Celebration of life for 30 guests
A buffet-style celebration of life for 30: 6 dishes, about 604 g of food a guest (40 lb in all), 34 lines on the shopping list and around 128 drinks. 40% of the cooking can happen before the day.
- Dishes
- 6
- Food
- 40 lb
- Drinks
- 128
- 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 30
To start
- Pickle and ferment tray1.5 batches · 30 servingson the day
Mains
- Pork meatballs with mustard cream4.5 batches · 27 servingsday before
Sides
- Cold green salad, sharp dressing2 batches · 16 servingson the day
- Baked macaroni and cheese2 batches · 16 servingson the day
Bread
- Griddled flatbreads3.5 batches · 28 servingson the day
Dessert
- No-bake pantry flapjack2.5 batches · 25 servingsday before
About 604 g of food a guest. 40% of the cooking can be done before the day.
Shopping highlights
- Ground pork7 lb
- Citrus for garnish7 ea
- Herb for garnish — mint or rosemary2 bunch
- Lemon4 ea
- Onion5 ea
- Salad leaves2 lb
- Butter12 oz
- Cheddar1.3 lb
- Egg5 ea
- Heavy cream3.5 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
- 128
- Ice
- 56 lb
- Food, estimated
- $591
About $20 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 30?
About 40 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 30 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 30?
About 128 drinks across the party, including alcohol-free ones, and 56 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 30 cost?
The food in this plan comes to roughly $591, about $20 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 30
Tell us about your kitchen, your seats and anyone's food needs, and the menu, shopping list and timeline redraw around them.