How To Host a Dinner Party Pt. 2 with Sydney Greene
for the serious (or aspiring) hosting hobbyist
Welcome back to The Dinner Party series! If you missed part one, you can read it HERE (aka the beginner’s guide, or rather, the perfectly imperfect, perhaps first time dinner party). This week, we kick it up a notch with our intermediate how-to guide—something I definitely had to phone a friend for!
Meet Sydney Greene. Sydney and I met briefly during my days in the fitness industry circa 2019, then crossed paths once again at the height of the pandemic (masked up, of course) in line at a Trader Joe’s a year or so later. Not only did she become one of my first personal training clients after said run, but she became a dear friend.
She also happens to be one of the funniest people I know.
Very soon after beginning our workouts together, I learned that Sydney was also passionate about cooking, hosting, and community building, so she was one of the first people that came to mind when I wanted to launch this series.
I wanted to bring Sydney in for this article because when it comes to aesthetics, it’s often the last thing on my mind. Sure, the plating and the presentation of the food matter to me, but when it comes to a tablescape, it’s usually something thrown together last minute. It’s important to compassionately know when you’re not the expert here. So without further ado, I present to you: how to throw a dinner party with much more finesse and style than I could possibly muster up (listen, it’s a working title, ok?!). Whether you’re hosting for the first time or ready to level up your hosting skills, I think you’re going to love the conversation I had with Sydney.
What do you think makes a successful dinner party?
Sydney and I discussed this one at length! Her answer: the guest list, a good theme, and timing. We’ll get into all of these in great detail below!
Speaking of the guest list, how do you choose to invite? Do you curate your guest list?
The short answer: yes! The long answer? Think about common denominators and common experiences that your guests may have because it’s important to figure out how to pull different people from your different areas of your life and bring them together. For example, Sydney’s planned a party knowing that every single person she invited loves Beyonce. Another great example? She gathered friends from dance class with other friends she knew were involved in the arts/were lovers of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company.
Sydney is my aesthetic queen so let’s get into it! How do you manage to create such beautiful dinner parties—from setting the table to the food?
Don’t be afraid to take baby steps! A theme is always helpful but it’s not mandatory, as it can be something to tie every single component of your dinner party together. Here are a few of her tips:
Start with the basics because you will overwhelm yourself. The act of hosting people in your home is already a huge deal.
How to build a theme: let the season inspire you. This is a great way to incorporate what’s growing outside. Think: a spring dinner party hosted outside with seasonal produce and bright, crisp flavors. If your party is for someone/a specific celebration, this is another great anchor for your theme. Is it a birthday? What are some of their favorite colors, foods, etc.? Build the rest of the party around that.
A table cloth, some flowers from trader joes, and light a candle. It’s cozier and more inviting than you think.
If you’d like to take it a step further, place cards and menus are a nice touch. If you have good handwriting, break out the good pens and use some card stock. If you don’t, canva can be a great tool for place cards or menu cards.
On the topic of themes, I asked Sydney to give me an example of her dream Summer-themed dinner party menu. This is how she answered:
Sydney’s Summer Solstice Menu:
Lemon basil gin spritz
Arugula salad
Oysters
Whole Branzinho - grilled
Stone fruit dessert
Do you see how each dish had an ingredient that tied back to the Summer season? The lemon and basil are bright, vibrant, yet refreshing flavors for a hot day. Oysters call back to summers in New England that neither of us have spent, and stone fruits, like peaches, are the perfect farmer’s market finds in the summer time.
Let’s talk budget, because hosting can really add up. How do you host on a budget?
Shop your own home! You’d be surprised how many things you already have. If that’s not in the cards for you, consider thrifting (Sydney is a thrift queen!!). Favorite places to thrift: Facebook marketplace, Goodwill, church thrift stores. Often times people will sell their wedding decor on Facebook marketplace as too.
Shopping for flowers on a budget? Trader Joe’s.
Another great budget-friendly hack? Forage! What can you find outside that can be a part of your tablescape.
How do you time it all out so food is ready all at once?
Think about what can be made ahead of time and set your table the day before! Think: enchiladas or a pasta bake that can be made the day before, and is either cooking in the oven or reheating while guests arrive. You can also make your salad ahead of time, and dress it when it’s ready to be served.
Sydney prefers to serve dinner family-style (as do I), meaning all the food comes out at the same time so that you and your guests can dine together. It’s a great way to develop community and conversation; the sharing and connecting really happens when you can pass along a plate.
Any last tips?
Delegate!! Especially when it comes to the meal. “It’s not worth sacrificing your sanity.”
For example, I may be providing a main and a salad, but I’m having person A bring wine, person B might help me come up with a special cocktail and person C volunteers to bring dessert.
There is no course minimum, but have small bites that guests can nibble on READY before they arrive.
Another thing to consider: make sure you are DRESSED way before your first guest has rung the doorbell. Outfit comes on ASAP!
One of my favorite tips that Sydney and I discussed during our interview was about giving your guests a gift they can take with them. Whether that’s a small, jarred gift from a local food shop, a homemade infused liquor, or a super personalized name card from the table setting we brainstormed ways to make the end of the meal feel really special. It made me think of the green papaya salad I like to make when I’m cooking Thai food, and how nice it would be to include the salad dress in small jars for guests to take home. What a great way to a piece of the meal your guests can take with them and incorporate into their following week.
To round out this piece, I asked Sydney a few fun rapid-fire, dinner party-related questions. Here were her answers:
Dream dinner party guest list? Solange, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Colman Domingo
What’s your favorite kitchen tool? A good knife. You must keep your knives sharp! And a good pan, specifically my All-Clad stainless steel skillet.
Favorite gift to bring the host? Do not show up empty handed!! Something they can enjoy the next day (e.g. a croissant for the morning, a candle, a bagel from their favorite bakery, a nice bag of coffee beans they can enjoy tomorrow)
Sydney Greene is a writer, creative, and personal style enthusiast based in North Carolina. With a Cancer sun, Capricorn moon, and Taurus rising, Sydney is all about creating and curating cozy and nurturing spaces within her home, within her relationships, and most importantly, within herself, to help her live in pure abundance. Using her authenticity, intuition, and curiosity to guide her interests and passions, Sydney has had lived several lives so far: She was a news reporter for several years covering politics and policy; and she also served as the founding board member of Future Front Texas, an Austin-based organization that nurtures creativity, community-building and professional resilience among women and queer creatives, founders, and leaders in Texas. More recently, Sydney worked in the reproductive justice and sex education space, designing creative campaigns to move communities to action. You can find her on @sydney_verde on both instagram and tiktok, or on her website HERE.
Sydney is sooooooo accomplished as are you my daughter.