
DATE: Sunday, October 5, 1997               TAG: 9710070559

SECTION: FLAVOR                  PAGE: F1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY RUTH FANTASIA, FLAVOR EDITOR 

                                            LENGTH:  141 lines

PARTY PERFECT PLANNING IS VITAL TO A SUCCESSFUL SOIREE

YOU DIDN'T THINK it was part of your job description, but here you are, forcibly volunteered to plan the company Christmas party. Or maybe it's the PTA teacher appreciation dinner. Or a charity fund-raiser.

Don't panic yet.

Having a plan of attack will get you through this, experts say. So we asked Nellie Bryan, chairwoman of the annual Gourmet Gala benefit for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, to share her strategies for a successful event.

Decisions, decisions. . .

First you have to figure out what type of event are you going to have, Bryan says.

Will it be a sit-down dinner, cocktail party, dinner-dance?

``A seated dinner is not a requirement for a successful dinner,'' Bryan says. ``Just make sure you have tables somewhere nearby for people to sit down with their food (if you're serving buffet-style).''

Unless the party is annually well-attended and greatly anticipated, resist the urge to do the exact same thing that's been done in previous years. Even well-established soirees have room for improvement.

This year, for instance, organizers of the Gourmet Gala are encouraging more dancing by closing the food booths at 9 p.m. but letting the band play until 10.

When to have the party is just as important as what kind of party to have. Much of this decision depends on the location, type of party to be arranged and the careers of attendees (if it's a company gathering). But there are other items to consider as well:

Is there a major event going on the same night? Is the symphony holding a one-night only Christmas concert? Is there a major festival or sports event booked that evening that will prevent people from attending your gathering?

If you're having your party at a hotel or restaurant, do they have other parties booked for that evening? You want service for your party to be a priority.

Will things booked at Scope, the Pavilion, Willett Hall or another nearby venue cause traffic jams?

Call the Chamber of Commerce, the Convention and Visitors' Bureau as well as the large arenas.

Where to have the party is usually not a big problem. There are many restaurants, hotels and catering halls in Hampton Roads competing for the chance to help you.

Or, you can opt to have the party at the office, school, church or some other building. Basically you're looking for a locale large enough to accommodate the number of guests that has all the equipment you'll need. But more on equipment later.

Delegate, delegate, delegate

Frequently, events such as these are organized by a committee of a few willing to invest their time for the enjoyment of everyone else.

If you're the one called upon to head up the project, ``Find people who are willing to take a job and run with it,'' Bryan says.

In other words, avoid people who have a ``that's not my job attitude.''

To make it easy on Gourmet Gala committee members, Bryan schedules as few meetings as possible and, when they do have them, they are after work.

But reducing the number of meetings you have doesn't mean reducing communication, Bryan says.

``A fax machine is essential equipment.''

Use it to keep in touch with each other, confirm plans and ``do everything in writing.''

Food, glorious food

Everyone loves the dining portion of a party but not everyone wants the same thing.

Plan menus with the caterer but don't forget, the more people you're feeding the more likely you are to run into situations where you need to accommodate special diets.

For instance, make sure some recipes are acceptable to vegetarians, and some desserts exclude nuts and/or chocolate for those with allergies.

If you're asking a caterer or, as in the case of the Gala, assorted chefs to cook outside their normal place of business, you'll also need to check with the health department and state alcoholic beverage control board for permits.

``We try to make things as easy as possible for the restaurants,'' Bryan says. That means leave as little as possible for the chefs to worry about except bringing the food, preparing it and cleaning the cooking area.

Keeping in mind that good food is the heart of any successful gathering, get answers to the following questions as you make your plans:

What kind of equipment do the cooks need to prepare the food? Is there enough refrigerator space? Do you need warming ovens? Burners?

Are they able to bring equipment or do we have to provide it?

Can the electric and/or gas supply to the building handle all of this equipment plugged in and working at one time?

What can the caterer prepare off site and keep until serving time?

If anything can go wrong, it will most likely be while serving the food.

Imagine the possibilities for disaster and have some idea of a backup plan.

Those other details

Entertainers are likely to have special needs such as changing rooms and microphones. Do you have chairs for the band, a small table for the face-painting clown? Will you need a table in the front area for ticket takers?

To keep all the details under control, Bryan says, send letters including all the particulars about the event to everyone who is doing something to pull off this soiree.

In the letter, review what each person's tasks will be and ask them to clear up any details before the event.

One of the things you can do to make the party special, says Bryan, is to create a program book to be given to the attendees. In it, recognize people who have helped you pull this thing off, print the evening's menu and maybe recipes of the dishes served, greetings from the corporate head honcho if it's a company party, etc.

The day of . . .

Visit the party location early in the day, Bryan says. It will start you thinking about those last minute details. ``There's always one more thing to do,'' she says.

Even as a seasoned party-giver, Bryan says that last-minute feeling of panic is unavoidable.

``I don't take a breath until we open the doors,'' she says.

And about those doors . . . You may let people straggle into a party but for real impact, make them gather in an outer room for appetizers, Bryan says. During this time, you and the rest of your team can deal with the last minute crises.

``Then,'' says Bryan, ``you can open the doors to a party that looks good, tastes good and has a happy atmosphere.'' ILLUSTRATION: JANET SHAUGHNESSY/The Virginian-Pilot

Graphic

WANT TO GO?

This year's Gourmet Gala will be held Wednesday from 5:30 to 10

p.m. at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott.

Tickets, which cost $35 each, will pay your way into tastings at

nearly 40 restaurant booths, allow you to sample non-alcoholic

beverages and provide entertainment.

Tickets are available at the Marriott Hotel Gift Shop and the

Decker Building, 201 E. Plume St. in Norfolk and at Lucy's Total

Body Care at Loehmann's Plaza in Virginia Beach. Call 622-3317 for

more information.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., develops