Four 2024 Wedding Food Trends, from BONS 2023 & 2024 ‘Best Wedding Caterer’ Woodland Catering

​The 2024 New England wedding season is almost upon us, and we’ve been deluged with questions from couples about food trends for this year. For answers, we went right to the top, to Ryan Costigan, Chef/Owner of Woodland Catering, winner of North Shore Magazine’s BONS Readers’ Choice ‘Best Wedding Caterer’ for 2023 & 2024.
 
Ryan is keeping an eye on these four wedding reception food trends for 2024:
 
Late night food
“We’re seeing a lot of clients add late-night food, a couple of hours after dinner, during the dancing and party part of the night,” says Ryan. “We’re doing a lot of upscale bar food, like fries, sliders, flatbreads, pretzels and wings.” He’s also fielding many requests for late-night grazing tables, usually consisting of charcuterie, cheese, vegetables and dips. (The Bradstreet team’s personal favorite: Woodland Catering’s late night mac-and-cheese bar with toppings like buffalo chicken!)
 
Farm-to-table beyond the center of the plate
For many people, when they think farm-to-table, they’re thinking mostly of the center of the plate – the main protein, like chicken breast or salmon. “More recently, we have many clients who want to ensure that their whole plate is locally sourced,” Ryan says. “Woodland Catering has always operated this way – we’re focused on farm-to-table – and it’s great that so many more couples are recognizing that this approach leads to much fresher ingredients and an overall heightened culinary experience for guests. We’re often picking up ingredients from Bradstreet Farm and other local farms the day of your event, and you’ll see those incorporated into every part of the menu, from cocktail hour through dessert. We’re fortunate to have an abundance of great local produce in our area, so we can tailor menus to the season.”
 
Grazing tables
“Grazing tables are the next evolution of the charcuterie trend,” according to Ryan. “They allow for an amalgamation of different stationary hors d’oeuvres, platters and displays.” In addition to charcuterie and cheese, grazing tables can incorporate fresh vegetables, breads, local honey, fruit and anything else the client desires.
 
“Most often, we’re seeing requests for grazing tables for cocktail hour,” says Ryan. “But we also have a few events this year where clients have opted to go cocktail style instead of doing a full sit-down dinner, and they are asking us to do themed grazing stations with food available throughout the night.”
 
Mushrooms!
Ryan is seeing big demand for mushrooms in 2024. “Mushrooms are so versatile,” he says, “and make a great substitute for meat.” It’s possible to source many types of mushrooms here in New England including shiitake, king oysters, and other wild varieties that are available seasonally.
 
We hope this helps with menu planning for your own event!