The Kiddie Table

You’ve spent weeks planning every detail – the menu, the flowers, the wine selection.  You’ve bought candles for the tables, rented extra place settings and linens, hired staff to cook, clean, serve drinks, maybe even to provide music.  Your guests’ every need will be catered to – your adult guests that is.  But what about the children on your guest list? 

Children are often an afterthought when families plan a formal get-together.  However, how happy the children are at these events can make or break a party.  After seeing many events flop or flourish due to the “kiddie factor”, here are some pointers we’d like to offer:

Ÿ Kid Friendly Food:  It’s great that you don’t care if your grandbaby drops the family Limoges, but filling it with chicken fingers and fries will make them a lot less likely to throw that $200 dish on the floor!  Plan to feed the kids early and often – hungry kids are cranky kids.  Feeding them before the adults sit down to dinner not only creates full, happy kids, but it means that Moms and Dads can enjoy their own meal in peace.  And don’t forget to plan for kids when stocking the bar – make sure to have juice boxes, milk and plenty of plastic cups on hand.

Ÿ The Kiddie Table:  It’s as good an idea now as it was when we were kids.  For kids old enough to sit alone, let them enjoy their own conversations away from the boring adult talk.  For younger kids, make sure you have arranged appropriate boosters and high chairs at the adult table.  Don’t leave these arrangements for the last minute – kids sense chaos, and the squirming and shuffling that goes along with re-arranging the table at the last minute to fit the kids in will only start the meal off on a bad note.  Take a tip from the smart folks at kid-friendly restaurants - wherever the kids are sitting, why not give them placemats made from paper and a cup of crayons to keep them busy when they’re done eating?  Are you renting tables and chairs?  Culinary Architect works with many rental companies who offer child sized seats and tables as well – why not give them their own?

Ÿ Kiddie Activities: You wouldn’t invite a room full of kids to your home for a birthday party without games, prizes – activities to fill the entire event.  But all too often people expect kids to attend a family gathering and sit quietly the whole time without being given anything to do!  Have age-appropriate toys and games available.  If you don’t have small kids of your own, encourage moms and dads to bring some toys along, or make a visit to your local toy shop and present each small guest with their own “goodie bag”.  Have kid-friendly entertainment available – kids with full bellies can often be enticed to join Walt Disney in the TV room while Mom and Dad enjoy their own meal.  Consider hiring a reliable neighborhood teenager (or two) to serve as mother’s helpers during the party.  Attending an “adult” party with kids in tow can be very stressful for parents.  A helping hand will help them enjoy your party even more – and the kids will be happier, too!  Is your family event a summertime pool party?  Ask your local Y for help hiring a lifeguard.

Ÿ Baby stuff: Are there babies among your guests?  Set up a separate garbage pail somewhere so that moms and dads have someplace to toss the diapers other than the kitchen!!!

Gracious entertaining is all about anticipating the needs of your guests.  Even if the event is formal and “adult”, if there will be kids there make sure you plan for them as you do for you older guests.  A little planning ahead of time will help make your party a big success with guests of all ages.

The Perfect Place Setting

You’re hosting an elegant, sit-down dinner for your closest friends.  You’ve ordered the food.  You’ve selected the perfect floral centerpieces.  Your tablecloth lies freshly ironed on your dining room table, like an artist’s canvas waiting for the first stroke of paint. It’s time to set the table.

Nothing says “elegant” like the sparkle and shine of a well set table.  Whether you’re breaking out your own china and crystal, or whether you’ve rented place setting from a party company, these place settings are  your party’s “jewelry”.  But no need to stress and panic – setting the perfect table is very easy.  These guidelines should help you approach the task with confidence – and remember, they’re only GUIDELINES! 

A formal place setting can most easily be described using two words – “outside in”.  Look at your menu. Place your dinner plate in the center of the place setting and surround it with silverware starting at the outside and working your way in towards the plate.  Knives and spoons go on the right (with knives closest to the plate), and forks go on the left.  Serving soup or salad before the entrée?  Those dishes are placed on top of the dinner plate.  Glassware cascades across the right top corner of the dinner plate, left to right, largest to smallest.  Napkins can be folded in all sorts of positions -  to the left of the plate, on top of the plate, inside the water glass – feel free to be creative.

Bread and butter dish?  Place it on the top left.  Dessert fork or spoon?  Place them above the dinner plate – or save them and bring them out when dessert is served.  Just as you can over-accessorize an outfit, a table can be overdone, too.  You may be tempted to empty out that china cabinet onto your dining room table, but remember – you need room for the food!  If you’re serving the soup course from the kitchen, don’t put the soup bowls out on the table – your guests will have to sit and wait while you remove them to go fill them with soup.  Instead, keep the bowls in the kitchen – your guests will admire them even more when they are filled with the steaming first course.

Above all else, use common sense and let yourself be creative.  We’ve never seen the place-setting police show up at a party and you won’t either.