How to Host a Collaborative Dinner Party

If you're like me, food is one of the main conversation topics with friends and family -- from where to dine to new recipes, to Top Chef drama and the eagerly anticipated Dean and Deluca catalogue. And I am constantly experimenting with flavors and dishes in my ongoing quest for culinary mastery and that elusive "perfect bite."

During one of my typical evenings furiously mixing ingredients for my latest creation, I had the idea of hosting a collaborative dinner party, where each guest each brings a food item from an assigned group of categories to collaborate on a truly inventive dish. It's easy to stagnate in your own exploration, so this is a great way to expand your horizons, experiment with different ingredients, and have fun with friends in the process.

Think of it as a way for all of you to showcase your talents and share trade secrets. And what gal doesn't love sharing secrets and gossip over food? Plus, you always end up congregating in the kitchen anyway! (And be prepared for the fact that you may not even make it to the dinner table!)

I've hosted a couple of these parties, and the first few did not go so well. "Too many chefs spoil the broth" is a surprisingly accurate adage, and you can replace 'broth' with 'pasta,' 'steak,' 'chicken' or virtually any food item. But my mishaps in the form of an exploding seafood strudel, singed salmon cakes and fiery filet (and I mean, a filet mignon that was literally, on fire!) are your fortune as I detail a fool-proof plan for hosting a successful and well organized collaborative dinner party.

1. Choose a Theme - Not to stifle creativity, but having a food theme is a good way to focus your efforts on ingredients that work well together, and help guide the meal. Otherwise, you could end up with a maple glazed sirloin with curry, pineapple rice and a corn, black bean and cumin slaw, which needless to say, was not a complementary trio. Everyone was just sort of tossing ingredients into the mix hodge podge-style, so I highly recommend centering around a type of cuisine -- French, Italian, Asian etc. -- and avoid fusions at all costs. This allows you to stick with coordinating flavor combinations, and not get too carried away.

2. Create Food Categories - As the host, you should provide the main protein, and have guests bring accompanying items. You can divvy up the rest by categories such as 'vegetables,' 'starches,' and so on. Be sure to tell them what your main protein will be so that they can select ingredients to enhance the dish, and also ask that they bring along their favorite spices or seasonings. I discovered a bold coffee-spiced beef rub that I still use to this day.

3. Set Up Stations - From my unsuccessful experiences with everything from exploding edibles to charred chicken, I recommend setting up food stations for guests to focus on individual elements of the meal. That way, everyone can concentrate on their specific portions of the dish without all huddling up around one item or randomly adding ingredients. Plus, this allows you to pair flavors that you may not have done yourself, and creates a manageable, coordinated effort.

Then, put on some music and let the vino, creativity and laughter flow. Once you're all together, it's exciting to watch how everyone works and the different cooking styles and tricks you'll uncover. Even with so many cooks in the kitchen, you'll be surprised how much fun it can be, and the array of interesting accompaniments your guests produce. A prepared dessert is usually best, but if you have an ambitious crew, I recommend sweet crepes. Whole Foods sells pre-made buckwheat crepes, available in their Bakery section, which you just need to heat, and then you can have each guest whip up their own filling. A vegan friend of mine conjured up a carrot, avocado and honey mixture that was, astonishingly, beyond scrumptious. And that's the whole point -- broadening your culinary repertoire and tastes, and breaking out of your comfort zone when it comes to hatching new food ideas.

But, whichever you decide, after a delicious collaborative meal, cooking solo will seem very lonely -- and uneventful!

— Written by Gennefer Snowfield

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