Celebration of life for 20 guests
A buffet-style celebration of life for 20: 6 dishes, about 604 g of food a guest (26.75 lb in all), 34 lines on the shopping list and around 85 drinks. 30% of the cooking can happen before the day.
- Dishes
- 6
- Food
- 26.75 lb
- Drinks
- 85
- Shopping lines
- 34
Sized by the planning engine
The menu, amounts and kitchen check
- · We set food for 2 PM — change it if your timing is different.
Menu for 20
To start
- Pickle and ferment tray1 batch · 20 servingson the day
Mains
- Pork meatballs with mustard cream3 batches · 18 servingsday before
Sides
- Cold green salad, sharp dressing1.5 batches · 12 servingson the day
- Baked macaroni and cheese1.5 batches · 12 servingson the day
Bread
- Griddled flatbreads2.5 batches · 20 servingson the day
Dessert
- No-bake pantry flapjack2 batches · 20 servingsday before
About 604 g of food a guest. 30% of the cooking can be done before the day.
Shopping highlights
- Ground pork4.5 lb
- Citrus for garnish4 ea
- Herb for garnish — mint or rosemary2 bunch
- Lemon3 ea
- Onion4 ea
- Salad leaves1.5 lb
- Butter10 oz
- Cheddar13 oz
- Egg4 ea
- Heavy cream2.3 cup
10 of 34 lines. The full list comes with the plan.
Kitchen check
SERVING STATIONS — What runs out first
Serving stations is the busiest part of this starting kitchen.
Checked against a starting kitchen of 1 oven and 4 burners — not yours yet. Seats are not counted here: the planner asks for your real number rather than guessing it.
Drinks and cost
- Drinks, all kinds
- 85
- Ice
- 35 lb
- Food, estimated
- $414
About $21 a guest — a planning estimate from typical supermarket costs, not a price.
Countdown
The celebration of life timeline, condensed
4 weeks before
- · Send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat.
- · A dish the person liked, and the rest chosen because it can sit. Do not invent a theme.
2 weeks before
- · Order the things that sell out. Leave the greens for the week of.
- · Decide the table before you buy anything for it.
1 week before
- · Cook whatever is better the next day. Leave the last fry for the day.
- · Count the zero-proof and the water with the rest of the drinks.
Day before
- · Clear the surfaces you will actually serve from.
- · Label what is already done so a helper does not redo it.
Day of
- · Finish only what cannot wait. Put the rest out before people arrive.
- · Keep one person out of the kitchen once guests are in the room.
Day after
- · Cool leftovers in shallow containers. Note what actually ran out.
- · Eat the food that keeps. Throw out the food that does not.
Other sizes
Celebration of life for more or fewer
Questions hosts ask
How much food for a celebration of life for 20?
About 26.75 lb of finished food, or 604 g a guest across 6 dishes, with pork meatballs with mustard cream as the main. The amounts are sized by the planning engine and include a small margin.
Should a celebration of life for 20 be a buffet or a sit-down meal?
It usually runs buffet-style: guests help themselves, so not everyone needs a chair at once. Still count the seats you have; the planner never assumes them.
How many drinks for a celebration of life for 20?
About 85 drinks across the party, including alcohol-free ones, and 35 lb of ice.
How far ahead should I start planning?
Start 4 weeks before: send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat, and a dish the person liked, and the rest chosen because it can sit. Do not invent a theme.
What does a celebration of life for 20 cost?
The food in this plan comes to roughly $414, about $21 a guest. That is a planning estimate from typical US supermarket costs, not a price for your shop.
The whole night
Plan my celebration of life for 20
Tell us about your kitchen, your seats and anyone's food needs, and the menu, shopping list and timeline redraw around them.