So a family calls us up. Their kid just graduated, the whole extended everybody is coming, and mom has not sat down in what sounds like three days. Two hundred people. In a backyard. In June.
Here is the thing nobody tells you about feeding two hundred people. The food is the easy part. We do the food in our sleep. The hard part is timing it so the trays hit the table right when the crowd does, not an hour early when it is just the grandparents circling like they have not eaten since Easter.
We showed up, set it up clean, and got out of the way. Hoagie spreads, a Philly bar, chips by the pile. Mom finally sat down. She got to be in the photos instead of behind a griddle. That is the whole job.
If you are staring down a big one this summer, do not be a hero. Call us early, tell us the headcount, and go enjoy your own party. You already did the hard part raising the kid.
- Matt