Entertaining, especially during the summer months, is one of my favorite activities. There’s nothing quite as fun as having a group of your nearest and dearest over for a home-cooked meal, ice cold drinks, and some good conversation. That said, it can also feel a bit overwhelming. Here, some of my go-to moves for making sure everything goes off without a hitch:
1. Inject some color in unlikely places. This bright pink pepper mill does the trick nicely.
2. Lay out radishes, good butter, and sea salt on a cutting board instead of the more typical cheese plate. Radishes are fantastic right now and they won’t fill your guests up as much as bread and cheese. Also, they just look happier and more elegant. Full disclosure: This idea was stolen from my friend Julia Bainbridge who works at Bon Appetit and is truly a lovely hostess.
3. Make sure your guests are offered a cold glass of bubbly as soon as they cross your threshold. Nothing eases people into the spirit of things more quickly than some good alcohol.
4. Fill your home with bright flowers—it’s an easy way to bring some life and warmth into a room and make people feel comfortable.
5. Lay out bowls of easy snacks that are universally loved—crunchy salt and vinegar chips, nori cracker mixes, homemade buttery popcorn—anything goes!
6. Clean your bathroom meticulously—it’s the one room that every guest is guaranteed to visit at least once. Make sure that there’s a good candle lit in there along with a small bouquet of flowers.
7. Set up a fun playlist ahead of time so you can just hit “play” and not have to worry about ambient music. The Vena Cava designers once told me that they leave a pair of tap shoes out in case anyone gets into the mood to dance! I love that.
(Happy entertaining! Photos by Mark Iantosca.)
