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Cook Talk

Food for a wedding
SHELLY THOMPSON 06/20/16	Hi Ellen, I was wondering if you could help me figure out how much food I need to make for 150 wedding guests. The reception will be at 5 pm and it will be buffet style The menu includes: Potato Salad Italian Pasta Salad BLT Pasta Salad Baked Beans Green Beans Vegetable Tray Sweet Carrot Salad Some sort of fruit salad Rolls and we are roasting a pig and chicken breasts. Do you have any other suggestions to add to the menu? Thank You Shelly Thompson
ellen 06/21/16	Food for a wedding 150 Be sure that you have experienced pig roasters who will NOT be at the wedding. Day of you will also need help. day of, the bride, groom, their immediate family and wedding party have way too much to do and feel to cope with the food- so even if you do all kinds of prep ahead, PLEASE bring in folks who will not be with the wedding to set up, serve, and clean up the party. For a party this size, if the pulled pork is fully prepped ahead (not roasted day of) you are looking at 3-4 people in the kitchen and 8 or so out front to set up, serve, and clean up a buffet service. Local church kitchens and teen groups; diners that close after lunch; local culinary programs or cafeterias are all good sources. Yes, there is a cost, and it is very little compared to the preciousness of time that particular day. Now, on to the menu. I suggest you break out some of the items and add, to make an appetizer area ready for guests while they wait for the meal and the bride. Fruit Tray + Dip- the deluxe tray for 100 plus a few extra quarts of strawberries would be plenty, see fruit tray page Veggie Tray + Dip- plan 1 pound ready to eat veggies per 10 (about 60 pieces), 1 pint thick or 1 1/2 cups thin dip per pound. Hummus for part of the dip is very nice. Bite counts are on the veggie tray page. Suggest you do raw veggies for 100 and one classic relish tray, same page Cheese/Crackers Tray- 1 pound cheese per 10, some can be logs or spreads, 6-8 pounds crackers per 100 If you want chips and dips, per 100 6 pounds potato or 8 pounds corn plus 1 pint dip/salsa/queso per pound Dinner: Roasted Pig (Pulled Pork) BBQ Sauce (2-3 different flavors) Buns Chicken breast-do halves, 1 per person 1 pound whole head on pig per adult 6 buns per 5 people, or 12 sliders 1 gallon sliced pickles per 100 8 pounds sliced onions per 100 1 1/2 gallons slaw per 100 3-4 table quarts sauce per 100 do a crock pot of unchicken nuggets or veggie sausages or burgers; Potato Salad- about 50 pounds of raw potatoes. Lots of great recipes this site- you could do 2 kinds Pasta Salad- 8-10 pounds dry pasta plus add-ins, split to your taste Carrot salad, about 3 gallons total Baked Beans- 3 gallons (4#10 cans), per 100. Again, 1 pot meatless, not everyone eats pork Green Beans- 24 pounds ready to cook per100 For beverages, see the beverage planning page Now I have a favor to ask of you. For years, I've been helping make weddings & other large events a success and I've loved every minute! We've got major changes in the works to remodel EllensKitchen.com- in order to fund the new website, better searches and more help for your events, we need to raise nearly $20,000 within the next three months! Even if you can only afford $10-$20, every penny helps! Thanks again.