Susan's 2024 Holiday Hosting Guide!

This holiday season, Susan Lacz, Principal & CEO of Ridgewells Catering (and our in-house hostess with the mostess), is sharing her top tips for entertaining and merry-making. After all, balancing the roles of designer, cook, cocktail mixologist, and DJ is no small task! Susan highlights the magic of partnering with a catering company for the upcoming holidays: “You can collaborate with a caterer to create a beautiful gathering that looks like you did it all yourself—without the hassle!”

Here are Susan’s favorite tips to make sure your holiday gathering is one for the memory books:

Menus For All

Ensuring that everyone has a seat at the holiday table is essential for a successful soirée, which means planning ahead for guests who have dietary restrictions. Susan shares, “We’ve created innovative and delicious vegetarian and vegan options for our friends with special dietary needs, including our Roasted Hasselback Butternut Squash Display, Fennel & Winter Radish Salad, Fall Foraged Mushroom Soup, and so much more. Each year when we begin the process of crafting this menu, we keep in mind every potential guest.” 

Ridgewells provides a diverse selection of vegan and vegetarian dishes, and prepares them with the same care and culinary excellence as any other dish to make sure each dish is both delicious and intentional. As with all our holiday menu items, each dish comes with simple reheating instructions, making it a breeze to offer something for everyone at your holiday gathering. 

Keep the Kitchen Stress-Free

Quality time is the heart of the holiday season. Ridgewells’ biggest tip for the upcoming season is to order your holiday essentials in advance so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time mingling with your guests! Lacz emphasizes, “When I’m entertaining, I prefer everything to be self-serve. I don’t want to be fussing in the kitchen; I want to enjoy my guests and their company.”

With options ranging from specialty galettes and snack boards to savory mac and cheeses and festive cookie platters, the Ridgewells holiday menu offers an abundance of delicious and beautifully presented self-serve dishes, allowing your guests to pick and choose the dishes that best fit their tastes, and for you to spend that precious quality time connecting with the people you love most.

Plan Your Decor Ahead!

Great holiday gatherings don’t stop at the food - there’s also the ambience to factor into your plans. To help you with the design for your holiday gathering, Ridgewells has assembled a team of the best in the business to help you bring your vision to life. For the holiday menu tablescape, Ridgewells partnered with the fabulous Helen Olivia Flowers, Table Manners, Perfect Settings, and Something Vintage Rentals. These event pros offer gorgeous table settings (with dishes you don’t have to wash!), furniture rentals, and floral arrangements that stun. Give them a call to discuss easy rental options, or speak with a Ridgewells Event Designer to coordinate a full-service event with all the bells and whistles!

Looking for some economical decor to bring your vision to life? When it comes to holiday decorations, Susan reveals, “My first step is always to go shopping in my own home to see what items I have that can be used for decor, platters, napkins, and festive glassware - looking at my existing items through a lens of holiday gathering helps me to see new uses for it all. And when I just want something fun to add those little final touches to my look, I can of course always find a great deal on Amazon. You can absolutely serve up warm hospitality while staying within your budget.”  

Delight Guests With Unexpected Desserts

Bold cakes. Adorable Christmas-themed cutout cookies. Pies with a twist. Each year, the Ridgewells pastry team creates new, delicious (and adorable) desserts to impress your guests during the holiday season. Susan shares, “My favorite addition to our holiday dessert menu this year is our Gingerbread Wreath Cake. This celebratory treat combines nostalgia with modern flavors. Filled with homemade cranberry orange preserves and frosted with a delicious cream cheese icing, the cake is topped with stunning hand-piped poinsettias and gold foil detailing.”

Returning favorites on this year’s menu include the Sticky Toffee Pudding, Cranberry & Blood Orange Pie, Peppermint Roulade, and more!   

Set The Mood With Music!

Every good party needs a stellar playlist. The Ridgewells team has hand picked their all-time favorite holiday songs for our 2024 Holiday Playlist, available to download for free on Spotify! Susan shares, “The best gatherings are the ones that touch all the senses, so in addition to the delicious food we’ve been cooking up, we’re sharing our favorite festive songs to help you set the mood. Turn up the volume and let the joy of the season take over!” So, mix up a cocktail (or mocktail!), pull out the holiday tunes, and get ready to create new holiday memories with the ones you love.

Listen to our holiday playlist here!

Click here to order for the holidays!

Photo: @peggycormaryphotography

Food Styling: @kellycoxefoodstylist