Growing up, Christmas Eve consisted of friends who felt like family gathering in my parent’s home.  Though there was ample seating throughout the house, everyone spent their fair share of time crowded in the kitchen.  They congregated around a countertop teaming with appetizers and the stove which held a pot of my mother’s famous soup and a pot of acini di pepe (or ‘dots’ as we affectionately referred to the tiny pasta) which each guest mixed to their own specifications before topping it with grated parmesan. Perhaps it’s these fond memories of guests deciding what their personal ‘mix’ of the famed broth, meatballs and noodles would be which led to my general love of any type of a “build your own” bar at gatherings.

As a hostess I always seek to offer both comfort and sparkle at the same time.   Food, beverage and sweet bars fulfill these goals and resonate beautifully with the philosophies of generous hospitality and creative theming.  The notion of a bountiful food display centered on a single idea which welcomes guests in to not only be nourished but be creative strikes right at the heart of everything I believe in both as an event planner and as a hostess.  In this first of three installments of my “Raising the Bar” series we’re going to talk about the meat and potatoes, quite literally, of a party and discuss how everything from an appetizer to a side dish can be made to shine with a well-designed food bar.

Not long ago, I discussed the art of the antipasto and how to turn an initial food offering into an appetizer display that will delight all your guests.  However, there are other ways you can take the appetizer offering a step further.  For instance, by including a delightful crudités bar.  Consider arranging vegetable sticks in vases of different shapes and heights with cherry tomatoes in the bottom for a bright and vibrant display.  Serve dips in hollowed out bell peppers of different colors.

A fondue bar is also a delicious appetizer offering.  Traditional fondue pots themselves can make quite an attractive display.  In the alternative, there are slow cookers with multiple compartments that will keep your fondue and hot dips warm.  Pair a few different fondue recipes or hot dips with a selection of crusty breads and vegetables, display skewers in a tall vase or glass and let your guests get to dipping.

You don’t have to leave the fun of a food bar behind after the appetizer course, there are a number of ways to turn your main course into a creative adventure for your guests.  My favorite is a taco bar.  There are so many ways to please guests with this classic “build your own” bar.  I would suggest including two to three filling options such as seasoned ground beef, ground turkey, sliced chicken breast, sliced steak, or shredded chicken or pork.  If you have vegetarian guests you can substitute one of your meat fillings with seasoned cauliflower rice, diced mushrooms, quinoa or tofu.  The fun really begins with the toppings.  I like to include a variety of shredded cheeses, thinly sliced red cabbage, diced tomato, black olives, lettuce, pico de gallo, salsa, guacamole and sour cream.  Finally, offer a selection of ‘vessels’ for your tacos such as hard shells, flour and corn tortillas and tortilla chips.  This type of bar can range from a simple table top spread to an elaborate display and can be modified to create the most basic tacos to something truly gourmet.  You can also modify this theme to a burrito bowl bar and include rice, beans and corn.

Taco bars may be near and dear to me, but there are so many lunch and dinner food bar options you can experiment with.  A simple approach to a food bar is a sandwich bar with a variety of meats, cheeses, breads and spreads.  Include interesting vegetable options such as roasted peppers and pickled items along with more standard tomatoes, lettuce and onions.  You can get as creative as you want with your meat and spread offerings by including anything from the simplest cold cuts with mayo to seared tuna or steak with chimichurri sauce.  You can also dress this bar up or down with your bread selections offering anything from the basic hard roll and sliced bread to loaves of artisanal bakery bread.  When I have a larger variety of offerings on my sandwich bar, I like to offer sliced French bread or crostini in the event guests want to have multiple smaller sandwiches.

A chili bar is always a warm and inviting treat on a cool day.  Serve a meat and a vegetarian chili along with toppings such as rice, cheese, scallions, cilantro, onions, sour cream and tortilla chips.  You might also consider including French fries so your guests can create their own chili cheese fries.  If you’re feeling fancy you can check out Paula Dean’s recipe for corn meal waffles to include in your chili bar.  I think they make for a really beautiful plate.

Main courses always have a chance to shine, but a side dish can become the star at a gathering by featuring it in an attractive and delicious bar.  A mashed potato bar with martini glasses for serving and a variety of toppings is a favorite.  Baked potato bars are also a popular variation as are macaroni and cheese bars.  The toppings you include can make the offering more or less substantial.  You can go from the simplest sour cream and cheeses for a potato bar to gravy with chucks of pot roast.  On a macaroni and cheese bar the options are equally as broad, from bacon and bread crumbs to pancetta and lobster.

While the most well known and popular food bars are often geared toward lunch and dinner events, I have a special place in my heart for brunch.  There are a number of ways to incorporate a food bar into your brunch event.  A yogurt bar with fresh fruits and oats for your guests to create individual parfaits is an elegant option.  An oatmeal bar is a healthy way to get creative.  Switching gears from fitter options to more decadent, what about a waffle bar?  Whipped cream, fruits, chocolate chips, powdered sugar, nuts and syrup will satisfy every guest’s sweet tooth.  A more sophisticated variation of this idea is a crepe bar.  Consider lemon curd, mousse, nutella in addition to a variety of fruits to bring this bar to life.  If you want a savory and high end feature you can offer smoked salmon and capers or caviar and sour cream.

Now, of course, no brunch is complete without its drinks, and this Sparkling Hostess has some dazzling ideas for your beverage bars.  That, however, is a story for another entry.  Stay tuned for “Raising the Bar II: Beverages” and until then remember…no matter what you do, always bring your sparkle.