Hosting Summer Parties: Tips from a Professional Chef
Labor Day has officially passed and summer, as we all mark it, has come to a close. It's a big sigh of relief for me because even though my entire year is pretty packed, summer really is the busiest time for me professionally and personally. At the end of summer I can reflect and take stock on what works really well for
hosting the perfect party. I've posted before on this subject but there are a few things that stood out to me summer 2019 that I wanted to share with you. Beyond the standard things to know--the date, time, number of guests, buffet vs. sit down—there are a few other things to consider when hosting a party.
This post is meant to be useful to professional private chefs and anyone interested in hosting a great party. With each tip I'll give two versions of my advice. For hosting a great party for friends and family, I'll use the end of summer party I hosted for my kids. Their birthdays are in January, May, and July. I wanted to celebrate each of them and they each wanted a "do over" of their birthdays so we decided to have an un-birthday party. Bear in mind, I had just gotten through organizing four large professional parties for my client, and a small wedding. While it's a lot on anyone's plate if anyone could pull it off, it was me.
Hosting Summer Parties: Theme
Professional Event: When you plan a party you really want to think about the theme as an experience. What experience do you want your guests to have? In deciding the theme, if you're working professionally, you need to know from the client what type of event you are hosting. Are the guests close friends? Are they work colleagues? New neighbors? Is this a celebration or a get together? Having a firm understanding of this concept and discussing it with the host/client is an important step to creating the menu, giving feedback on decor, and deciding the little things like whether drinks will be served vs. an open bar, whether toasts need to be a scheduled part of the evening or impromptu. By understanding the guests and the nature of the event, you'll be able to direct food and beverage in line with the general theme of the party and really hit a home run on creating an experience.
Personal Event: The theme is no less important to helping you host the perfect party. In the case of my un-birthday party, in a word I really wanted everyone to just have fun. I knew that to make the event fun for adults and kids we would need a lot of space where there can be noise and messy activities (silly string, paddle ball, pinatas), and also a space where adults could gather with a cocktail and have a laugh while the kids played. We went back and forth between using the very large yard of our summer house in the Hamptons vs. the spacious courtyard of our apartment complex in Manhattan. At the end of the day we chose Manhattan because it would be more convenient for guests and it was really the right decision. The space was perfect with lawn areas, large dinning tables and settees for one on one or small group interactions.
Hosting Summer Parties: Arrival
Professional Event: This tip is key! First, consider parking. For large professional events this may take time and you may need to hire valets in advance and work out where guests can park. Take a look at the space where guests are arriving and ask: what do the guests see when they arrive? Personally, I want to know where the restroom is, where I can get a drink, a small snack (hors d'ouevres are so important because guests may have been travelling or not had anything to eat yet that day) and if there's somewhere to mingle and get comfortable before things get officially started. Keeping that in mind I enter the party space and see if I can easily locate those things. If not, I rearrange. Also consider, when at the door who greets the
guests? By and large most of these considerations can be handled quickly and efficiently but addressing them prior to the party starting is important to a successful event.
Personal Event: In my case everyone knows parking is a challenge in NYC and I had a few guests driving in. Our building has a garage but the gate has been having issues. There were solutions to these problems but I thought of them in advance and getting in and out of parking for the party was made easy for that. Because we were using a semi-public space I wanted it to be clear where the party was even though we effectively used much more space we made sure to set a large table with balloons and decor to make it obvious where guests could gather upon arrival. We had drinks available for self-serve and veggie platters, chips and dip, and shrimp cocktail available to snack on. I was manning the grill just outside of the gates so we made sure to set up some food and beverages at "my station" where a few guests hung out (there's a great waterfront view) until the main event.
Hosting Summer Parties: Signature Item
This tips holds the same for a professional or personal event. For professional events this summer I made a passion fruit wine sparkler (and virgin version) that guests absolutely loved. It was fresh and pretty and added to the experience. For hors d'oeuvres I like to serve shots of cold soup in small glasses. Again, just put a little bit of thought into it and it will make your party. Last year for Lynette's birthday I created a signature cocktail using some of her favorite ingredients, see video here and check out Somatcha Sparklers for additional ideas.
Hosting Summer Parties: Equipment
Preparation is everything. It surprised my wife a bit when we started floating the unbirhtday party idea in May that I started to think about and purchase the right equipment. We needed grill tools, charcoal, a cooler, etc. What we did purchase well in advance was a saving grace in August when we literally had one morning to make final purchases and pull the party together returning to Manhattan just before the event. Professionally, you're likely hosting a larger event and will need to consider your glassware, bringing in extra tables, linens, etc. Again, have a list and review and revise up until the event.
Hosting Summer Parties: Ice is Everything
Ice, ice, baby. You need it. Absolutely. Almost everything you serve at a summer party is best served cold. Desserts are creamy and frozen, soups are cold, meats that need to be grilled generally need to be on ice first and of course, you need plenty of clean ice for your cocktails. Don't underestimate the need for extra bags of ice, coolers, etc.
Closing thoughts on this very long post, when you're hosting a party invite cool people. It's great to have those guests who arrive early to help prepare and stay later to organize the clean up. The people who help you greet guests and have a great time. As I always say, have fun!
