A New Year’s Eve (or any) Party Worth Savouring

Ah, New Year’s Eve—a time to say goodbye to the old year and celebrate the possibilities of a fresh, sparkling new one. I refuse to believe that age has anything to do with my shifting impressions of this auspicious evening, but during the last few years I’ve felt that the charm of the New Year’s celebration has worn a little thin. No longer do I feel like tottering out in high heels and a skimpy dress into the freezing cold, wet, possibly snowy weather, to drink pricey not-so-tasty beverages, dance to run-of-the-mill music with people I hardly know, then fight hundreds of other tipsy (or drunk) revelers to snag that elusive taxi ride home. However, I’m not very happy with the alternative either – staying at home in my pajamas and falling asleep before the clock chimes midnight.

So I’ve been searching for an alternative way to ring in the New Year and after attending a catered birthday party last week I think I’ve found it. Picture this: sumptuous food you didn’t lift a finger to prepare, a selection of tasty wines and beverages, a group of friends you know you’re guaranteed to have fun with, your favourite music on the iPod and no need to leave your house. Sounds kind of nice, eh? Well it’s completely doable – just find a group of friends also tired of the ‘same old, same old’, and hire a catering company to prepare an unforgettable New Year’s feast. Before you dismiss the idea as too pricey, add up the cost of a traditional New Year’s night out – tickets, drinks, taxi rides to and fro and time wasted at an event you didn’t enjoy. The catering idea now sounds cheap and cheerful, especially when all those good friends will split the catering tab. There are a few important tips to remember though to make sure it runs smoothly:

1.     If your best gluten-intolerant, vegan friend has accepted the invite make sure there’s something on the menu she can eat.

2.     Pick a food theme – Mexican, west coast, Japanese, Italian – it makes it easier to choose dishes and decide what type of drinks guests should bring to accompany the meal.

3.     Decide if you want the caterers to drop and run or if you want them to stay and serve. That way if you’re doing the last-minute food prep you can make sure it really is last-minute, and doesn’t involve you slaving over dish preparation.

4.     Always round up guest numbers when ordering. Seems like this will only benefit the caterers, but not so. It’s much better to have a couple of day’s worth of professionally prepared leftovers than starving guests.

And finally choose tried and true caterers. A couple of my Vancouver Island favourites are Sharon and Chris Hooten of Woodfire Pizza & Grill (responsible for the delights in the above photos) and Ann Matthews from Occasions Occasions (250-390-2588); for those on the mainland Owen Lightly from Butter on the Endive comes highly recommended. Here’s to a truly unforgettable New Year’s Eve celebration.