How many times have you been invited to a party or special event where you responded by (what kind of food are they having)?  Obviously one of the perks for your guests showing up to your party is good (and free) food.  Nothing says you have to break bank and serve a five-course meal.  Can’t cook, no worries hire a local caterer.  It’s not a sin to bring in food made someone else, especially if your gathering is not at home.  The key is to give it a unique twist by adding a special touch like the way it’s displayed or served.

Now on the other hand, if you are planning an upscale formal event your guests will expect (as well they should) a very thought out quality menu.  This means the food should co-inside with your party’s theme, venue, and décor.  And if possible, you should try to make the menus match the invitations.

Having a casual get-together?  The food should be just that, casual.  Your guests will appreciate a creative food for thought.  Finger food works great, even fast food will do the trick.  Before you begin planning the menu, also keep in mind who you’re inviting and the kind of food they will like.  If you don’t know, there is nothing wrong with asking them what kind of food they prefer.  You don’t have to serve exactly what they tell you, but it will give you a good idea of the type of food they like.  The trick here is to blend all your food to accommodate all of your guest’s palate.

           
What you’ll need

Assuming you already have the staple kitchen equipment (knives, cutting boards, etc.) you need to make sure you take into what you’ll be serving your food on.  Serving trays, large bowls, cheese plates, buffet plates, serving spoons and forks, three-tiered plates, bread and baskets and the list goes on.  How you serve your food is also very important.
You’ve heard “presentation is everything” right? Well this is exactly what that saying is referring to.  Your serving setup and presentation (if well put together) can make mediocre food seem great.

Now just because you have priceless china isn’t the end all of your food presentation.  The way you set your food up is making a statement to your guests showing them your unique style and groove.  For instance, if you’re having a night in Spain dinner theme, serve your food out of clay terracotta plant pots (line them with napkins). It’s ideas like these that will make your guests talk about your party long after it’s over.

           
Thanks for your help

It’s no fun having to worry about making sure everyone is getting fed at your party.  It’s cool starting the process as the “party planner”, but it’s more enjoyable if someone else takes over.  If it is in your budget, don’t hesitate to hire servers.  If you only need a few, forgo hiring a caterer.  Instead, head over to the restaurant you frequent often.  Ask a few of your favorite servers to help you out.  The great thing about that is you know they will do an excellent job.  If you are hiring help, don’t over do it.  Crowding the room with too many wait staff can smother your guests.

Servers or no serves, you can give your guests several eating options.  Serve appetizer size portions for your entrée-desert trilogy, going family style, or setting up a buffet.  In addition, try a seated dinner setup and a desert table buffet for after dinner.

If you are doing a buffet, I recommend setting it up in the middle of the room. This way, in order for your company to see what you have displayed, they must walk around it.  To give your buffet display depth and dimension, use different tiers of serving trays, bowls etc.  I like to use fabric to cover up and solid stackable service in order to give it a level look.  And always have your utensils, plates, and napkins placed at the end of the table or even a separate table near by.

Having a hospitable party means always providing some type of food to snack on whether your throwing a full blown dinner party or not.  Finger foods work really well for this.  Leave out bowls or what have you of food they can nibble on throughout the party.  Use your imagination.  The finger food doesn’t have to be fancy.  It just needs to taste good, go with your parties theme, and have plenty of it.  Remember, hungry guests are unhappy guests.

Cocktail Party Food
           
Cocktail party doesn’t have to equate to stuffiness.  Therefore caviar isn’t a must, nor is lots of any other expensive food.  In fact you don’t have to have a lot of it.  The main focus is the drinks.  Practicality is what counts in this situation.  If your guests can eat what your serving without utensils that is the best way to go.  No mess and best of all less cleanup!  Finger foods are a must for cocktail parties.  And not just any finger food.  The kind that is less susceptible to spillage. 

The time of your party (as well as the theme) should dictate to your menu.  Whether it’s a work function (6:00pm to 8:00pm), a late get together (8:30pm to 10:30), or a cocktail gathering with all night drinking games (10pm to 3am).  Bottom line is that the latter your get-together is, the lighter your food should be.  The latter it gets the harder it is for your food to digest. 

Dinner Party

Look at it any way you want, a dinner party is entertainment, a show of sorts.  It’s one of the human species favorite pastimes…eating!  With this in mind, treat your party as if you were producing a movie or play.
           
Factors to consider when creating your dinner party’s menu are as follows; time, theme, budget, number of guests (a few guest always bring one or two uninvited so make extra food), and the length of the event.  As with any gathering, begin by determining the theme and time of the dinner, as well as the number of guests, the budget, and the length of the party.

Time: having a classic, three- to five course at a chic dinning table at 8:00 P.M., a simple dinner form 7:00P.M. to 9:00P.M. with gourmet food and a mellow atmosphere, a last minute party thrown together on a whim,  or a wild night that begins with a meal at 10:00P.M. and lasts until the wee hours?

So now you know what kind of dinner you are going to serve, next you have the task of creating a menu that works with your dining and gives it a fiery twist that your guest won’t forget.  If you are having a seated dinner, I recommend having something your invites can start eating right away.  Bread is always clutch.  It can be served hot or cold. I like to use a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette for dipping.  Warm butter (soft) works great as well.  This will calm your company’s a appetite a bit and keep them from getting antsy while dinner is gearing up to be served.  Plan ahead by thinking about how your are going to plate the food.  This can be a simple as dividing the filet and grouper on equal parts of the plate, or as complex as serving small plates with every side dish.  Which ever you choose, have a game plan.  Otherwise you may find yourself fumbling over plates and causing dinner to be late. 

Not having dinner at your home? Most likely all the details (food, décor, drinks) will be handled by the restaurant or venue location.  If you are having it at home however, there is much more preparation involved.  Doing your homework ahead of time will save you from disaster.  This means taking inventory of everything you will need (equipment, ingredients, utensils) to make your food and serve it properly.  This also includes doing a test run if you are cooking something you’ve never done before.  I advise against experimenting with new recipes when entertaining.  Go with something tried and true.  The more simplistic the better.  Do as much prep work in advance as possible.  Washing fruits and vegetables, mincing garlic, chopping onions are examples of time consuming chores that can be done days in advance. 

Stop feeling guilty! It is perfectly ok to serve store-bought food from a restaurant or local grocery.  Again, keep it simple.  As long as it’s good…who cares where you got it!  Just make the way you set it up and display it look inviting and well put together.  There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to dinner parties at home.  Being creative and hospitable is far more important than stuffy “rules”.

Lastly, don’t glue your guests to their seats.  What I mean by that is you don’t want to keep your guests at the dinner table too long. Three hours max.  Your company will certainly grow restless.  And who knows, maybe a food fight will break out!

After Hours

In most cases events that start late at night are more relaxed and informal.  That means the menu should reflect this as well.  Get creative and fun with the food.  And keep it light, it’s hard to digest heavy food in the late evening.

People have a way of justify eating naughty (sweets etc.) food at parties.  So give them just that.  Cake, Ice Cream, local fast food you name it.  Again, the way you serve it makes all the difference.  You can make a boring cheeseburger look gourmet with a sprig of parsley on the side.

Luncheons

This should be the least stressful meal to host out everything I’ve talked about.  Take out food from your favorite burger or BBQ joint is perfect!  The great thing about luncheons is that anything goes when it comes to food. 

 

By: Michael Bassolino