Catering at private homes and condos

Working in a home kitchen

Home kitchens are built for family cooking, not event service. A standard 30-inch home oven holds a limited number of pans at once, the fridge is usually already full, and counter space disappears fast. We plan around that instead of fighting it.

• Most cooking happens in our kitchen. On site we reheat, finish, sauce and plate.
• We bring holding equipment: insulated carriers, coolers and, where power allows, a hot box, so your oven is not the only source of heat.
• We ask you to clear fridge space or we bring coolers with ice for drinks and cold courses.
• We check circuits. A kettle, a hot box and a coffee maker on the same kitchen circuit can trip a breaker mid-service.

Tell us about your kitchen with the inquiry: oven type and size, fridge space, a photo of the counters, and whether there is a dishwasher we may use.

Dinner parties: how many staff?

For a seated dinner at home, a common plan is one chef finishing and plating in the kitchen, plus one server for roughly every 8 to 12 guests, depending on the number of courses and whether wine is poured at the table. A dinner for 12 with three courses usually runs well with a chef and one or two servers.

Family-style platters need fewer servers than plated courses but more table space: a dining table set for 10 may not also fit four shared platters. We look at your table size before recommending the format. Staff can also handle coats, drinks and clearing so the host can sit down. See event staffing for roles.

Condo party rooms and amenity spaces

Condo party rooms are booked through property management and come with rules that residents sometimes have not read closely. The common ones:

• A maximum guest count and a hard end time, often late evening.
• A booking deposit, plus cleaning or damage charges.
• A guest list at the concierge desk, and limited or no visitor parking.
• A service elevator booking for deliveries, sometimes with fixed hours.
• Restrictions on open flame, chafing fuel and decorations.
• A certificate of insurance from outside vendors.

Most party rooms have a kitchenette with a sink, a residential fridge and sometimes a small oven. That is enough to finish canapés and hold a buffet electrically, not to cook a plated dinner for 50. Unloading is usually through the building's loading area or front drive; we confirm where our van can stop and for how long.

Protecting the home

Staff working in a private home bring floor runners for the route from door to kitchen, use their own cutting boards and hotel pans, and leave the kitchen as they found it. Before the event we walk through where coats go, which rooms are private, where garbage can be staged and whether pets will be closed away. Garbage, recycling and organics are packed and removed unless you ask us to use your bins.

Alcohol at home

The AGCO does not allow liquor to be sold at a residence, so a home party serves drinks as a host bar. Hosts usually buy the alcohol; our staff can serve it where that service is part of the plan. If you want a bartender, tell us the guest count and the drinks you plan so we can size glassware, ice and staffing. For condo party rooms, also check the building's own alcohol rules.

Formats that suit homes and condos

For under 20 guests, plated dinners and family-style meals make the most of a home. For 20 to 60 guests, a cocktail party with passed canapés or a grazing table with a few warm items works better than a buffet line in a hallway. Small weddings at home follow the same logic; see our micro-wedding catering page.