Hosting

a vastly incomplete guide

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The current centerpiece of my grandmother’s table.

“If you haven’t got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me.”

— Alice Roosevelt Longworth

The concept of hosting has changed as much as its hosts over the years (Jell-O molds are as obsolete as the need for ever-present high heels), but the main idea remains the same — to bring people together and make them comfortable in a space, help them enjoy each other, and give them a pleasant memory. Or at the very least provide a welcome break from every day stress.

A tall order. A “shaken (not stirred) double vodka martini, wet, with a twist” kind of tall order. If you’re someone like me (anxious over-thinker, putter-of-pressure-not-so-much-on-others-but-definitely-on-yourself) hosting can feel like being asked to make the above martini with an empty bar cart. Especially after the natural isolation of the last couple of years.

So I’ve turned to the experts, women older and wiser than myself, who’ve passed on what they learned in some of my very favorite cookbooks. Let the wisdom of Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins and Miss E. Neil guide you as they have guided me.

So stock the cart (don’t forget Vermouth) and take in the advice of the wise women below.