DIY Craft services on location

Ok all,
I need some practical advise on feeding 20 or so people, cheaply, with food that can be delivered on location with minimum of prep. Im a good cook, so DIY is a must.

Thanks
 
If you really are a good cook you could make lasagna and bring some bread & salad; cheap, tasty, filling. Hopefully you have some AC power so you can bring your microwave to reheat it.
 
You really want to produce and cook? How very Orson Welles of you. I would settle for $5.00 pizzas and ready-made deli salads myself.

If you cook, I'd cook beforehand. Gallons and gallons of pasta sauce. We used to do this in college all the time...you can have four huge pots of sauce going on the stove at the same time, then when that cools enough to refrigerate, four huge pots of noodles.
 
How about pots of ham stew with loads of beans, rice, onion, tomato. It would be a great source of energizing carbs and protein. Picnic hams are relatively cheap. Add in some salad fixings, as already suggested, and some nice crusty bread. Yummm!
 
Hey all, thanks great ideas so far..

Yeah, so Im worried about serving hot food hot. (im a jerk when it comes to food safety, my wife hates it.. )

Lasagna and\or pasta is a good choice, lots of acid in tomatoes, and can withstand a fair bit of temperature variation.

Other ideas?
 
I've done cold cuts and cheeses. Make sure you have plenty of water and other soft drinks and maybe tea and coffee. Would start with that with pastry and bagels and then salads with luncheon meats and cheeses. Remember to have plenty of coolers with ice.
 
If it were me I would pick up a bunch of donuts and make a bunch of sandwiches. PB&J would hold up fine. I would do meat and cheese sandwiches, too. As long as your coolers stay cold you're totally fine.
If it's really hot out, using block ice instead of cubes will stay a lot colder for longer. When I camped in the desert, my block ice lasted two days in 100+ degree heat.

If you have an electric kettle you could bring that and a bunch of ramen noodles and just bring paper/styrofoam cups or bowls.
 
If you're worried about food safety, trays of cold cuts and deli salads are the way to go. You can keep them on ice until lunch time and they don't take up much room.

Plus I just adore the communal nature of standing around a picnic table full of cold cuts, making sandwiches with your community. It's a truly American ritual, one that happens in church halls and community centers after funerals, baptisms, civic events, etc. There's something about making a sandwich amongst others making sandwiches that breaks whatever ice may still need to be broken. The whole event just breathes "its time for us all to take a break."
 
Ok all,
I need some practical advise on feeding 20 or so people, cheaply, (...) DIY is a must.

Step 1) Figure out what resources are available at site. Working kitchen? Only electric outlets?

Step 2) Email everyone and find out what they are allergic (or intolerant) to, if anything. There's probably more vegetarians out there than you'd suspect, too.

Step 3) Can't continue 'til information is there.

Craft services is more than just the big meals, btw. Ongoing supplies of coffee, water, power snacks (nuts, raisins, m&m-things, paper products, fruits (dried & fresh) and more).

Keep a stack of paper cups (and a sharpie so people can write their names on their cup) so people can mix & match their own trail-mix combos into a container from bulk food supplies found at places such as Smart & Final.

I have several heating trays (some electric, some gel-flame) that I use for catering, if I'm cooking my own.

If this is for your 48 this weekend, do it all cold & prepped in advance. Or hassle your local sammich shop for platters. If you need hot foods, shanghai other people into making it. Unless you're the group's official caterer with no other time-consuming roles.

Catering is a fine art, right down to the timing. Good luck. :)
 
Or hassle your local sammich shop for platters.

This. Get the cutest girl on your crew going out to local restaurants trying wrangle free meals a couple days before the actual weekend. Find restaurants near the screening theater and promise to include them in your credits. We got two full hot meals for our huge 20+ person cast/crew donated to our 48HFP team. It added up to be $400 in free food just for including them in our credits. And as producer, you get to take credit for it.
 
man I like the idea, but I don't think I have the nerve to say..

"Hey, hot chick, head down to this restaurant, turn on the charm, and get us free food!" I mean how do you ASK someone to do that without sounding like a complete jerk!
 
I just dont have time to cook.. so I decided on using a few of y'alls ideas..


Build your own sandwiches.. I like the getting together aspect..

DIY salad fixens..

Fresh veggies, blue berries (in season) and some other fruit in the form of a fruit salad.

DIY trail mix in a cup.. (choc chips, raisins, nuts, dried fruit)

granola bars

Chips

drinks (i have a big cooler of crystal light lemonade, and diet sodas)

Seems kinda sparse when I look at it... whada yall think?
 
Add to that:

Water (a lot of people just like to be plain old hydrated)

Coffee (this is where I would try and get the electric kettle or whatnot, that way you can have packets of nescafe instant coffee or tea there for folks to use)

Everything else looks great, though! Good luck this weekend!
 
Back
Top