Skip to content
Search
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • Events
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • Podcast
  • More
    • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
    • Black Wineries
    • Videos
    • CN Review
    • Donate
Cuisine Noir Magazine
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • CN Review
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
  • Events
  • Black Wineries
  • Videos
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
Search
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • Events
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • Podcast
  • More
    • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
    • Black Wineries
    • Videos
    • CN Review
    • Donate
Cuisine Noir Magazine
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • CN Review
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
  • Events
  • Black Wineries
  • Videos
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate

Tips on Throwing a Successful Dinner Party

September 1, 2021
CN Staff
Share this article
       

Whether you’re a seasoned entertainer or a novice, you may be overdue for a get-together. Use these hospitality tips on throwing a successful dinner party.

You may love great food—but that doesn’t mean that you love to entertain. But the last year has been so lonely that it makes sense to want to gather some loved ones around the table. It can be hard to have real conversations in a noisy restaurant, especially in a group. But with a few tips on throwing a successful dinner party, even a first-time host can serve up some delicious hospitality.

Take Your Time Planning

Hosting a soiree might still seem premature to you, so you might want to schedule something a few months ahead. Have fun planning everything down to the last detail so you’ll be ready to go when it’s time. Make your grocery lists, practice your cooking, spend way too many hours on Pinterest—whatever helps you feel confident as you prepare.

Narrow Down the Menu

As a connoisseur of all kinds of cuisine, it’s hard to know what to serve. You’re already agonizing about the menu, aren’t you? Give yourself a break and narrow your cooking down to a theme. If there are already one or two dishes you know you want to serve, you can tailor your theme to that. If not, these ideas might help you brainstorm:

  • Soul food
  • Caribbean
  • Southern
  • Cajun
  • Ethiopian
  • Tapas
  • Breakfast for dinner
  • Locally sourced
  • Comfort food
  • Childhood favorites
  • Friendsgiving anytime
  • Movie-inspired

RELATED: Jake & Jazz Smollett’s New Lifestyle Series Brings Hospitality Home on CLEO TV

One of the most valuable tips on throwing a successful dinner party? Plan a varied menu. Just because you’re vegan or on a gluten-free diet doesn’t mean the rest of your guests are. Make sure to be inclusive with an array of dishes that will appeal to the diners.

Strategize the Seating

Your dining room might not have been getting a lot of use lately. It’s a good time to assess it with a fresh eye. Just because your dining set came with eight chairs doesn’t mean you have to use them all. You can limit your guest list to four or six. This way, the group can interact more easily. And as far as a seating chart, skip it. Your group is small enough to mix on its own.

  • under Etiquette Etiquette in Public Places
  • Aiyana Victoria Mathews in Japan
    under Travel Tips for African American Travelers in Japan
  • under Food & Drink Saluting the Vinous Odyssey of Zimbabwean Wine Whiz Job Jovo
  • Tea party
    under Lifestyle Tea Party Etiquette
Share this article
CN Staff

A diverse group of global journalists who love to write and talk about all things food, wine and travel.

Related Articles

Loading...
Bay area entrepreneur Shonda Scott
Lifestyle

Food and Family are Recipe to Shonda Scott’s Community Connections

Lifestyle

Cuisine Noir Celebrates 10-Year Milestone

Lifestyle

With the World as Her Muse: Celebrity Designer Nikki Chu Talks Style and Space

Be the first to know about the latest online, industry updates, world news, events and promotions that connect the African diaspora through food, drink and travel.

    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising

    #IAmCuisineNoir

    This site participates in affiliate programs. See our full disclosure for more information.

    © 2022 The Global Food and Drink Initiative d/b/a Cuisine Noir Magazine. Privacy
    Site by ACS Digital

    Any unauthorized duplication, download or reprint of images or content from this website for promotional or commercial use is strictly prohibited without written permission from The Global Food and Drink Initiative. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Trademark pending.

    YES!  We’re excited you are signing up too!  

    Get ready to receive our weekly newsletter about:

    • New articles online
    • World news and industry happenings throughout the African Diaspora
    • Mouthwatering recipes
    • Promotions and giveaways

    Right in your inbox!