Big Feasts On A Postage Stamp: Cooking For A Crowd, Serving From The Heart

The Kitchen Is My Happy Place

I’ve been drawn to the kitchen for as long as I can remember. While other kids were setting the table or sneaking cookie dough, I was the one asking to plan the menu. I still remember the first time my mom handed me full responsibility for a meal, I was about twelve, and she asked if I’d like to cook a special celebration five-course dinner for about 12 couples from our church.

How My Love For Cooking Started

It felt like a huge challenge, but I was thrilled. I started with a simple broth soup garnished with julienned vegetables, followed by a fresh spinach salad drizzled with homemade poppy seed dressing. The main course was French baked chicken with roasted potatoes and vegetables, nothing fancy (well, maybe a little bit fancy), just good, honest food made with care. For dessert, I crafted delicate chocolate cups and filled them with mousse, finishing the evening with a platter of cheeses, grapes, crackers, and a few chocolate-dipped pretzels for fun.

Joy In Watching Others Joy

That dinner lit a spark in me. I loved every moment; the planning, the chopping, the quiet hum of the kitchen as flavors came together. But more than that, I loved watching people enjoy the meal. Seeing smiles around the room, hearing laughter and conversation, and knowing I’d had a small hand in making that evening special, that’s when I realized food could be more than just nourishment. It could be connection.

Good Food To Lasting Memories

All these years later, that same joy has never left me. Whether I’m cooking for my family in our tiny “postage stamp” kitchen or preparing a meal for a hundred (or more) people at a church event, my goal is always the same, to make people feel cared for. Good food has this beautiful way of bringing people together, of turning ordinary moments into lasting memories.

You Don't Need A Fancy Kithchen (even though it would be nice)

Cooking for a crowd when you have a tiny kitchen might sound impossible, but I’m here to tell you it can be done, and it can even be fun. Over the years, I’ve learned how to host and feed a hundred or more people from my modest city kitchen, and along the way, I’ve discovered that the secret isn’t in fancy equipment or endless counter space (even though those are lovely to have), it’s all in the planning.