I start months in advance for each wine pairing planning effort. I may be a bit compulsive about it. But, I like to get many ducks in a row early on. It helps me assess the challenges as I pull together the menu.
The Basics
LOCATION / FACILITY: This is vital to understand not just how far you have to travel, but what the set up will. Working kitchen? Tools? Sharp knives? Limitations? This tells me what I need to bring myself to execute vs. just use what is there.
Our wine pairing party was hosted at a lovely home with a waterfront view. Very open area and open kitchen – but I should have visited it early on to address how best I would work in it. Two ovens, but not great ventilation (it got hot fast).
There was a small dining table that we could put some grazing items. But the serving of courses would happen on marble countertops between the dining area and the kitchen.
And yes, guests could all see me cooking and prepping. A bit unnerving, but I didn’t have to leave the kitchen to announce the food.
Occasion Type: A cocktail party and not a sit-down dinner – which is exactly how you do it when you don’t have servers. Business casual, and most people knew each other from the club.
When: The event was held in early spring, which is a bit early local in season produce – so I kept to fairly regular items that I could access year-round. This gave some relief to getting cool air in when the kitchen got hot. Timing was early evening running through dinner time.
Headcount: The scale of what you need to do influences so much in the planning and execution stages. As this was not yet a regular event, we guessed about 30 people in all – which is a lot of plates at once. We had some no shows, and some unexpected last minute guests, so it evened out. I tend to plan for overages by
Special Considerations: This is tricky as we didn’t really discuss for this event. But I learned afterwards one should. Should any dietary restrictions be considered? This includes: food allergies or lifestyle choices. I note this now, having learned so much.
Budget: Money is a tricky sometimes. As I am not a catering company, I don’t have this all tightly configured. However, as I’m not a business and my time is donated, the budget I need to confirm is just for the groceries and any supplies I need to get. I don’t buy the wine. But grocery budget influences any specialty ingredients I’m considering and how to balance that out in other ways.
Early Prep
It’s crucial to organize and mentally prepare for the work ahead as part of my wine pairing planning efforts. Below are the steps and documents I regularly create.
Menu & Recipes – For this first event, there was not overall theme, other than the consuming of wine. There was a request for pork tenderloin, but mostly open to having small bites for courses. I gathered some familiar party food ideas and read the notes about wines they were selecting. I leaned into enhancing the dishes based on the wine notes.
For example, my Salmon Mousse Crunch Blini is a mash up of various party favorites also known to go well with Champagne. (smoke salmon dip, blinis, potato chips).
As mentioned above, budget it a big part of balancing the menu. Not every dish needs to be meat forward. So I geared a dip/starch, 2 veggie starch, 2 proteins, and a dessert. This was a very budget-friendly menu overall.
Sketches – Execution of plating is important to think about as you are putting together your recipes. It forces you to think about all the items you will need, both food and non-food supplies.
Working with the hosts, I establish if there are already supplies or if we need to get them. Then research items for each dish. For example, the first dish needed a tray (they had one), the dessert course needed a plate, which was already purchased. I draw in colored pencil the dishes to diagram assembly and plating. This includes details that help me assemble or explain to helpers what it should look like.
Prep Timing – It helps me to break down what elements I can make in way in advance (and how far in advance) versus what needs to be prepped day of. I put together a little chart early on to help map this out.
Ingredient Lists – Once the recipes are more or less set, I create a comprehensive list and categorize by when I will use them first: advanced prep versus day of (why prep timing sheet is helpful). This requires a couple rounds of shopping to ensure my day-of items are fresh.
Supply List — Out all the items needed for the dishes themselves: such as skewers, special dishes, cups, etc. (This is where the plating sketches are helpful). From this, we cover off on what we have already vs what we need to purchase. If I’m purchasing, I research costs and run it by the hosts to coming it’s okay for their budget.
Special Equipment List – any special equipment I need/want and any supplies it requires. In later events, I did purchase some new kitchen gadgets to help speed up some processes.
Kitchen Equipment List – This is why vetting out the location is crucial – to know what equipment will be provided versus what you need to care for yourself. As I prefer my own tools, my schelp-it list has grown significantly. Afterwards, when you are really tired, this list gives you a check off on what to pack up.
Time Table – From when the day begins through to when each dish is served. I don’t always get to do everything exactly as planned, but it helps me keep track of “what next” as we progress through the night. I start building this in early prep to consider what may be getting too complicated, where I may need help, and if I need to back off and simplify any dishes.
The final version is on the next page under Party Prep
Master Notebook – I put everything in a note book and keep it with me. All the menu details, recipes, sketches, timing notes. Anything that I’ve prepared and I take it with me. It is my event bible – and it stays right in front of me the whole time.
Next Event: Paddy Party