The holiday season is well underway, and the pressure is on: No one wants to be the host serving up a bland and unseasoned plate. The Martha Stewarts among us may revel in the task of creating a cohesive and memorable but unexpected meal or snacks spread, but the rest of us are probably feeling scrambled right about now.
The joy of party planning is that everyone does it differently. Except for a few nonnegotiables — shoes off, please — your menu can take shape entirely from your imagination. The torture of said party planning, though, is, well, where do you start? To help, we asked some of our favorite chefs, authors, culinary artists, and food-content creators for their go-to party menus.
Finding menu inspiration
When staring down the barrel of party planning, food-content creator and “stay-at-home boyfriend” William Conrad says it pays to simply open a cookbook. “You don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” he says. “Trust the advice of experienced chefs and cooks and stick to tried-and-true recipes you feel confident making.” Consider also checking out the local farmers’ market for inspiration. “The market not only inspires the dishes I create but also influences how I style the table,” says Woldy Reyes, a chef and author of the upcoming cookbook In the Kusina: My Seasonal Filipino Cooking. “Showcasing the season’s bounty — whether in a vibrant crudités platter or simply roasted vegetables — sets a festive and abundant tone for any gathering.”
Jocelyn Delk Adams, the founder behind Grandbaby Cakes, compares planning a menu to curating a bomb playlist. “It’s all about balance and hitting all the right notes,” she says. “Start with a showstopping main, mix in comforting sides, don’t forget something fresh, and, of course, dessert needs its own spotlight.” For intimate sit-down dinners, you’ll also want to ask your guests about dietary requirements beforehand. “What can break a menu is neglecting to account for different dietary needs,” says Reyes. “It’s essential to ensure there’s something for everyone to enjoy.”
Considering a theme
Author and content creator Zaynah Din swears by picking a theme or cuisine and curating a menu around that. “I’m known for my Desi fusion recipes, and right now it’s the festive season, so my go-to is to create a Desified roast,” she says. “Some of my favorite recipes [which you can find in her cookbook, Desified] include tandoori roast chicken, Turka roast potatoes, tamarind-glazed veggies, curry-leaf-infused Yorkshire puddings, and masala gravy.”
If you want to skip the four- or five-dish spread, food-content creator Maryam A. Zekria suggests doing a themed dinner. She threw her own themed chili night last month. “A chili night works best this season, and the only dish you’re responsible for cooking is the chili,” she says. “Create a grand tablescape with the chili in the center, surround it with tons of topping options, and your guests build their own bowls.”
Prepping early-early
Once you have your guest list locked in and a curated menu on deck, it’s time to prep … far earlier than you think. Din starts batch-preparing food weeks before the day of hosting — freezing samosas, chicken pastries, and sausage rolls — and restaurant chef and content creator Laila Mirza is a firm believer in never actually cooking once people arrive. “Your food should be ready to reheat, your garnishes should be prepped, and your dishes should be labeled,” she says. Tara Thomas, a chef and model, likes to shop (online) in small amounts up to a week ahead and prep a little each day (pre-measuring and -making kits). “You’d think I’d go to the market, but ordering is my heaven, and I love ordering Farm to People,” she says. “It’s local regenerative agriculture but comes to your doorstep.” Thomas will even set the table the day before.
Catering tips and tricks
It’s not just your food that needs to be ready for guests; it’s your dining (or living) room too. Reyes likes to use fruits and vegetables foraged from the farmers’ market as holiday decorations and will serve snacks on cocktail sticks, like Gilda Pintxos, and present them upright in a baguette for a playful, soldierlike display. “I would like to see less artificial things,” he says. Maryah Ananda, a culinary artist and model, orders to-go boxes and disposable cameras ahead of time, and Conrad sets up buffet-style service to skip the plating process altogether. His content-creating girlfriend, Levi Coralynn, streamlines the post-party cleanup with a similar DIY vibe. “Set up a station with bins for compost, plates, cutlery, and glassware so guests can clear their dishes themselves,” she says. “It’s a game changer for tackling the dreaded holiday cleanup.”
