Summer Party Planner
Enough to feed an army or just a group of friends?
How much food do you need for an appetizer party?
- Plan on an average of 3 to 4 appetizers per person per hour of your party. (Of course, this depends on the ratio of men/women/teens.)
- For a general guide to purchasing food, use the chart below.
Party Tips
- Do as much prep ahead of time as possible.
- Gather serving dishes a couple of days ahead, and look for fun ways to present the food.
Use a pedestal cake plate for serving roll-ups, small bites or cheese balls.
Curried Cheese Ball with Fruit
Use marble or granite tiles purchased from a floor company for fun party platters, or create your own.
Fruit and Cheese Platter
Use cocktail glasses to serve dips and sauces for appetizers.
Grilled Barbecue Pork Bites
- Take some help from the grocery or specialty store.
- Purchase already cleaned and cut up vegetables for a vegetable platter.
- Look for a variety of canape bases packages of toasted crostini slices, crackers, pita chips or cocktail breads, and pair them with purchased toppings, such as eggplant spread, olive or roasted pepper tepenade.
- Offer a variety of hot and cold appetizers, with lots of variety of colors and textures.
- Serve food that is easy to eat, especially if guests will be standing or holding plates in their laps.