Entertaining Guests Quotes

Fish and guests in three days are stale.

I'm a really emotional cook. Not violent, but I don't like someone coming in while I'm cooking. I'm notorious for themed dinner parties. The colour green, 'The Sopranos' last episode... any excuse. But if anyone arrives before I'm ready and walks through for a chat, I'm like: 'Just stand back. Stay there! In fact, just go - this is not for you.'

I like to cook for my friends. It is an act of love because in cooking you can create so many plates and recipes, if you know how to - otherwise you make a mess - but I like it because it's like a ceremony. You cook for your friends and after, you drink wine and play cards.

I've always wanted to walk into a hotel, sit at a piano and play 'Piano Man.'

Never let 'em see you sweat. Guests feel guilty if they think you've worked too hard to make dinner for them - which of course you have!

Keep a good table and attend to the ladies.

I misremember who first was cruel enough to nurture the cocktail party into life. But perhaps it would be not too much to say, in fact it would be not enough to say, that it was not worth the trouble.

My house is small, but may heaven grant that it is never full of friends.

I don't really care that much about eating. But I like impressing people with how good a cook I am. So I will cook. I'm an excellent cook. Not many people know that about me.

It's okay if you finish cooking something easy after your guests arrive - some dishes must be prepared a la minute, as chefs say. Just remember to keep talking.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they cook for other people is to think that it has to be fancy and elaborate. This results in enormous expense and nine days of labor, plus you end up trying to assemble a croquembouche in front of your guests and everyone's experiencing flop sweat.

If you're cooking for someone important - whether it's your boss or a date - never try a new recipe and a new ingredient at the same time.

I always like to entertain, first of all, and if the readers take anything away from it that helps them with their own lives, well then, that is a bonus.

It's not a party unless I'm cooking. Some people find entertaining stressful, but it is therapeutic for me; I find it relaxing.

As my guests leave even my most simple parties, I consistently hear the same thing: 'That was the best time I ever had,' and it's always me saying it. But I do know in my heart they all feel the same way, probably.

If you're preparing a dinner for friends or a holiday dinner, make sure to only prepare recipes you are comfortable with and have cooked before. Cooking for others is not the time to try out a recipe for the first time. You end up spending all your time in the kitchen instead of enjoying your company.

Because I'm busy, I don't sit down to a lot of big formal meals - unless I've got mates round, in which case I'll cook something.

We have 40 people over for Thanksgiving, 30 people for Easter lunch, 35 people on Christmas Eve. People tend to expect to spend their holidays with us, which is lovely and an expectation I carry with pride.

When you ask one friend to dine, Give him your best wine! When you ask two, The second best will do!

Thou shalt not take moochers into thy hut?

When I moved to Paris at 16, I held a dinner party in my first apartment and served only red wine, French fries, and mashed potatoes. Unable to cook, I relied on people taking me out.

For me, the kitchen is the most special room in the house. It's a place for adventure - not drudgery, but discovery, sharing and showing off with friends, trying new ideas.

He who would have fine guests, let him have a fine wife.

In order to prove a friend to one's guests, frugality must reign in one's meals; and, according to an ancient saying, one must eat to live, not live to eat.

I lived for 15 years in Los Angeles, and I still can't believe that the handsomest man in the world, Cary Grant, and the greatest performer in the world, Fred Astaire, and Johnny Carson, one after another - they were all in my home at different times. I celebrated my 50th birthday with them. Unforgettable.