Sometimes
it is better to make the food and sometimes it is better
to let someone else make it for you. If you are traveling
a long distance, feeding more than 50 people, have no kitchen
area in your hotel, or a celebrating the wedding of one
of your own children, please seriously consider saying “no”
to any and all food assignments.
Full
Meals vs. Snacks and Dessert
The amount of food you will need will depend upon the age,
time of day and activities of the people you will be serving.
You might have individual families eat dinner on their own,
but gather the entire family for ice cream sundaes. A word
of caution: don’t serve light snacks over a regular
meal time. No one, especially children, can eat just a snack
when they are ready for a full meal.
Time
Apart vs. Time Together
Because very few vacation locations include a kitchen large
enough for five cooks, let alone the whole family, it is
likely that during meal prep times the extended family will
be separated. If you plan meals that require very little
prep time and no baking time this might not be a problem
at all, but if your meal assignment involves chopping, mixing,
and baking, you can plan that you’ll be spending at
least the entire hour before meals just getting ready for
them. If you have traveled a long distance and will only
be with your family for a short period of time, the time
required to prepare meals separately might not be worth
the money saved on making your own meals. On the other hand,
if there is a kitchen facility available that will accommodate
several cooks, and you plan easy-to-prepare meals, taking
turns on kitchen duty can be a fun way to visit with small
groups of your family.
Renting
vs. Packing it All
While you may be tempted to just pack everything you will
need and transport it to the reunion location, consider
renting large or bulky items from a party rental store in
your destination city. You can rent things like tables,
chairs, tablecloths, serving platters, and big bowls. This
will be especially helpful if you will already have a car
full of family and luggage. You should also consider purchasing
necessary food items once you have arrived at the reunion
location. If you do this you won’t have to worry about
food safety while you travel, but you will also have to
do all the preparation work once the food is purchased—a
challenge if your hotel does not have a kitchen.
Other
logistical considerations—especially for out-of-town
gatherings
Seating:
be sure to plan for tables and chairs for all meals.
It might seem like a good idea to have every throw down
a blanket for a good old-fashioned picnic, but chances are
there will be members of the family, especially older members,
who would prefer a chair and table.
Prep space: Some
questions to ask your self: Does this meal require a lot
of chopping? Do I need to plate individual portions before
serving? Do I usually have help when preparing this and
need space for someone else to work alongside me? Be sure
that you will have enough counter space to prepare your
meals.
Baking space: Some hotel ovens are smaller than
the standard ovens in most homes. Check on the size with
the hotel staff while you are planning your meals to be
sure that you usually baking dishes will fit in the oven.
Also, if you will need to bake more than one thing at a
time be sure to check that the oven has multiple racks.
Utensils: Many hotels at popular Latter-day Saints
gathering locations offer fully stocked kitchens in each
room. If this is an option for you, check with the hotel
staff to be sure that the supplies provided are the ones
you will need. If your meals plans involved several homemade
dishes, be sure to check on oven space, fridge space, counter
space, and utensils, including pots and pans. It would also
be wise to make sure that you have serving dishes, cutting
knives, dish towels and dish soap, and the necessary spices.
If the hotel does not provide a stocked kitchen, go through
your recipes a few time to anticipate what utensils and
space you will need. Make sure that your menu doesn’t
require things that you will not have access to—lots
of freezer space, for example.
Food safety and clean-up: For the safety of everyone
eating, food should not be left out of the oven or refridgerater
for long periods of time. If your family activities call
for a picnic lunch in the mountains and then a hike, be
sure to put away all food items and discard anything that
needs immediate refridgeration so that you won’t be
tempted to put yourself or others at risk by snacking on
it when you return.
Food
Options for a Large Family Gathering
Pot-luck
• For short events (such as an afternoon or evening)
where most or all of those attending live nearby, the easiest
way to feed a crowd is to plan a potluck meal.
• Be sure to specify what is expected from each family.
My Aunt Brenda tells stories of potluck gatherings where
extended family groups of 27 arrived together with only
one small bowl of salad to share. If you expect everyone
to bring enough food to feed their own family, make sure
you make that expectation clear.
• Have extra serving utensils and storage containers
on hand for those who forget to bring them.
Assigned baking times
• If your family is having a longer reunion and decides
to prepare all the meals, be sure to refuse to do it alone.
Form a committee of several family members who are comfortable
in the kitchen to help plan menus, purchase and store food,
assign families to specific meals, and follow up to make
sure the food is getting made. You can also assign out the
different meals and let those families be responsible for
purchasing the food. Sometimes it is easier to have one
person buy all the food because then the family knows who
to pay for their meals. Remember that the more assignments
you pass out, the more you have to be willing to accept
what other people produce. Also be sure to make clean-up
assignments and utensil (plates, cups, cutlery, etc) assignments.
• It can be difficult to know in advance how much
to charge your family for the food purchased. If you know
the cost of the food in advance, I recommend sharing that
information early so you can leave the reunion with all
the money paid back. Some families have a small auction
where each family donates something to be auctioned, family
members bid on the different items, and the money collected
goes into the next reunion fund.
Catered
meals
•
If you decide to have a catering take care of your reunion/event
meals, keep in mind that you don’t have to use them
for everything. Non-perishable food items, especially for
snacks, are easy to do on your own.
• Ask for references from other families who have
held an event in the area you are traveling to. Be sure
to request at least three references from the caterer and
call them.
• Some grocery stores or sandwich shops and provide
you with large-scale meals. For our Nauvoo reunion we used
a local grocery store for the main meal items, which made
it convenient to purchase the smaller items when we were
picking up the main dish. For example, we had one dinner
of BBQ beef sandwiches. From the same grocer who provided
the prepared beef we also purchased our sandwich rolls,
chips, fruit and veggies trays, and dessert cookies.
No group meals
• It is possible to gather for several days with your
family and not have a combined meal.
Everyone contributes a certain part of the dinner
• Similar to the potluck idea, but for this method
you would let everyone know the main dinner item, for example
tacos, and then assign each family a part of that dinner.
One family can bring chopped tomatoes and lettuce, another
the taco shells, another the cooked and seasoned beef, etc.
This divides up the cost and preparation time but stills
allows you to eat all together.
Don’t have every meal together
• Breakfasts and lunches can be “fend for yourself”
and the large family can gather only in the evenings for
a shared meal.
Food
is bound to play a large role in your overall planning of
any family gathering or large event, but it doesn’t
need to be completely overwhelming. Share the load and take
help where you can get it. Be certain that you don’t
spend the entire reunion in the kitchen—having a great
time visiting, playing games, reminiscing, and exchanging
pictures and family stories contribute to the enjoyment
of these family get-togethers.
Helpful
websites:
Have
a favorite family recipe you want to serve 100 people. Have
someone else do the math for you! Here are two different
websites to help you make your recipe go from serving 10
to serving 100 in a flash!
Recipe
Conversion: you can enter in the amounts and
ingredients for any recipe and it will convert it to a larger
or smaller amount.
Any
recipe posted at allrecipes.com
can be scaled to feed a larger or smaller crowd.
Additional
Resource:
Gloria
Rytting, “Cooking for a Crowd: How to Be an Instant
Expert,”
Ensign, June 1979, 64
