Dinner parties can be the most enjoyable experience or a stressful one all depending on how prepared you are. Being a chef for many years and hosting some of the biggest dinner parties you can imagine I have some tips that will help no matter if you are throwing a dinner party for a couple of friends or the whole neighborhood

A holiday tradition in my home growing up was making little danish stuffed doughnuts called Aeblekivers with my German grandmother. The smell of these yeast doughnuts are intoxicating and are so delicious warm out of the pan. Stuff with whatever jam or jelly you would like!

Everyone has had a Thanksgiving meal that didn’t turn out the way you wanted. Maybe you tried to defrost the turkey that morning? Or started the turkey too late and pulled it too early so it’s under cooked? The issue probably wasn’t that you don’t know how to cook it’s that you don’t know how to plan and manage your time! All great chefs rely on lists and timelines to execute large dinner parties and you should too.

This has always been one of my favorite vegan dishes to make for potlucks as it’s a great plant-based dish everyone will like. Being from Southern California ceviche is a dish that makes me think of sitting outside in the heat and enjoying a nice cooling dish. Hearts of palm is a very sustainable product and has a great salinity like fish. Enjoy this dish with crispy tortilla chips, sliced cucumber, sliced jicama, or just by itself! Feel free to add other veggies or spice up with your favorite hot sauce. This is a very versatile dish, and many items can be substituted.