The meal where two families meet
An engagement party is usually the first time both families are in a room together, and the food has a social job beyond feeding people: it has to give strangers something to do with their hands and something easy to talk about.
Italian family-style does that better than anything else we send. Platters passed down a table force a small interaction between people who have not met, and nobody has to decide anything at the point of service.
It is also, frankly, an audition. A good share of our wedding bookings start at the engagement party, and we treat it that way — the same team and the same standard as the wedding it precedes.
- Lasagna, penne alfredo and spaghetti bolognese, served family-style
- Chicken parmesan and Italian meatballs
- Antipasto, bruschetta, caprese and garlic bread for the first hour
- Tiramisu and cannoli
Smaller than a wedding, and that changes the format
Most engagement parties we cater run thirty to sixty people, which is the size where staffed service starts to cost more per head than it is worth and drop-off starts to feel thin.
Family-style is the middle answer: it feels served without a server at every table. We will tell you honestly which side of that line your headcount falls on rather than selling the more expensive option by default.
Use it to decide the wedding menu
If the wedding is likely to be with us, this is a better tasting than a tasting — real service, real quantities, and both families' honest reactions.
Tell us that is what it is and we will build the menu to test the things you are undecided about, then talk afterwards about what worked in the room rather than what looked good on paper.
