Here’s How to Host the Ultimate Christmas Reunion Feast, According to Chef Laudico

The holidays are for spending time with friends and family. It’s about taking a step back from the daily grind to slow down and relax. And what better way to stay in the loop on what’s going on with family and friends than by bonding over good food?

And if nobody’s volunteered to host this year’s Christmas reunion yet, don’t be afraid to take on the challenge. It’s a great opportunity to share the gift of love, food, and happiness this season.

Renowned Filipino chef, restaurateur, and La Germania brand ambassador Chef Rolando Laudico shares a few tips to help you with hosting duties so you and your guests can enjoy the ultimate Christmas feast.

Variety is key

When planning your spread, have a variety of dishes on the menu. “Try to balance your whole feast,” advises Chef Laudico. “You should have at least four or five dishes with different types of meats that complement each other or that are different from each other. Let’s say you’re cooking a dish with a rich sauce, a lighter seafood or fish dish will complement that.”

It’s also good to consider that some of your guests might have food allergies or dietary restrictions. The more options you offer, the less you’ll have to worry about not catering to your guests’ many different tastes.

Having a cooktop with more than two burner zones will allow you to multitask and cook more dishes at once. La Germania, a brand that’s been a kitchen staple of Filipino households for generations, has a good line of products that are state-of-the-art, durable, and will help you do just that.

Cook ahead

More than just scheduling your marketing and doing your food preps ahead of time, Chef Laudico actually recommends cooking dishes you can easily cook a day or two before to lessen your stress on party day itself.

“If you’re going cook pasta sauces, you can actually do that a day before or two days ahead,” says Chef Lau. “This works for tomato-based or cream-based sauces. Light pasta sauces like olive oil-based ones can be done last minute as these don’t usually take too much time and effort to make.”

A heavy meat dish like a roast beef in red wine-based sauce with roasted potatoes is another good candidate for pre-cooking. Seafood or fish dishes, however, are best cooked on the day itself to ensure the freshness of the ingredients.

To reheat your pre-cooked dishes on the day, you can just pop them all in the oven on the “keep warm” setting an hour or so before you serve them. Otherwise, you’ll have to reheat each dish in batches on your cooktop.

“When you reheat food, its quality diminishes. But what’s great with an oven is it’s not going to dry up your dish,” explains Chef Lau. “Ovens are not just for baking or roasting. Personally, I use my La Germania oven to keep dishes hot all the time.”

Stick to what you know

Since you’re preparing to host a party for a big group, it’s best to stick with dishes that you’ve cooked many times in the past, says Chef Laudico. Aside from familiarity with the dishes for your spread, using kitchen implements and appliances that you’ve been using for a long time makes cooking easier for you.

“I love cooking seafood,” shares Chef Lau. “So if I were to host a Christmas feast, the menu will likely consist of a baked fish dish that’s lightly marinated with fresh herbs, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a bit garlic, and citrus juice; roast beef in red wine sauce; fresh organic greens and grilled veggie salad with light dressing; risotto; and a rich soup,” he adds.

Self-service is the way to go

Instead of doing a family-style sit-down meal where you serve several platters of food per table, Chef Laudico recommends going for a mini buffet set-up for your reunion feast. “This will encourage your guests to actually serve themselves and that will free you up to make your rounds, socializing, and mingling with people,” says Chef Laudico.

Separate the savory dishes from the desserts and the drinks for a more organized flow of guests to and from the buffet table. And have a nice punch bowl for your centerpiece to elevate your set-up with a touch of elegance while making it more accessible to all.

Chef Laudico can’t emphasize enough how food brings people together. And with reliable, time-tested La Germania cooking appliances easing things up in the kitchen, you get to have more time to celebrate what matters most this season—life and laughter shared with your loved ones.