’Tis the season for entertaining! Unfortunately, this time of the year can also usher in thoroughly unwelcome and uninvited seasonal stressors that come with pulling off a Santa-worthy cocktail party or dinner. Sebastien and Sheila Centner, the husband and wife behind the event planning company Eatertainment, walk the talk. In work and life, they create welcoming, spectacular events where guests and hosts can celebrate together. Who better to ask for holiday entertaining advice?

KL: Entertaining can be hard for people who live in small spaces. Any ideas for accommodating more guests than your home can comfortably hold?

Sebastien: We recommend adjusting the type of event you are hosting to fit the space. For example, if you can only seat four to six people at your kitchen or dining table and you plan on hosting more than this number, consider moving to a cocktail party format, which lends itself to accommodating more standing guests than you can seat.

Sheila: Another option is to set up a buffet meal in the kitchen, where everyone can help themselves and then sit in smaller groups throughout. Apartment and condo buildings often have a common space that can be booked for a private event, or you can host in the private dining room of a local restaurant, small venue space or local hotel. Entertaining groups can get expensive, so don’t be afraid to team up with friends or family. If your friend has the space and you’re ready to do the heavy lifting on the rest, it’s a match made in dinner party heaven!

KL: Sometimes hosts like to enjoy their parties without doing all the work involved. When is it smart to bring in catering, servers or bartenders?

Sebastien: Hiring a caterer or staff will make the host’s job easier, but this can increase your costs substantially. Keeping ease and budget in mind, hiring a single server who can help prep, serve, clear and clean can be a huge help. Even a single set of hands will make a huge difference. When your group is larger than six to eight people and you are hosting a cocktail party, consider hiring a single bartender to handle all the drinks. No budget for staff? Choose food that you can cook a day in advance, then warm or finish it off as guests arrive. Batch-make your cocktails so guests can help themselves. We like to use rental glassware and dishes – it’s a luxury, as you can send it all back dirty.

 

Photography, Eatertainment

KL: What holiday tabletop decor will last through the season, from mid-December to early January?

Sheila: A garland can last right through the winter season and is super versatile. Instead of using a traditional garland, use a magnolia garland and get it in smaller sections of three to four feet; you can use it on a larger area like a dining table centrepiece or mantel, or you can split it up and spread it around on two adjacent coffee tables. Accent with anything silver or gold – candlesticks, place card holders, mini floral vases that can be refilled. If you avoid traditional Christmas decor and stick to glamorous, elegant metallic pieces, your decor can take you right past New Year’s Eve! To us, anything that sparkles says holiday and doesn’t immediately go out of season, as reindeer or snowflakes might.

 

Photography, Bruce Gibson

KL: Do you have favourite impressive hors d’oeuvres that are easy to prep and serve?

Sebastien: Every host should have an arsenal of go-to easy canapés they can throw together for any occasion. Some of our favourites include chèvre endive cups; blackberry bocconcini skewers with basil and balsamic glaze; and Emmenthal cheese cubes sprinkled with celery salt. Recipes for all of these are available in our new book, Eatertainment.

KL: Are classic white dishes the rule of thumb for serial entertainers?

Sheila: Absolutely! When it comes to building your portfolio of entertaining essentials, we always recommend starting with classic white dishes and simple contemporary silverware. A classic white dish serves as a blank canvas where the food itself can be the pop of colour and stand out. When choosing a set, remember to plan for breakage, which will eventually happen if you entertain long enough. Buy extra (we always like to have two extras of each dish) or pick a pattern that you know you can get more of and is not just a seasonal or limited edition. White dishes make it easy to have fun with colour in other ways, like napkins and tablecloths, floral arrangements, centrepieces and charger plates. You can also add a pop of colour with smaller, less expensive coloured plates that you only need for one course.

 

Photography, Bruce Gibson

 

KL: What does a holiday dinner at the Centner house look like?

Sheila: At our house, it’s a special dinner
we call “The Eve Before the Eve.” It’s as much a celebration of the holiday season as it is a homage to Sebastien’s late French mother, Maryvone, who passed down her passion for lavish entertaining – her Christmas Eve dinner was always legendary. Everyone is expected to dress to the nines, sip champagne, be 100 percent present for the entire evening – phones go away and everyone is together from the first cocktail right through the late evening hours!

We start by serving smoked salmon on toast with fresh lemon. Then, for the seated portion, we serve traditional French foie gras followed by whole poached lobster, served cold but with warm butter for dipping and French mayonnaise. Then we finish the meal with a beautiful cheese platter, simple green salad, and finally the classic French bûche de Noël with homemade whipped cream.

What is really touching to us is that it’s our sons, Colsen and Logan, who are the driving forces behind us carrying on the tradition. Each year, they talk about how they plan to host the same dinner with their families one day. Small anecdote: it’s called “The Eve Before the Eve” because although Maryvone hosted the dinner on Christmas Eve, we now include our adult children and their partners, and our extended family and friends, so we host it on December 22 or 23, so everyone can be with their families on Christmas Eve and Christmas.