Our outdoor entertaining season is extending into the fall this year! We’ve bought a patio heater (and named him Percy!) for our own back deck, but I recently helped with hospitality service for an outdoor women’s Paint ‘n Sip event at my church, and I thought I’d share some of our easy and safe serving ideas with you!
Even on mornings with ice in the birdbath, Percy (the patio heater) keeps me toasty!
Morning tea on the deck with Percy…a hot date LOL
Outdoor Fall Table Decor
Ahem, back to the event in question…It was to be a Paint ‘n Sip event, but also would include a couple of fire pits for ambiance. The decor committee was planning traditional colored fall decor for the seating table centerpieces and so we planned the food tables with those colors in mind. Hay bales would provide some height, and mums and mini pumpkins would nestle among the food offerings. Semi-disposable cloth napkins in brown, gold, and rust and natural bamboo look disposable plates would add a touch of rustic luxury.
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Hay bales add height to the serving tables, and mini pumpkins and mums add vibrant fall color
These napkins are semi-disposable cotton cloth (they can be laundered up to 6 times), and the plates are compostable palm leaf for a natural, rustic bamboo look appropriate to the decor
Outdoor Fall Menu
The menu would be simple: wine, of course! That would be the all-important SIP in Paint ‘n Sip! We also planned to offer bottled water and apple cider which could be served hot or cold depending on the temperatures the day of the event.
The food menu would include cheese, charcuterie, crackers, popcorn, veggies w/ dip, and s’mores for fun around the fire pits!
Individual wrapped cheeses and cheese/meat rolls along with popcorn and crackers dispensed by servers into individual grab-and-go cups or onto guests plates
Safe Food Serving Ideas
In order to keep everyone as safe as possible, we would serve everything in individual or pre-packaged portions and have servers dispense the crackers, wine, and cider. The veggies and dip were portioned into individual serving cups, as was the popcorn. Both the cheese slices and the cheese sticks rolled with cured meats were individually wrapped.
Individually portioned cups of crudite and dip make a colorful presentation clustered on a hammered brass tray
The centerpiece was our clever s’mores “kits”. These were created by filling small cellophane bags with the ingredients for one s’more (1 marshmallow, 2 graham cracker squares, and 1/2 a Hershey chocolate bar) and tying the bag onto a 3’ wooden marshmallow roasting skewer!
Of course, there WERE a few leftover s’mores kits…and we don’t have a firepit at home…so we HAD to test them out with the patio heater…totally ridiculous and we couldn’t stop laughing, but it actually works surprisingly well! I wouldn’t advise it for children or even unsteady adults because I imagine marshmallow goo on the business end of a patio heater is not easy to clean!
Necessity being the mother of invention and all - my kids toast their s’mores marshmallows under the patio heater LOL!
These ideas can be translated to any party in these times. Individual portions are the order of the day, so think SMALL when planning your menu. Fix individual trays, or grab-and-go style individually portioned servings to minimize risks. Style individual servings in baskets and bowls, on trays or on tiered stands for variety in height and shape on your serving table.
Containers like small mason jars, individual sized custard cups, demitasse cups, pretty muffin papers, disposable tasting cups, or nut cups all make great serving containers!
