Desperate Non-Housewife

[cjsmith]

How did I get myself into this?

In two and a half weeks I'm hosting anywhere from thirty to sixty people (RSVP percentage is still low). There will be a lot of "walk around and talk to people" going on as I do not own anywhere near that many chairs. The start time is advertised as 7pm. I have NOT specified pot luck, and it's a bit late to change my tune. There will be wine. That much I know how to do.

WHAT DO I FEED THESE PEOPLE?

I do not "cook". I can make a basic meal, but it ain't party food, and in general it will impress no one. Plus I'd like to be able to enjoy myself; last time I "cooked" for guests I spent all day and evening in the kitchen and merely heard rumors later that others had had a good time. So I'm looking for something requiring no or little or simple preparation, and something that can be fully prepared well ahead of time.

- They'll be mingling and carrying both food and drink. Finger foods?
- Some may arrive as early as 7. Something substantial?
- It'll go on all evening. Foods not requiring heat or chilling?
- There are a LOT of people. Foods I can distribute over several tables throughout the place?

Any ideas meeting these basic criteria are very welcome. :)

edit: Likely closer to 30 people. If all our maybes and nonresponders show, we get 40; if our nonresponders all bring guests, 50 tops.
edit2: The party was billed as an "informal gathering", holiday, no gifts.

Comments

Various & Sundry Suggestions: Hire Help

[allanh.livejournal.com]

1. Hire Tony Berno (a/k/a that_dang_otter). He's starting a catering business, would be grateful for the work, and loves a challenge.

2. Go talk with the nice folks over at Whole Foods in Cupertino or the new huge store on El Camino just south of San Antonio in Mountain View. This is right up their alley.

3. If most of your guests are carnivores, Armadillo Willy's BBQ does an excellent job of both carry-out and bring-to-your-door catering.

4. Consider a combination of Safeway or Whole Foods party platters paired with Armadillo Willy's.

Frankly, for this many people, I'd hire a professional. But that's just me. For our housewarming, we're probably going with option 4. But people will be streaming in and out all day/afternoon/evening, so this isn't quite as big and formal a deal as you've described.

Does this help?

Re: Various & Sundry Suggestions: Hire Help

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Hmmmmmm. How much would a caterer charge for something like this? I'm totally willing to throw money at the problem, but I'm a little scared of hiring a pro. The food alone has got to be in the hundreds, no?

Re: Various & Sundry Suggestions: Hire Help

[allanh.livejournal.com]

That's why I suggested Tony. He's new, and is looking for references, and may be willing to work a little cheaper than a more established caterer. At least he'll help you figure out how much it SHOULD cost.

Oh. And another piece of advice: "Never be afraid to hire a pro when you're under pressure." Or at least to consult one to find out how much it would cost to have a pro handle something. :)

For a VERY rough comparison ... I'm guessing Randy and I will spend around $500 on food and beverages for our housewarming weekend. That will cover generous food and beverage for up to about 75 or so people that we expect to actually show up at some point over that weekend.

Re: Various & Sundry Suggestions: Hire Help

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

OK, so if it's maybe half the people you're expecting, over a narrower time frame, thus half or less than half the food/beverage, but plus manpower... *handwave* maybe in the same range? That at least gives me an idea of whether I can even afford to THINK about it.

Re: Various & Sundry Suggestions: Hire Help

[inflectionpoint.livejournal.com]

Allanh's estimate sounds right on to me.

When we do about 20 people at the gathering I help with, we spent about 150$ on food, but... this was high because we spent a large amount of money on berries, which were out of season. Take the berries away and it was more like 120$ for 20 people, and there were generous leftovers and folks were eating all evening. The function ran rather late.

So, I'm looking at six bucks a head, for 20 people, eating all night long. If you are doing more folks, it should become closer to five bucks a head, and they won't be eating all night in your house.

I like allanh's idea of hiring a caterer or at least checking in with them to see what different menus and foods would cost. That can be some very valuable information. I don't have enough experience to cost this out for someone, but would like to hear what a caterer says.