Why planners should lead with menu planning
Are you old enough to remember when Americans were repulsed by the idea of eating raw fish? As in sushi? Or crudo? And ceviche, which is only citrus “cooked”? Do you recall that sushi’s conquest of this country, in restaurants and supermarkets, began with the California roll, which contains no raw seafood?
It’s said this ubiquitous favorite was invented by chef Ichiro Mashita, who in the early ‘60s had a pioneering sushi bar in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo, when he tucked rich, unctuous avocado and cooked crab into a roll because he couldn’t get fatty tuna belly. Diners would strip off the nori seaweed wrapper, thinking it as inedible as the cornhusk on a Mexican tamale.
The American palate has come a long way since then. But there are always new frontiers in food. And this is where meeting profs can both lead and delight. And maybe even help overcome the ick factor.
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Recent Instacart purchase data and a Harris Poll survey pinpoint two of our top hated foods as anchovies and oysters. Let’s use them as poster children for why it’s worth building greater appreciation of underappreciated foods into your catering menu.
Anchovies are high in omega-3 fatty acids, essential for heart and brain health, and in calcium, vitamin D and iron. Sustainability experts recommend eating such smaller fish lower on the seafood chain in lieu of overfished favorites like sea bass and salmon, and to lessen intake of fish-borne toxins like mercury. Seafood Watch says to look for anchovies certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.
OK, but what about that scrunch-face taste! Chances are, the only exposure most of your anchovy-avoiding attendees have had is with the pungent, “fishy” kind on pizzas. Have they ever tried the much milder, marinated fresh anchovies known as boquerones, a classic Spanish tapa? Chefs also know that adding a few minced anchovies to a tomato sauce (think pasta puttanesca) or in rubs for meat adds depth of flavor—but you won’t even realize they’re there.
So to recap, why ignore the anchovy ick factor in menu planning? Health, sustainability and taste (as a “hidden” ingredient, especially).
(No) Ick on the Half Shell
Now, on to oysters. We’ll approach first from a different angle: authentic sense of place. That’s what your attendees want. What could be more authentic in, say, New Orleans than slurping down several plump Gulf Coast ‘sters, or, for those who remain steadfastly squeamish, elaborate baked creations like Oysters Bienville? For a smaller group, a chef-led class in oyster appreciation is a forever memory in the making.
“You help educate your attendees in so many ways. That includes the most informed palate.”
Oh, and oysters are low in calories (raw, at least) and “very good” for you, in the words of Cleveland Clinic dietician Julia Zumpano, who adds, “Think of oysters as little shells full of nutrients.” In addition to a protein punch, they offer vitamins D and B12, copper, zinc, iron and selenium.
And, as filter feeders, oysters naturally clean the waters in which they grow.
So, reasons for not ignoring oysters in menu planning: health, sustainability and authentic experience.
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Many nutrition experts say if we hope to feed the hungry future, we should get over aversions to even more challenging foods, like protein-packed insects (as they already do in Asia and Mexico). But maybe that’s more than a meeting prof should have on her plate. Let’s leave it at this: You help educate your attendees in so many ways—from the sessions you stage to modeling sustainable behaviors like eliminating plastic water bottles. Intrinsic to your role is helping attendees become the best versions of themselves. That includes the most informed palate.
Give it to them in a way they will love. Chefs, the good ones, love those challenges.
This article appears in the March 2025 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
