With Daily Bread announced today as a partner for this year\u2019s New Zealand Fashion Week, co-founder and chef Tom Hishon shares his expert advice on how to host the perfect dinner party or cater for a group of friends.<\/p>\n
\n What are the key things to consider when planning to host
\n a meal?\n <\/p>\n
Thinking about or understanding how the food and drink choices can best facilitate the evening is a good starting point. Sharing the load and collaborating on elements can be a good idea. <\/p>\n
What makes a dinner party or shared meal memorable? <\/p>\n
I think setting a theme can be quite underrated. We recently took part in a progressive dinner party that was based across three households in our neighbourhood. The common theme was \u201ctennis opens\u201d, with the food, drinks and dress following suit. <\/p>\n
The first house set themselves up as a Japanese izakaya, donning kimonos, and cooking delicious cuts of meat over their hibachi grill, with a table tennis table in the mix, Japanese-style beers and sake. Following this was the French Open with croque-monsieurs and Cristal, and lastly, Team Australian Open did rock oysters, barbecued prawns and cans of Coopers, with a game of 2 up. What a fun night. <\/p>\n
How far in advance should you start planning? <\/p>\n
It really depends on how many people you plan to host. Probably a couple of weeks to lighten the load when it comes closer to the night. <\/p>\n
How ambitious should you be with the menu? <\/p>\n
I\u2019m a big believer in going strong on the concept as long as it allows you to have time in the evening to relax, have fun, and be social. But again, it\u2019s all dependent on how many people and the occasion. Sometimes just ordering a great pizza in, making a fresh salad and opening a bottle of barbaresco or dolcetto can be the perfect night. <\/p>\n
Tom Hishon, co-founder of Daily Bread, which is collaborating with New Zealand Fashion Week this August. Photo \/ LoverLover<\/p>\n
Are sharing-style meals still the best way to bring people together? <\/p>\n
I always think an element of sharing at some point is nice. There\u2019s a subtle casualness about it that I like, but it can also bring a group together. <\/p>\n
What are the things you can do a week before, the day before and the morning of, that will make life easy on the day? <\/p>\n
A week or two out, I\u2019m thinking about sourcing key ingredients and proteins, checking my charcoal and wood supplies, going for a fish or a dive to gather key proteins, making any stock sauces well ahead of time, as well as writing a prep list for the week. <\/p>\n
The day before, I\u2019m gathering fresh produce, cheeses and possibly making a dessert or dish that can be chilled overnight. <\/p>\n
The morning of, I\u2019m rewriting a final prep list, preparing everything that can be done before guests arrive, washing, chopping, slicing and organising a run sheet for cooking timings for the day and night. <\/p>\n
What\u2019s one restaurant-quality touch anyone can recreate at home? <\/p>\n
Warmth is a key simple quality that is underrated but creates an incredible amount of generosity. Whether it is warming the plates, heating a loaf of bread, warming marinated olives through or freshly roasting seeds and nuts, these small touches help heighten our senses, taste buds, and generally make the food taste better. <\/p>\n
What\u2019s the biggest mistake people make when hosting at home? <\/p>\n
Trying to cook something for the first time can be a bit of a mistake. An unfamiliar technique thrown in the mix can probably get you off-guard and create unnecessary stress. It\u2019s better to have a bit of a playbook of tried-and-true recipes and techniques that you feel comfortable with; you\u2019ll be able to enjoy yourself more on the night, trust me. <\/p>\n
And what\u2019s the biggest mistake you\u2019ve made in the past when hosting a group at home? <\/p>\n
Probably not listening to my sage advice above. A couple of stressful occasions spring to mind: my debut h\u0101ngi for 350 people, and saltcrust-baking 30 whole snapper for 150 people. Cortisol was peaking. Luckily both came off. <\/p>\n
What\u2019s your golden rule for keeping guests relaxed and engaged?<\/p>\n
Flow is quite important. A thoughtful menu and drinks that pair well should naturally take care of this. Having small bites to offer on arrival is quite key, and keeping the tempo up at the start. Once the main has been served, everyone just seems to relax, unwind and at this point the night can slow down to let conversation flow. <\/p>\n
How do you cater to different dietary requirements without making things complicated? <\/p>\n
For larger groups, keep it simple. Focusing on a few in-season vegetable dishes with a hero protein is always a good place to start. For smaller groups, you can simply build the dishes around your friends\u2019 dietary needs. <\/p>\n