Underrated but impressive small dishes
When asked what’s the most underrated but impressive dish, many of the food experts we spoke to listed homemade bread immediately. Ananda opts for focaccia topped with herbs, chile crisp, fall veggies and alliums, served with a dip; Thomas offers bread-and-butter service with lavender-chive compound butter to welcome guests into her home; Din pairs rustic sourdough with some date and sea-salt butter; Mirza made these garlic Parmesan milk-bread rolls for Thanksgiving and swears they were finished within ten minutes. “Good bread is elite,” she says. “It’s one of the most loving and caring things to make for someone.”
Conrad calls another sturdy carb, mashed potatoes and gravy, the “glue that holds the holiday meal together.” “My tip? Butter,” he says. “Add more butter, and then even more. Splurge on the good butter, even if it’s just once a year.” Reyes likes to serve a couple of dips (like the whipped tofu from his upcoming book) with a variety of crunchy, scoopable vessels like endive leaves, crackers, and radicchio. Then he likes to always include a fermented dish on the table, like kimchee or sauerkraut. “It’s not something people often think to serve, but I do because I love it,” he says. “It’s great for digestion, especially after a rich, indulgent meal.”
Showstopping mains
Your showstopping mains are (ideally) what you’ve planned your entire menu around, so it pays to make them count. Din serves up Iraqi dolma, which is stuffed vegetables with rice and minced lamb, and Zekria likes to serve pan-seared lamb chops or an entire branzino. “Fish takes the least amount of time to cook, is the easiest to season, and can be such a statement dish on the dinner table, but we tend to not consider it,” she says. “This time of year, I love garnishing it with barberries or pomegranates and fresh citrus.” For Mirza, her showstopping dish is always some sort of braised meat. “I’m a firm believer that the more hands-off your party can be, the better,” she says. “You can almost always do it the day before and then finish it in the oven right before people arrive, and bonus points because it’s usually cheaper, as the cut of meat doesn’t have to be expensive.”
Even if your party isn’t filled with vegetarians, it’s worth not overlooking the power of a plant-based main dish — roasted squash in particular. “Cut it in half, scoop out seeds, be generous with oil and spices, then roast at 400 for 25 to 50 minutes,” says Thomas. “Remove, slice, dress: a yogurt situation, a salad, some dates, lots of herbs, pomegranate. Make it magical.” Ananda says she roasts her squash with miso habanero. “It’s slightly spicy and has umami with a hint of sweetness,” she says.
Don’t forget dessert
Dessert isn’t an afterthought — Adams calls it the “mic-drop moment” because it’s the last thing your guests will remember. Her go-to is her famous caramel cake, and she says she usually bakes the layers ahead of time, then ices the cake on the day. “The key is to let the caramel topping get that deep golden, super-smooth finish, and make sure the cake is moist with just the right amount of buttery richness,” she says. Otherwise, she swears her mother’s favorite southern egg-custard pie is a hit. “Most folks overlook it because it’s not super flashy,”she says, “but the flavor is unmatched when done right.”
Conrad likes to serve individual desserts instead of a cake, for a personal touch. “Panna cotta is a showstopper,” he says. “It’s a blank canvas for creativity, so play around with toppings like fresh fruit, sauces, or edible flowers.” And presentation is key for transforming even store-bought desserts into an impressive finale. “Put your store-bought cakes and pies on a cake stand, add your own garnishes to them (like fresh florals, some fresh cranberries, citrus slices, rosemary, pomegranates), and spice them up,” says Zekria. “Our sweets need love too.”
More of this, less of that
Whatever you decide to make, Conrad encourages going homemade all the way. “If it’s accessible for you, take the time to make everything fresh — skip the powdered potatoes and canned veggies, just this once,” he says. “It’s about creating something meaningful for the people you love, even if it’s just a simple dish made from scratch.”
This holiday season, Ananda is hoping for more dinner parties centered around eating with your hands — “I think there is something very sacred and special about creating that communal connection with your food.” And Thomas urges anyone hosting to be generous with their portions — and their leftovers. “I always plan to make a trip to my local community fridge after,” she says. It’s also worth remembering that, as a host, you don’t have to do everything alone. “It’s okay to ask for help,” says Zekria. “Lean in on your partners, friends, or family, and believe me, they would be more than willing.”
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