Expert Chris Sim, who cooks community meals for more than 2,000 people every year, says hosts need to learn to delegate, not sweat the small stuff and create a meal ‘timeline’.
He honed his expert know-how for putting on a foodie event by volunteering in the UK with FoodCycle for the last six years. The charity aims to reduce food poverty and social isolation with community meals—and Chris transforms surplus food into restaurant-standard meals, inspired by cuisines from around the world.
Much like the contestants on Top Chef, when Chris and his fellow volunteers turn up each Saturday, they have no idea what surplus ingredients they will receive until they enter their community kitchen. They then only have three hours to create three courses for 40-50 guests.
Pre-planning is essential when you cook for a big party. Creating a timeline of preparation can help create a process that should get everything served on time. The timeline could include everything from when the food needs to go into the oven to dressing the table, chopping and food preparation, and chilling the wine.
“When you are preparing food and a lovely occasion for many people, as soon as you relinquish a little bit of control, things tend to run a lot smoother,” said the chef from London, England.
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“From the outset, pull in helpers and give a few tasks for others to own while you can focus on what you’re best at.
Sim’s dinner party advice comes as a new poll of 2,000 adults found 72% of people enjoy hosting dinner parties.
The survey from OnePoll, also asked what qualities make a good host or hostess and 74% believed ‘being welcoming’ was important. Likewise, 64% said ‘being relaxed’ was crucial. Being attentive was most important for over half of respondents.
Not surprisingly, when it comes to hosting a great dinner party, the quality of food is a top trait for 57%.
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The poll was commissioned by the community dining charity, FoodCycle, which hopes to rally home chefs and dinner party hosts to help meet their target of engaging 10,000 volunteers.
They found that 23% would like to extend their hosting or cooking skills by sharing them with the local community.
“Over the last year, we’ve seen a 59% increase in the number of community meals being served,” said CEO Mary McGrath. “Volunteers Week, which started June 1, presents the perfect time for people to get more involved.”
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Chris’s Top Tips for Hosting the Perfect Dinner Party:
- Collaboration enables delegation. Pool ideas from different people, then get people to buy into a shared vision for a meal. It will make those helping you more motivated.
- Don’t fret about the smallest details – as long as it’s done with love and care, your guests will appreciate it.
- Pre-planning is key when you have many mouths to feed. Creating a timeline of prep can help to create a smooth process to getting everything served on time.
- Utilize ideas from your travels or family and friends from other parts of the world. Try to remember a dish, flavor combination, or ingredient that made your vacation that little bit more memorable.
- Try to smile, relax, and even have a laugh during the process. You’re more likely to enjoy cooking, which will translate into a more memorable event.