How important is the look of a table compared with the food itself?<\/p>\n
This really depends on the style of dinner you\u2019re hosting, but I think a good table should be able to evolve with the menu and conversations, and never dominate. <\/p>\n
What are the details guests notice most, even if they don\u2019t realise it? <\/p>\n
It\u2019s always the small touches that are the most memorable: a heated loaf of sourdough, a candle burning in the bathroom, serving a bottle of mineral water, or even remembering who might have an intolerance to a particular food or doesn\u2019t drink alcohol, and providing an alternative. <\/p>\n
What should hosts stop worrying about? <\/p>\n
Probably just worrying in general. Cooking for others is one of the greatest gifts you can give, no matter the occasion. To be on the receiving end is such a treat and always enjoyable, no matter if something hasn\u2019t gone exactly to plan. <\/p>\n
A Cloudy Bay event catered by Daily Bread co-founder Tom Hishon. Photo \/ LoverLover<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re catering large events for Daily Bread, what dishes consistently impress guests? <\/p>\n
It\u2019s never one dish per se, but again, it\u2019s the thought that goes into the concept and how that is threaded throughout the evening that sticks with people. <\/p>\n
What\u2019s the most impressive event you\u2019ve catered and what did it teach you about hospitality? <\/p>\n
Probably a lunch I cooked for Cloudy Bay at their winery in Central Otago. The guests were seated on a long table that floated on a suspended platform on the lake. Everything about that event was memorable, working together with the talented teams of experienced people to make it happen. <\/p>\n
We also recently worked with RealNZ to recreate Fiordland National Park inside one of our venues (Britomart Daily Bread) and served the tasting menu that I have created for one of their experiences in Milford Sound on their vessel, Sinbad. <\/p>\n
What lessons from large-scale events can home hosts borrow? <\/p>\n
A lot of it comes down to preparation. Sharing the workload and having defined roles can be a good start. <\/p>\n
What\u2019s the best piece of hosting advice you\u2019ve ever received?<\/p>\n
Design a menu that requires the least amount of cooking on the night. Preparation is key so you can enjoy the evening. <\/p>\n
Tom Hishon, co-founder of Daily Bread, says preparation is key when planning to host a large group for a meal. Photo \/ LoverLover<\/p>\n
Quick-fire questions<\/p>\n
Favourite winter ingredient? Oysters <\/p>\n
Signature dish? Bread and butter <\/p>\n
Ideal number of guests? Four to 12<\/p>\n
Candles or flowers? Candles <\/p>\n
Formal seating plan or mix and mingle? Good to mix it up throughout the evening. <\/p>\n
Cheese board or dessert? Both <\/p>\n
One kitchen gadget you couldn\u2019t host without? Microplane <\/p>\n
A dinner-party trend you\u2019d happily retire? Fondue <\/p>\n
The one thing every host should do before the doorbell rings? A vibe check (volume\/playlist, lighting is dim, heating\/cooling) <\/p>\n
Daily Bread is collaborating with New Zealand Fashion Week Kahuria from August 17-22. There will be a dedicated Daily Bread Pop-Up Caf\u00e9 at the Shed 10 precinct, serving exclusive pastries created especially for NZFW alongside signature Daily Bread favourites, Coffee Supreme coffee, All Good plant milks, Liquid Lightning juices and a selection of special event-only offerings. The wider food and beverage programme will be curated by Hishon and the Daily Bread team, with a menu of curated dishes. The VIP lounge will offer separate day and evening menus, including an afternoon high tea, a daily Te Matuku oyster hour, post-show desserts and Champagne. Nzfashionweek.com<\/p>\n
More food & drink<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With Daily Bread announced today as a partner for this year\u2019s New Zealand Fashion Week, co-founder and chef…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":549488,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1665,696,1975,68881,198954,269837,169,17452,5981,2946,156,1601,1438,1445,209,269836,1345,12022,111,139,69,90,5502,4762,29392,660,180,223,1961,1865,5134,686,23644,102,1530,80],"class_list":["post-549487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-advice","tag-announced","tag-at","tag-bread","tag-breads","tag-cater","tag-chef","tag-cofounder","tag-daily","tag-dinner","tag-entertainment","tag-expert","tag-fashion","tag-friends","tag-group","tag-hishon","tag-home","tag-host","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-on","tag-partner","tag-party","tag-perfect","tag-planning","tag-shares","tag-the","tag-this","tag-today","tag-tom","tag-week","tag-winter","tag-with","tag-years","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549487\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/549488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}