Bill Summerville’s 7 tips for hosting at home

We’ve all hosted a dinner party and have felt the time crunch an hour before guests arrive. That immediate panic of, “I’m not ready! I hope nobody shows up early!” And then they do.

Dinner parties don’t have to be stressful. There’s a reason they’re called dinner PARTIES! You’re just hosting your friends!

Bill Summerville hosts friends and strangers in his home all the time at Chez Bill. He makes people feel comfortable and well-cared for while making hosting look effortless. He has some simple tips and tricks up his sleeve (of his turtleneck) to make your own dinner party stress-free (spoiler: it’s all about managing your time pre-dinner party ).

#1: Cook the food you know or practice a new dish beforehand.

It may not be the time to pull off new tricks or courses you haven’t done before - if it doesn’t turn out, you’ll stress even more. But if you have the time, practice a dish a few days before so there’s some familiarity. Writing a menu should highlight your skills and cooking your best dishes while making a cohesive dinner.

Tricks to remember:

Your dinner doesn’t need to be over the top. It just needs to be delicious (and just a reminder: simple is delicious).

Everyone loves family-style dining and you also don’t need to course out the dinner - it’s just as elegant to have four or five dishes spread on the table. You’ll spend less time in the kitchen and more time at the table with your guests. You want to enjoy your own party because if YOU enjoy it, so will everyone else.

#2: Write a prep or check list.

Organizing is so much easier if you sit down for ten minutes and think about everything you need to do. Grocery shopping (plus a list for that!), liquor store (buy a red and white wine that you like or read what our favorite sommeliers recommend), dinner menu, cleaning projects, etc. Crossing items off will give you a sense of accomplishment and will clear your mind for the next task. Tackle the big projects first as some of the little things might not be necessary (you don’t HAVE to clean the other rooms of your house if your guests won’t see it).

#3: Do all your errands and prep the day before so you don’t have to leave the house the day of your dinner party.

There’s always going to be things you forget, but once you start organizing the day before, you’ll hopefully remember them before the day of your party. You’ll be less stressed if you don’t have to race around town picking things up when you know your guests will arrive in a few hours.

This also goes hand in hand with:

#4: Prep the dinner menu the day before and clean your house.

As much as you can, prep everything ahead of time. This goes back to planning your menu. A braise (short ribs or roasted pork belly) is perfect for a dinner party as you can prepare it the day before and just reheat it (and the flavors perfectly meld the second day). If you have a salad course, slice vegetables and cover them with a damp towel and make your dressing (obviously don’t dress your greens yet!). Think of a dessert course that you can bake or make the day before (a beautiful and simple cake, chocolate pot de creme, or a lemon tart.

#5: You can never have too much ice.

And don’t forget the cocktail napkins.

#6: (Bill’s favorite) Make yourself a negroni before guests arrive.

(Relax those nerves.)

Another trick: mix a large batch of a favorite cocktail ahead of time so you can greet your guests with a drink in hand, and they can refill their own glass. You’ll spend less time bar tending and more time entertaining.

#7: Set out a few simple hors d’ oeuvres so guests can snack before dinner.

Some guests arrive starving and you might feel pressure to serve dinner immediately. It also gives people something to do while waiting for those always-late guests. A few light snacks can make a big difference (especially once the cocktails start flowing). Think dips and spreads, crackers, cheese, olives, and/or potato chips.

Other tricks:

Bill has a knack for using items around his home or garden in a new way (also read how he repurposes vintage items in an elegant way). For instance, he fills a fountain in his backyard with ice and nestles bottles of wine in it so people can help themselves.

After dinner, Bill likes to have a small break before dessert so people can stretch their legs. He often serves dessert in his backyard garden for a change of atmosphere - and it gets people away from a table that might not be fully cleared yet.

Another thing Bill does when he hosts is he sets bottles of wine on the table. Guests can pour their own wine throughout dinner so it feels less formal and more like a party.

Finally, if you have the energy, do the dishes after everyone leaves and clean as much as you can. You’ll wake up and thank yourself.