I’m not always the host of my friend group functions, but when I do host, I wear the title like a badge of honor. I love gathering my friends for creative plans but have never put my creativity to the test for a dinner party. This takes quite a bit of effort to look for the right theme and engaging games. And, as a self-identified foodie, the foods to be served need to be top-tier. I figured having ChatGPT as a party planning partner would be a perfect guide to my first dinner party.
I pitched the idea to my friends at a grad party and we finalized our plans with the dinner party happening two days later. I had a busy schedule the day of, with work and a tutoring session, so AI would have to pull its weight and provide guidance in areas if I was struggling.
Step 1: Theme
I started with a blanket general question, “How do I throw a dinner party?” The first piece of advice ChatGPT gave me was that I needed a theme. AI said if I picked a theme, the recipes, music, decorations, and ambiance would fall in place.
Pennsylvania was coming off of an intense heat wave, and we were finally able to sit outside comfortably so, not wanting to get in over my head, I decided to throw a summer dinner party.
I asked ChatGPT, “What are the most common things people forget about when throwing a dinner party?” AI said to make sure I had enough food for the number of people that would be arriving, guests’ allergies, to check the weather, and even have citronella candles to ward off any bugs if we were planning on eating outside. The latter is a great tip that I hadn’t thought of.
Step 2: Food
I planned to have six friends over, two of which were gluten intolerant. I asked ChatGPT for gluten-free summer dinner party menu recommendations and their recipes. It responded with summer-y suggestions for appetizers, main courses, and desserts like pulled pork sliders with coleslaw, grilled veggie and halloumi skewers, and ceviche tostadas. I ended up opting for Caprese salad skewers, a Mediterranean couscous salad, grilled lemon herb chicken, stuffed bell peppers, grilled shrimp skewers with mango salsa, lemon and raspberry sorbet, and grilled peaches with honey mascarpone for dessert.
I figured this mostly gluten-free menu provided a nice mix of veggies, fruits, fish, and meat that encompassed the light, citrusy flavor palette I was going for to complement the summer theme.
Most of the recipes didn’t use more than 10 ingredients, and all were fairly simple. However, AI didn’t always tell me specific amounts of ingredients to use. For example, the recipe for the chicken marinade said to use the juice of two lemons, thyme, rosemary, and olive oil. It did not say how much of the last three ingredients to use, nor specified how many chicken breasts the suggested marinade was designed to marinate. Luckily, one of the best things about AI is that you can keep asking it questions. I further specified, how much marinade I needed for six chicken breasts, and it responded with the juice of three to four lemons, ¼ cup of olive oil, and a tablespoon for each of the spices.
That being said, this was my first time using a grill, but everything turned out well and tasted delicious! AI did not provide pricing, which is something to consider when hosting a dinner party on a budget.
Step 3: Decorations
AI told me to decorate with whites and blues, and lots of florals. I️ kept it simple with white flowers from my garden and put them in a vase to use as the centerpiece for our table. AI didn’t specify individual decorations, but I used white floral cloth napkins that my mom had stored away and put a chill playlist on a speaker.
The Results
My friends arrived at 8:30 p.m., just in time for sunset, which AI advised would be a perfect time to host a dinner party. We chatted for a bit and ate off of a cheese board that I assembled before their arrival, and then dug into the meal.
My friends and I enjoyed our evening with great food, conversation, and ambiance. I was nervous AI wouldn’t have the personal or creative touch for planning a lovely evening, but it was a great guide that included details I might have missed if I was planning on my own.
AI is an especially great resource to look to if you don’t quite know where to start with planning your first, or any, dinner party.