What a Good Event Looks Like From the Eyes of a Chef
Everyone says hosting is stressful. I say not when I'm in the picture. 😉
From the kitchen, I get to see the whole evening in a way nobody at the table does. I see everything that happens before the first guest rings the bell. I see the moment the host finally lets their shoulders drop. And I see the plates coming back empty {my favorite part, honestly}.
I've been a personal chef since August 2020 and I've cooked for 350 to 400 clients since then. So I've learned what the good nights have in common, and a lot of it starts before anyone sits down.
Sooo here's what a good event looks like from where I'm standing.
Plated dinner for 12 at a private dinner
In this post, you'll discover:
What a host does before I even arrive that makes the whole night easier
Why the best menus are the ones nobody fights over
The one thing that tells me an event went right
Secret 1 ~ a good event starts with a plan
The hosts I love working with have a plan and they respect a schedule. They know how many guests are coming, what time everyone is eating, and when the evening wraps up. {Some hosts like everyone out by a certain time, and that's completely fine with me.}
But the plan starts way BEFORE the day of. There are a few things I must know ahead of time:
The parking setup
The kitchen setup
How many ovens and burners are available
If any appliances don't work
What type of cookware and utensils you have
If I'm allowed to run the dishwasher
That might sound like a lot of questions for one dinner. But every single one of them changes how I plan the night. If I know a burner doesn't work, I build the menu around it. If I find out when I walk in, now we're improvising. And nobody wants that on the night of their dinner.
Then there's the kitchen itself. A kitchen that's ready for me is clean when I arrive. That means cleared counters, a clear dishwasher, a clear and cleaned sink, and an empty trash. The tableware, serveware and utensils are already set.
When all of that is taken care of before I walk through the door, every bit of my energy goes into the food. Which is exactly where you want it.
Secret 2 ~ the best menus are the ones nobody fights over
A good host is easy to please. They don't want to change the whole menu or pick three extra things at the last minute. They tell me what matters to them, and then they trust me with the planning. That's where the magic happens. ✨
One of my favorite examples of this... A host came to me, and all she knew was what she didn't want and what her guests were allergic to. That was it. So I put together a menu proposal I was really excited about.
She wasn't sure about it at first. Then she said, "I'm just going to trust you."
And oh my goodness. She and her guests were absolutely blown away by what they were tasting. 🥹
That's the part people don't always see from the outside. You don't have to show up with the perfect menu already in your head. Knowing what you don't want and what your guests can't have is plenty to start with. I'll take it from there.
Secret 3 ~ the host gets to be a guest
This is the big one. A good event is one where the host actually gets to be a host, and a guest at their own table.
No menu planning. No grocery shopping. No cooking, plating, serving or describing the dishes. And no cleaning up at the end of the night. Already handled.
So what do I see from the kitchen when that happens? I see success.
I love to see everyone enjoying themselves and not stressed, especially the host. Once that happens, I know I'm doing something right. It's the one thing that tells me an event went well, more than any compliment on a dish {although I'll happily take those too, lol}.
Final thoughts
When the plan is set, the menu is trusted, and the host is sitting down with their guests, the evening pretty much takes care of itself.
None of these secrets are complicated. They're just the things you don't notice unless you're the one standing in the kitchen. A little planning ahead, a little trust, and a host who lets themselves enjoy the night. That's really it.
And what I hear most after an evening like that is how appreciated I am and how much I'm really helping. Which, let's be real, is a big part of why I love doing this so much. 😊
Ready for your own?
I cook private dinners in your home for 4 to 8 guests, Friday to Sunday. If you'd like to be a guest at your own table, you can book an event on my website whenever you're ready: platinumprivatechef.com
Over to you
Hosts, what's the one part of the evening you'd happily hand over? Tell me in the comments. I'd love to know.
