Food
Even if you’re not planning to serve an elegant, seven-course meal complete with numerous silverware changes, you’ll need to have something for guests to munch on. We put ourselves in the capable hands of Michael Scelfo, executive chef at the Good Life, for tips on creating a low-key, festive menu that’s ideal for a summertime bash.
His advice is similar to Parsons’s. “Do as much stuff ahead of time as possible, so that the day of your event, you’re really just finishing up and more or less just prepping all of the food, as opposed to starting from scratch,” Scelfo says. Marinating meats, making soups, prepping salads, precooking veggies — all can be done before the big day. After all, says Scelfo, “You’d much rather have a cocktail in your hand than a knife and a cutting board.”
When it comes to menu planning, he suggests sticking with dishes in your comfort zone: stuff you love to make, and that you know you make well. Family-style can be fun for a party atmosphere, and dishes that serve well at room temperature — like platters of grilled fish spritzed with a light fruit vinaigrette — are great for summer; just leave them out for guests to pick at when they’re hungry. Don’t stress about what time food goes out; instead, let the crowd dictate when to serve the next dish. Finally, it’s always safer to over-prepare for your guests’ appetites. “I always overdo it, because I’m so used to cooking in large quantities,” Scelfo laughs. “It’s, like, dinner for four, and I’ll end up making enough food for 12 people. [But] it’s always better to have leftovers to send home with people or keep for yourself than to not have enough.”