A Lesson on Hosting Words and Photos By: Logan Soss Food will always take a central seat in my life. Ever since I was a child, I was taught to appreciate complex flavors and pushed to try new foods by my parents. Yet, it wasn’t until I was growing up when I recognized my love of cooking and hosting meals, which came from my grandmother.
she served my cousin a small plate, who delightfully ate at the wings with her fingers. It was hilarious to see a kid being served with such fine dishware when my cousin wouldn’t have minded eating off of the floor if it meant she could still devour the sticky wings.
Diane Soss translated her passion for food into a catering business that she started, and then established a cafe named “Thyme to Eat” in the largest outlet mall in New York. Now retired, my grandma still cooks every day, keeping this love for cooking alive by hosting dinner parties and large holiday events. I have learned quite a lot from my grandma, not only about the wonders of the culinary industry but the art of hosting. I have ingrained these rules of hosting into my everyday life, and I want to share her two most valuable lessons with other food lovers.
I asked my grandma why she used a serving platter for the wings when she’d just have to wash the dish, and she explained that the act of plating draws out the importance of the food. By plating the dish, you recognize the care that went into preparing it. Even more so, before your audience tastes your dish they first must view it, and by presenting your meal on a serving platter, you elevate your company’s standards. As a result, I always try to plate my meals in a serving dish to properly accentuate the effort put into the dinner. It just seems right to plate a meal that took over an hour to cook on a serving platter.
You must present each dish on a serving platter, no matter what. My grandmother follows this rule religiously, and no matter how simple the dish is, she always serves it in a serving dish or plate. I’ll never forget when my 10-year-old cousin asked my grandma to make her chicken wings, to which my grandma promptly got up, heated the wings in the microwave oven, and transferred them onto a china platter. Setting the dish down at the table,
You must always have extra food for guests, no matter what. Every time I visit my grandparents’ house, even if it’s just to pick up a box of stuff or if I stop by before work, my grandma always will offer me a plate of food, no matter how long I’m planning on staying. This isn’t the polite side comment of offering food; my grandma will scour through her kitchen and come back with a menu of options.
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