I have found recently that cooking for a large group of people is a special talent. There are many people that can cook a wonderful dinner that serves up to 8, but anything above can strike fear in their hearts. Now don’t get me wrong these are perfectly lovely people, wonderful contributors to society, they’re just not made to cook “BIG”. I’m not sure if it’s because we come from a large family, or if so much of our life is spent at some sort of potluck meal at church, but, I have been blessed with the knack of cooking good food for a high number of people. I hope that this will pass down to the two of you my lovely children but, I wonder sometimes if it is a generational thing or built out of necessity.
Next weekend marks the annual Homecoming carnival, I have been asked plan for and prepare most of the food items for the event. Last year we had close to 500 people attend the event and most of them ate something while they were there. The key to cooking for larger events is in the planning – I’ve had my main menu ideas together since the middle of December, this weekend I will (with your help) start prepping items that can be stored or frozen until the day of the event. New items have been tested and approved for large groups – new on the list this year – deep fried pickles, and jalapeno’s, and the every tasty funnel cake. If you work well on pre-planning the day of the event goes so much smoother.
Key things to remember for a larger crowd:
- Plan ahead
- Prep as much as you can in advance
- Be flexible with your plan and with the people that offer to help
- Always accept help from others – you will need it
- Remember it’s the joy of cooking good food that drives you to want to do this J
- If you’re trying a new recipe – start small and test before rolling out to a large group
