The Cost of Food Presentation

Often, high costs are involved in beautiful presentation of foods.

Elaborate table decorations such as ice sculptures or chocolate fountains, or centrepieces decorated with fresh seafood and flowers, are expensive. The actual time for a chef to prepare various food arrangements can be a high labour cost.

Specialized tools for the shaping of food might be costly -- but they can be used for many years. Table linens are expensive, but they do last a long time with careful washing and storage. Beautiful serving wear such as silver or crystal plates can add cost to presentations, but they can last a lifetime or two!

Determine the cost of your food carefully, dividing the total cost of the food by the number of servings to determine the per item cost. You must compute portion size of your hors d'oeuvre or canapés so you can determine the cost of each serving.

Setting a budget for appetizers is important. The cost of the food includes the food, as well as the garnishes and miscellaneous costs such as toothpicks, platters, and whatever else you purchase.

Very significant in planning your menu is your budget! You should compute portion size to have a good estimate of the cost of your meal. Then, if your budget demands you spend less, you can rearrange your plans.