How to host an unforgettable Dinner

One of the major aims we have here on the blog is to find ways for you to have an amazing time in Berlin. Regardless if you live here or if you are just visiting, we want you to make the most of this amazing city and have an unforgettable time here. With our guides and reviews we’re offering a lot of recommendations on what to do here – with our recent collaboration with Priceless® Berlin we have also introduced you to a whole new spectrum of unique experiences from culinary delights to fun adventures.

But what makes an experience really unique and unforgettable? It’s not really as easy as it sounds. We thought a lot about this, because we wanted to create our own “priceless” event for you. As the season of cosy nights at home and lovely holiday dinners is approaching we decided that we wanted to do something related to amazing food. So we sat down with someone who really knows something about excellent food: our Blogfabrik colleague Sophia Hoffmann, who recently published her second amazing cookbook “Vegan Queens”. Together we developed a dinner event of a different kind. “Harvest Muse” turned out to much more than just a dinner party. For the delight of our guests Sophia created something that could almost be described as an altar of the fruits of Autumn – a beautiful food installation that was first admired and photographed and than later devoured by the attendants. In a short interview Sophia explains how the idea came up and what other advice she can give to our readers on how to host an unforgettable dinner.

Sophia, you’ve hosted countless dinner events over the last couple of years. What is the special ingredient that makes a dinner unforgettable?

I try to tell stories with the food I am creating. And if it works the story is so tasty that my guests won’t forget it. My approach is a very creative one. My signature look is definitely very colorful and playful. But of course the dishes have to be tasty, too. Also, I do themed decoration and musical playlists matched to the food. It has to be an all-round experience…

For the Harvest Muse event that you hosted together with us you came up with a very special idea, what was your inspiration for this?

I took inspiration from traditional feasts like Thanksgiving, or Erntedankfest as we call it in German.
Around that time of the year – early Autumn – we have the greatest richness of harvest vegetables in our region and I wanted to seize from this opulence of produce and create an edible food installation that worships this beauty of nature. Like a veggie goddess – The Harvest Muse.

At the event there were a lot of guests who are usually not vegans, yet they totally loved the completely plant-based food and were surprised how filling it was. Do you get this reaction a lot at your vegan dinners?

All the time. Like a permanent déjà-vu. It is my job and my pleasure to show people how diverse, exquisite and pleasuring plant-based food can be. And at the same time it is good for you, your surrounding and the planet in general– isn’t that nice?

What advice can you give dinner-hosts-to-be?

Start small. I started big by feeding up to 50 people. These days I do smaller events and pay more attention to the composition of my menus. But in general: Just start. Be brave. Trial and error. That’s the only way it works…

In your new book Vegan Queens you introduce a lot of elaborate, yet simply to prepare menus with different themes. How did you come up with these and what is your advice for people how to come up with their own unique themes?

They are the results of all the dinner nights I hosted since 2012.
I took the best ideas, re-edited them and invited great vegan entrepreneur women to join me with recipes and stories in this book. When you decide to do cooking for a living you have to stay curious, be addicted, be humble and be aware that you will never stop learning. Networking is part of creating your own language – discourse will help building your own language.

We thank you for your time and for your efforts in hosting with us this “priceless” food event. If the smiles and comments of our guests are any indicator I think we really offered them a night to remember. Hopefully more will come!

Harvest Muse was sponsored by Mastercard

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<a href="https://www.iheartberlin.de/author/admin/" target="_self">Frank</a>

Frank

Author

Frank is the founder and editor-in-chief of iHeartBerlin. He takes photos, makes videos, and writes texts mostly about what's going on in Berlin. His vision and interests have shaped iHeartBerlin since its conception back in 2007 - and he hopes to continue bringing you the best of Berlin for many years to come.