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Nadine 07/06/08 |
My parent's 50th anniversary is this December and I am starting to think ahead to the meals. I would like to do the meal myself, with the help of my sibs. My brother and I used to do a lot of catering together, so I am not worried about our abilities...just looking for any ideas of what to serve and tips. It will be a luncheon, with 90 guests invited, so likely about 75 will show up. Many will be children. Any thoughts of what would be good?? Thanks |
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ellen 07/07/08 |
Happy and rare event. It would be helpful if you would let me know the approximate/ ballpark budget, approximate length of the party, whether/what alcohol will be served, whether it is lap or table seating, where it is occurring (outside, home kitchen, commercial site with or without kitchen, etc), any family favorite foods or planned desserts, and how you visualize the event. Also whether you want to go seasonal, a real possibility in December. All these affect the potential menu. For example, the festive family brunch for 100 with mimosas would be a delightful idea for some families, not at all what was in mind for others. Others might look at expanding the champagne luncheon, rather upscale but not a lot of last minute prep. My mom wanted a carving station for tiny roast beef sandwiches and dipped strawberries... |
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Nadine 07/28/08 |
The party will take place in a hall and there is seating available for dinner. We are looking at a late afternoon, early evening dinner. The site we are using has a commericial size kitchen. I had pictured a sit down meal...with as little preparation on site as possible. My Dad has a pork allergy and my daughter a nut one..so we would like to avoid these things. I am planning with my sibs and we are a bit on the fence with alcohol. My Mom likes an occasional beer and my dad doesn't drink. I was considering offering beer and wine only...or no alcohol altogether. For a budget I was thinking of between 2000.00 and 4000.00. My weddings were close to that, and my parents paid. So I have budgeted that, but would love to not have to use it all. :) I would like to avoid seasonal...my family has had some personal tragedies at that time of year and those decorations etc can be a trigger. |
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ellen 07/28/08 |
OK that is a do-able feast. I think you should look at the champagne lunch buffet for 25 to use as a quantity guide. You would need at most 4 times this amount; if you are confident of 75, 3 times would be sufficient. It can almost all be done ahead and is easy to serve. You would need to have buffet service to avoid problems with the cost of servers- 6-8 servers at $100+ each whacks the budget. But do consider hiring an experienced kitchen overseer for the day- lets all the family get out to the party. Think about a bisque or gumbo or really good chicken soup. You can substitute cold cuts for the pate (beautiful sliced roast beef and ham, etc); or substitute a great shrimp or crab salad and still add the sliced meats. The assorted marinated vegetables could be an antipasto platter or an artichoke heart casserole, etc. And it is very non-seasonal. I think a sparkling punch with champagne might be the answer to your liquor question. Is this a direction you like? |
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Nadine 07/29/08 |
This sound pretty good...I will talk to my sibs and see what they think. AT one time in my house I did a party for about 30 people with different soup...I served three or four kinds and then I had a table set up with different garnishes...I served it in cups so it was easy to carry. What do you think of something like that...or is the group too large? |
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ellen 07/30/08 |
Soup is fine for this size group, but you might stick with two or at the most 3 types. |