality, buttery raw oysters. For even more options, check out our raw bar add-ons, such as jumbo Gulf shrimp cocktail and Gulf seafood ceviche. Taking advantage of locally harvested seafood truly elevates our flavors, and our professional culinary artists will dazzle your guests with an impeccable meal.
Hire Elysian Events for an Elevated Seasonal Menu
As a professional catering company based out of New Orleans, we know the impact that food has on our clients and local community. Thanks to over a decade of experience in the restaurant industry, we have extensive knowledge of how to best serve our clients with fresh and delectable meals. From weddings to conferences to birthday parties, we do it all and would love to celebrate with you! Check out our full menus to see all of our offerings.
Looking for even more options? We also do food substitutions and take requests for custom meals! If you have a favorite dish we don’t currently offer, we would be happy to create a custom recipe using our in season ingredients to bring your vision to life.
If you’re ready to celebrate with Elysian Events Catering, please give us a call at (504) 541-0091, email us at hello@elysianeventscatering.com, or reach out to us through our contact form. We can’t wait to hear from you!
