Rave Catering brought art and flavor together for the inaugural Human Factor speaker series event The sold out event was hosted by the College of Humanities and Social sciences to explore human-centered approaches to today’s complex challenges, and the inaugural event aimed to create a cultural experience that connected food, language, community and creativity.
“Of course, they chose Alton Brown as their first speaker,” said Tiffany Boman, director of Rave Catering. “He’s an award-winning TV personality and produces the Food Network’s Good Eats. The department came to us with a vision for their pre-event reception: a menu with themes of poetry, love and human connection. We were excited for the challenge!”
The team was given four themes, then created menus to bring them to life.
Food and Culture: Arepas topped with ants, scorpions and crickets representing cultures around the world where insects are part of the diet.
Food and Experience: Comforting chicken-and-rice dishes from around the globe — pollo cacciatore with risotto, chicken with garlic rice, jollof rice with chicken, and other variations that showed how one simple meal connects many cultures.
Food and Sustainability: Striking blue noodles made using butterfly pea flower, a natural ingredient that turned vibrant blue when lemon juice (an acid) was added in front of the guests. The noodles glowed beautifully under the lights and were served with a choice of protein.
Food and Creativity: An artistic dessert experience that invited guests to explore their “side of the poet:” the dark side, love and romance, or modern expression.
“It was a great opportunity to learn about how different cultures value insects as delicacies or their medicinal purpose and experiment with foods through transformation using plants,” added Boman. “I’m really proud of how our team collaborated and turned that creative concept into an experience people could taste.”
Emily Sartori, senior event producer for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, was impressed with the final product. “Their sourcing was so intentional, and they thought through event detail. I was especially impressed with the editable picture frames with images inside,” she said. “They even had a chef at each station to explain the dishes and their connections to the event. They definitely took it to the next level.”
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