Choosing a menu for a holiday party can be daunting for some people, but by following a few guidelines you can make your party a success this year. Below, tips for choosing a menu for your 2010 holiday party.
Know your group--If your group has many children, either keep the menu kid-friendly or serve the kids their own food and serve the adults something more grownup. If your group is mostly older people, guests won't eat as much as a gathering where hungry young people are present.
Decide what kind of event you want--The simplest events are cocktail or hors d'oeuvres parties, dessert buffets or cookie exchanges, and one-dish meal buffets such as lasagna with salad and dessert. One-dish meal events and cookie exchanges are best for more informal gatherings. Finger foods or dessert buffets are more elegant because they can be served on nice trays or platters. If you opt for a one-dish meal event for family or close friends, you can serve from the kitchen or on a table or sideboard from attractive roasters, stockpots, or earthenware to make the meal more special. Sit-down dinners without help are best only for small groups.
Decide if you will serve hot foods--Along the same lines, decide if you want to serve any hot foods, whether hot hors d'oeuvres or a hot dish. Most guests appreciate a mix of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres at a finger foods event. For any hot foods, the most elegant presentation is to use a chafing dish as the little flame of the sterno and the lid keep the food warm for about 3 hours. Caveats: make sure no small children mess with the flame under the chafing dish and put a tablecloth under any chafing dish to protect your table or sideboard. Chafing dishes are widely available in stores at holiday time or if you need a big one or don't want to buy one you can rent one from a rentals company (though once you buy a chafing dish they're great for entertaining with hot foods anytime of year).
Decide a time for your party--A 6:30--7:30pm start time may tend to send the message that you expect to feed your guests for the evening while a later start time sends the opposite message. If you want to provide only light bites, an 8pm start time is better for adults. If you know your guests will be attending several events in one evening or you don't want to take charge of feeding them for the evening, you can specify in your invitation that only light bites or dessert or whatever will be served. A daytime holiday gathering (before around 1pm) such as a brunch, lunch, or breakfast is more geared toward heartier fare than light bites. It's best to specify in your invitation what type of gathering you're hosting, such as "brunch," "lasagna," "finger foods,"or whatever so guests understand what to expect.
Exotic cuisines are best for younger (20s and 30s) event-goers--If you're hosting a holiday gathering where older people will also be present, remember that they generally don't care for exotic fare at holiday time and will appreciate more traditional foods for them.
After you choose a menu, type and print it, then review it to see that you don't have two chicken dishes, for instance, and that you have a good mix of types of foods and that not everything is the same color. And show it to someone else to see if they agree. If necessary, make changes. We were present at an open house last year (not clients!) where all the food was beige or white on white plates, so it didn't look very appealing.
Enjoy!
Kristina
Kristina Ríos de Lumbreras, Ph.D.
Director of Sales & Operations
Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
(281) 796-9841
Know your group--If your group has many children, either keep the menu kid-friendly or serve the kids their own food and serve the adults something more grownup. If your group is mostly older people, guests won't eat as much as a gathering where hungry young people are present.
Decide what kind of event you want--The simplest events are cocktail or hors d'oeuvres parties, dessert buffets or cookie exchanges, and one-dish meal buffets such as lasagna with salad and dessert. One-dish meal events and cookie exchanges are best for more informal gatherings. Finger foods or dessert buffets are more elegant because they can be served on nice trays or platters. If you opt for a one-dish meal event for family or close friends, you can serve from the kitchen or on a table or sideboard from attractive roasters, stockpots, or earthenware to make the meal more special. Sit-down dinners without help are best only for small groups.
Decide if you will serve hot foods--Along the same lines, decide if you want to serve any hot foods, whether hot hors d'oeuvres or a hot dish. Most guests appreciate a mix of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres at a finger foods event. For any hot foods, the most elegant presentation is to use a chafing dish as the little flame of the sterno and the lid keep the food warm for about 3 hours. Caveats: make sure no small children mess with the flame under the chafing dish and put a tablecloth under any chafing dish to protect your table or sideboard. Chafing dishes are widely available in stores at holiday time or if you need a big one or don't want to buy one you can rent one from a rentals company (though once you buy a chafing dish they're great for entertaining with hot foods anytime of year).
Decide a time for your party--A 6:30--7:30pm start time may tend to send the message that you expect to feed your guests for the evening while a later start time sends the opposite message. If you want to provide only light bites, an 8pm start time is better for adults. If you know your guests will be attending several events in one evening or you don't want to take charge of feeding them for the evening, you can specify in your invitation that only light bites or dessert or whatever will be served. A daytime holiday gathering (before around 1pm) such as a brunch, lunch, or breakfast is more geared toward heartier fare than light bites. It's best to specify in your invitation what type of gathering you're hosting, such as "brunch," "lasagna," "finger foods,"or whatever so guests understand what to expect.
Exotic cuisines are best for younger (20s and 30s) event-goers--If you're hosting a holiday gathering where older people will also be present, remember that they generally don't care for exotic fare at holiday time and will appreciate more traditional foods for them.
After you choose a menu, type and print it, then review it to see that you don't have two chicken dishes, for instance, and that you have a good mix of types of foods and that not everything is the same color. And show it to someone else to see if they agree. If necessary, make changes. We were present at an open house last year (not clients!) where all the food was beige or white on white plates, so it didn't look very appealing.
Enjoy!
Kristina
Kristina Ríos de Lumbreras, Ph.D.
Director of Sales & Operations
Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
(281) 796-9841
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