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Also this issue: Welcome to the Pub:
Mary Ellen and Chris Mullins Girlfriends:
Valerie Ferguson and Melonease Shaw Its Your Party Carm, All Ye Faithful The Feasting Begins Maxis minis World Party |
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December 12-18, 2002
cover story
 Foster cares: The kitchen king at his Old City shop. Photo By: Michael T. Regan |
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“I love the holidays,” says Ken Foster, founder and co-owner (with partner Larry Lantz) of Foster’s Gourmet Cookware, a required shopping experience for anyone with kitchen aspirations, and Foster’s Urban Homeware, a sort of glamorous hardware store. “I even love retail during the holiday season. Although Larry and I each work about 75 hours a week, entertaining is not an obligation for us, it’s a celebration, and we make the time to have two holiday parties every year.”
The parties are definitely a tradition for the couple, but that doesn't mean the menu stays the same every year -- only the times. "We always have a Christmas Eve late supper (the smaller of the two celebrations), something casual and cozy: onion soup, a big baked pasta dish, homemade pizza with fig jam, bacon and gorgonzola (inspired by our favorite appetizer at Chloe on Arch Street). And champagne at midnight." Foster chooses a simple meal that can be prepared ahead of time or "quickly, with our guests' help since we always work that day."
The couple's more significant celebration is a Christmas brunch that includes their houseguests and visiting family. The menu includes grapefruit wedges with pomegranate seeds, croissant French toast with sautéed apples, pears and pecans, and maple and black pepper-glazed bacon. Coffee and dessert are served as gifts are exchanged in the living room.
Although Christmas this year finds the couple in the middle of a move as a part of expansion plans, Foster is unfazed. "I used to cook 100 percent of the food -- not anymore. One of the best retailing trends happening now is the influx of prepared foods. Take advantage of what the specialty stores are offering and don't feel like you have to make everything yourself."
Foster's unfailing eye for design guarantees that his stores are assemblages of the best the market has to offer. When he turns his sensibility toward food, he's just as discerning. His favored destinations: Andros at Reading Terminal Market, 215-351-1566; Chef's Market on South Street, 215-925-8360; and Di Bruno Bros., Italian Market location, 215-922-2876.
When it comes to setting the table, mix doesn't have to match. Start by getting a big stack of white plates and then add other dishes -- new and vintage -- in different colors and patterns.
Although paper cocktail napkins are OK for drinks, for dinner you should use cloth. Again, mixing colors and textures is OK. If you tie the same color of ribbon around each rolled napkin, that becomes your coordinating thread.
Candles make food and people look better. (But no scented candles around food.) Flowers are always nice. But you can also use a big bowl of pomegranates or oranges and lemons as table decoration. These can be bought in advance and will last through the season.
If you decide to have a buffet, make sure you have all the right stuff. Before the party, assemble the serving platters and bowls (as well as serving utensils) to make sure that every dish on the menu will have a home. Write down the name of each dish on a Post-it and stick it in the appropriate serving piece so you'll remember what goes where: What seems elementary now will be essential when you are distracted by guests and alcohol.
You don't need to invest in a huge bar. Offer one "special cocktail" (like cosmopolitans, Negronis or my current favorite, Rob Roys) and then wine and a couple of different sparkling waters.
Three essential glasses: A large (at least 14-ounce) goblet for wine and sparkling water, martini glasses for cocktails served "up," and a double old-fashioned for anything served "on the rocks."
When you are having a big party and need to send a written invitation, forgo the fill-in-the-blank version and make yours by hand. It shows you have made an effort. And do not use computer labels for addresses, no matter how many cards you are sending out.
Ken Foster on Hostess Gifts
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