5 minute read

Pools to Plates | Circa TLM 2019

from Taylored Living Magazine | SUMMER 2019

Pools to Plates | Circa TLM 2019

5 tips to entertain guests in the backyard all summer long!

By Roberta Chalaris-Davis, ROMA Charcuterie, ROMA House | Photography by Meghan Rickard

Because the days are longer, and nights are so glorious that a well-planned event can create memories that will last a lifetime, I believe that summer is a time best spent filling our yards with family, friends, and neighbors.

It’s fun to encourage guests from different social circles to intermingle. As work friends meet church friends and old high school buddies mix with kids’ parents and crazy uncles, you can be the reason someone makes a new friend!

But, before you start sending out the invites, here are 5 tips to have in mind the next time you’re planning to entertain guests in your backyard!

1.) Select a Menu

When hosting a gathering, I always like to start with the menu: it can be as classic as burgers and hot dogs, or you can grill up a variety of flatbreads and veggies. The options are limitless! That is why I suggest to start your menu with something unique to you. We all have that one food that sets us apart and I know you do too. So, build your menu around that particular food! I happen to make an amazing Caesar Salad; my friends love it, and it’s always requested, so many times I will grill chicken or salmon, buy freshly baked croissants, make my salad, and I have a quick meal to share.

However, I decided to plan today’s menu around my Chipotle Dip (the kiddos call it “Mom’s Secret Sauce.”) It is so good! I grilled up a few steaks and served the sauce with freshly grilled tortillas, chopped onion, and a bit of cilantro: instant and fabulous Street Tacos! With a little homemade fresh salsa and corn salad on the side, the menu was complete. As an added bonus, most of the ingredients can be prepared in advance!

Details | Mud Pie Double Salsa Dish $27

2.) Select a Setting

Your table setting can be casual or elegant: anything goes! It’s summer, and you can make your own rules! I like to stick with a color palette, and yes, rainbow is a “color palette.” However, all-white is what I’ve chosen for today, and it is very much inspired by the two new vases that I just got. In using all white on my table, I like to add textures such as seagrass placemats or burlap. I also like to add in natural woods, for example by employing cutting boards as serving trays. I also like to use lots of greenery and floral touches for that added pop! Real flowers are best, but you can use what you have on hand (that could be either artificial pieces or shrubbery trimmings from your yard, for example.

3.) Create Continuity

Draw your guests in with your table settings, but don’t limit your creativity to just your dining space: strategically set up other snacking, appetizer, and conversational areas as well as drink stations for convenience and continuity around your yard to keep your guests mingling before they sit for the main meal.

4.) Anticipate Needs

Make sure that if you are hosting a summer party around a pool, guests know the pool will be open and ready for them! Have you ever been to a party outside where the pool was for decoration only? On a really hot summer day that pool will beckon you, and you will wish you had your swimsuit, so be a good host and have extra towels and sunscreen available for your guests to grab. Even better, make them easily accessible so your guests won’t have to ask for them!

5.) Don’t Forget the TUNES

Last of all, don’t forget the music. It does set the mood from relaxing to lively…today I’m serving Street Tacos and Sangria Margaritas, so I’m choosing lively!