Throw a Dinner Party like Andrew Carmellini

By cbadmin on September 1, 2016

We hosted an epic dinner with American chef and restaurateur Andrew Carmellini, and learned a few tips on how to throw a dinner party. With more than 20 years of experience cooking in amazing kitchens, such as his latest endeavor, Little Park, chef Carmellini knows a thing or two about effortlessly cooking for a crowd. We took inspiration from Carmellini on how to do summer entertaining right and came up with four tips for throwing the perfect dinner party.

① Celebrate the season.

Cooking with what’s in season ensures that beautiful, colorful and fresh ingredients will be the star of your dishes. For example, this crudo di tonno with Sun Gold tomatoes, Calabrian chile and watermelon, which tastes as good as it looks.

② Plan a menu.
Once you have a sense of the ingredients you want to incorporate and which dishes you want to make, your menu will flow from one course to the next. Carefully laying out everything ahead of time is the easiest way to plan a cohesive and flawless night.

③ Practice ahead of time.
If you’re making a dish you haven’t made before, practice it at least once before the big day. It’s not that we don’t have faith in you—of course, we do—but by practicing a new dish you’re able to make slight adjusts and get a feel for how long it will take to make.

④ Keep the cocktail list simple.
No party is complete without a signature cocktail, but don’t go crazy buying a dozen different types of alcohol. Keep it simple by preparing one or two signature cocktails with familiar spirits, such as rum or gin.

By Delia Mooney, Tasting Table