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Cooking for Parties/rustic reception/cookout

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Expert: - 8/26/2008


Question
I am trying to plan a cookout for after our wedding. We'll have around 75 people in a secluded, rustic setting in the woods of Northern Minnesota. I noticed that you suggested one hot dog and one hamburger per person. I'm also wondering how much ketchup, mustard, pickles and cheese to purchase. I'd like to stick to 'finger food' so was thinking of fruit and chips as sides. Watermelon and grapes seem simple enough. Any suggestions for quantity? If we're getting cans of pop for drinks, is two per person enough? We'll also have bottles of water.
Thanks for your help.


Answer
Here's the rule of catering as to how much you will need per person:
7 ounces of cooked meat entree
4 ounces of each side dish up to 3
1 4 ounce dessert serving
4 oz of grapes/fruit per person
24 oz of non-alcoholic beverage per person MINIMUM
2 oz of chips per person
1 oz of dip per person
1 slice of watermelon per person
2 64 oz bottles of ketchup and
1 quart of mustard should be plenty
1 gallon jar of pickle chips should be plenty
Multiply the ounces times the number of guests and then divide by 16 to give you pounds of food and the beverage by 128 to give you the number of gallons of beverage you will need.

Let me know if you need any more help!

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Teri Davis Newman

Expertise

I am a wedding and party planner in St. Louis, Missouri and I do weddings and parties all over the country! My brides are my number one priority as I understand how important their wedding day is to them! Any questions about catering and cooking for large groups. This would include recipes, cooking techniques, what to serve, how to prevent food poisoning, food storage and food integrity. I have thousands of recipes that are scaled for large groups and gatherings and will be happy to share them! If you are in need of professional assistance for helping you to plan your wedding, party or corporate event, please feel free to contact me! I do a limited amount of weddings and parties every year in order to make sure that I have the best service for my clientele. Feel free to visit my business website at this address: WWW.EXQUISITEEVENTSUSA.COM for detailed information on what services I offer. I have price point weddings for every budget--no matter what size and I am very specific about what you get for your hard-earned money.

Experience

Catering and parties are a large part of the restaurant business. I do a lot of catering for local parties and weddings.
Education/Credentials
Graduate, Le Cordon Bleu, Tokyo, Japan

Education/Credentials
Graduate, Le Cordon Bleu, Tokyo, Japan

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Allexpert.com expert for 9 years, owner www.yahoogroups.com/reciperequest with 30 thousand original recipes on site.

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