EventPro Magazine - Spring 2015 EventPro Magazine Fall 2016 | Page 29

EVENTS EATS
Pop Up Some Fun For Your Next Party

By: Shana Vessel

Pop up some fun for your next party. A popcorn bar is an easy
way to add some creativity to your get together. It also gets
guests active and mingling. Everyone will love mixing their own
popcorn snack.
Begin assembling your popcorn bar by selecting coordinating
containers and utensils. You could use buckets, baskets, bowls or
boxes. If the container isn’t made for food, you can protect it by
lining them with clean cloth napkins, bandanas or even butcher
paper. This is also an easy way to bring in a pop of color. Select
containers for your toppings that are various sizes. For example,
use smaller bowls for candy and medium bowls for cereal. Gather
a good collection of scoops, tongs and spoons for dishing up your
toppings. You will also need containers or bags for each guest to
put their mix in. Paper bags or clear cellophane bags work really
well. These bags should fit about 2 cups of popcorn and about ½
to 1 cup of toppings for each person.
Popcorn can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight
container. It can be popped on the stovetop, air popped or
purchased by the bag at the grocery store. If you make it yourself,
leave out the salt. Also be aware of humidity. Popcorn will get
stale quickly when it’s really humid.
Next comes the fun part all the toppings! There are many
different varieties of seasonings at your local grocery store. You
might want to consider getting the topping spray or oil too so
that your seasonings stick to the popcorn. Some other delicious
topping ideas are: dry cereal, nuts, pretzels and candy. Prior
to guests arriving, set up your popcorn bar. Be aware of party
flow and how your guests will approach the table. Choose a
table that you can spread your items out on and won’t create
backup. Your table size should be based on how many different
toppings your are offering. Looking at the table, start your
assembly line on the left. First, start with the guest bags and
then the big bins of popcorn. They will fill their bags 1/2 full.
Next, arrange the topping spray and seasonings. Going down the
table, arrange the containers with cereal, then nuts & pretzels
and finally candy pieces. Create a sign with detailed directions
and post it nearby. Make the instructions simple and easy to
follow. They could be written on a chalkboard easel sign or printed
on cardstock and set up on the table. A successful popcorn bar
is all about the details. Presentation makes a huge difference.
Instead of just setting [