Expert: Kay Cole - 1/24/2010

Question
Hi! I paid a catering company that coincidentally went out of business 2weeks ago and the owner will not accept my calls. I will take them to court! To make a long story short I will have to prepare my own food with the help of family and friends and of course your help too! I need to know how to purchase the food, quantity, quality. I need enough to feed 100. MENU: chicken wings (mild sauce) and (Hawaiian), bbq smokies or smoked sausages (sliced) with bell peppers and onions, cold pasta salad, seafood dip (with turkey bacon bits, crab,shrimp,ranch seasoning,sour cream), and fruit tray. I also will be serving alcohol. Anything you  can tell me will help! And MY party is 1-30-2010 so i don't have anytime to waste!

Answer
Good grief! How horrible that someone would do this to you.  I hope that you do seek any avenues to get your money back.

The good news is that you can certainly do this and have fun.  First question...were you already providing the linens, plates, serving pieces and have that planned...or, was the caterer to provide and you now have to get those items together, as well??  If so - let me know and I might offer some real time savers on that..By the way, your menu sounds easy enough that you can easily do the prep.

Right away sit down with several pieces of paper in front of you and start making some lists:
Shopping list - Serving pieces/non-food items list - Advance to do list and Day of to do list. Think about each item (how will I cook it - what will I put it in between cooking and serving...etc.? What will I serve it in? How will the guests pick it up? (utensil-will it require toothpick or tong, etc.)

On your shopping list - make headings from where you will buy each item...ie: Grocery store - Sam's type place or food distributor cash and carry store if you have one available - Specialty store, etc.

The go down each item on your menu and list everything that you need to buy to prepare that item. Let's start with the wings - I would suggest 300-400 wings - your best bet cost wise is to get these from a Sam's type place.  I hope to goodness that you are buying prepared sauces and not making them! You will need to purchase the sauces or ingredients...add to your shopping list - often I would put something on my big store list to see if they have it...if not, you can move over to the grocery store list...ie: you might find bigger bottles of the sauces at the distributor/Sam's, etc.

I would advise getting a pack of aluminum half pans to put the wings and sausages in after cooking...pile them in, add your sauce and if you have cooked in the morning (which I would also advise) cover with foil and put in the refrigerator.  Point being that when you are making your lists - think thru every stage of the item. Make a diagram of the table of where you plan to put everything...you won't waste time right before the party...plus, it helps you not forget something that you will need. *

Most likely the smokies are going to be pre-cooked and you just need to sauce them up - I would figure about 3 or 4 per person....put the bell peppers and onions on your grocery store list. You can just eyeball these amounts and make what you purchased work...surely one bag of onions will be enough.  If you do not have help for such as slicing onions morning of...you could consider frozen.

Pasta seems to multiply and I always had way too much...but, that is not a bad thing...fairly inexpensive, so make plenty and put it first on the buffet.  I would have a huge bowl so you do not have to worry about replenishing often during the evening.

Speaking of replenishing, I would not have too many people helping me the night of - they will get in the way...if you have planned right...a couple of close people that you can yell at will work (ie: a sister) But, a bunch of friends with a cocktail in their hands saying what can I do to help you? Will only get in the way of getting stuff done.  Get the close helper to sit down with you during the list making process - brain storming helps not to forget something important.  Also, it would be great if that person goes shopping with you, too...as you might need to bounce a quantity off of someone.  

On your fruit tray, I would suggest heavy on the grapes and strawberries - think about items that you do not have to do anything but wash before putting on the serving tray!  Buy plenty of leaf lettuce as a base - you can cover a simple plastic tray and eliminate borrowing or having to polish silver in advance.  Same thought for the bowl for the pasta salad - you could line a disposable type plastic bowl and no one would be the wiser...a silver plated spoon would be more impressive unless your theme contradicts this.  When making your serving piece list...think about the clean up...make it as easy as possible on yourself. For instance, you could put the crackers or chips that you are serving with the dip in anything - cover with napkins...it could be a cardboard box - have the napkins cascading out on the table and crackers coming with it...do not waste time stressing about a silver basket or tray for these type things.

Do not forget your set-ups for the bar....if more than just beer and wine....just have the 5 basics - bourbon, scotch, gin, vodka, blend - unless your crowd requires something specific...beverage napkins, stir stix, coke, diet coke, tonic, ginger ale, 7-Up, orange juice, sweet and sour mix if you are inclined, cups, ice.

I would go buy my liquor and set ups three days before...get that done (or better yet) send someone else! Two days before, I would go shopping (make sure room in refrigerator/freezer) - that way if you don't find something, you have a day to hunt or change your menu item. Night before, layout your table - if you can (I am assuming that the event is at your house) Even down to putting the empty pasta bowl and utensil out so you can check your spacing - and make sure you do not have too much room or not enough.  I would set the bar up with exception of ice...but, have the ice container and scoop in place!  If you are cooking the turkey bacon for the bits for your dip...you might want to knock out these chores the night before, as well.

The morning of...start cooking (IMPORTANT NOTE: By now you should have a time schedule list of everything - everything that you have to do - if you are there are 10 o'clock panicking that you still have to make the dip, cut the fruit, etc. etc. -  you will stress yourself out...if you have that schedule and it is 10AM and you are washing grapes on schedule, you will not feel the least bit stressed - Anyway,. ...cook the wings and put in one of the aluminum pans as they get done...add your sauces (mark accordingly as you will have a frig full of these pans) Same thing with the sausages - you can be doing the onions and peppers while the wings cook in the oven.  Make your pasta salad - I would dump the cooked pasta in an aluminum pan and dress it in there....cover with foil after it cools, mark and stick in frig - same thing with your dip - I would go ahead and put this in the serving piece...make sure it is big enough that you do not have to keep replenishing during event.

Then make the fruit trays - two should be plenty if you use a 14" or so tray (you can pick up a plastic round disposable tray - and cover with leaf lettuce first - or, I have covered a beat up old cookie sheet (put foil on first!) then hide everything with pretty leaf lettuce! If I were you, again...get lots of strawberries or blueberries - grapes, etc.  items that just need washing, no slicing - although you might want some melon, etc.  But, make it easy on yourself...Make those up and stick in frig.  I am hoping that you are one of those people with an extra refrigerator in the garage!  If not, these pans can be stacked - and/or you could use coolers to hold.

If you have a helper, started early... and you are not making scratch sauces, you should be done by mid day. Take a nap....about 1.5 to 2 hours before guests arrive, I would stick the aluminum pans in a low oven to bring back up to proper temp...if you are using chafing dishes, you can do that in them (if it is a sterno type chafing dish) if a candle type...do in the oven.

While those are heating - get dressed - then, I am going to assume that you want everything out and ready when the first guest arrives...if not, adjust your timing accordingly....put the pasta in its serving bowl - leave back up...you will probably want to put the perishables back in cooler after prepping...but, start putting other stuff out...it will not take you long as you have already thought "where, when and with what" - out. Someone will need to put the ice out about now, as well.

If it is a self serve bar - have someone help you keep an eye out for anyone that appears to have had too much to drink and not allow then to get behind the wheel! If a family member is the bartender, make sure you discuss issue in advance. If a paid bartender, instruct them in no uncertain terms to be aware and report to you immediately if someone has had a lot to drink so that you can handle.

Hope these thoughts have helped! Let me know if you want to bounce any thoughts off of someone - or have any questions!
You should be fine and it will be fun. But, when all said and done...get your money back from that person!
K