Maddy DeVita’s Hosting Secrets
Get the private chef’s advice for Thanksgiving and all the other dinners.
You wouldn’t necessarily think that studying biology as a pre-med student would be crucial training for a private chef and recipe developer. But Maddy DeVita sees some threads that carry through: Writing recipes, she tells me in our recent podcast conversation, is surprisingly “similar to writing a lab report. It has to be replicable. It has to be consistent.”
And being an organized student, she says, was good practice for cooking elaborate dinners: “The preparation and the organization is key. It’s maybe the number one thing that you can control that contributes to the success of the meal,” Maddy concludes.
What else about the life of a private chef translates to cooking at home? One of Maddy’s tips will definitely come in handy if you’re chopping onions for all your Thanksgiving sides.
Of course, even when you plan, things don’t always go smoothly in the kitchen, especially when you’re working in an unfamiliar space with unfamiliar equipment. Maddy tells the tale of one kitchen disaster at a cooking audition—luckily, she still got the gig.
Maddy cautions that making elaborate, multicourse meals the way a private chef does isn’t always the right move when you’re hosting at home. “It’s all about decreasing the mental load for yourself, whether you’re making something that you’ve made a bunch of times before and you know how to make with confidence, or you’re making something that can be done ahead of time…I’ve done the whole really overextending yourself and making a menu that you’re like, oh, this is going to be super impressive.”
The point of the whole thing, Maddy emphasizes, is that “people just want to come and enjoy each other’s company. And yes, the food is important. But the effort of making the three layer cake with the homemade compote and cream cheese filling and that just being the one component of dessert, you’re going to be frazzled and tired by the end. Let’s just lower the expectations. I feel like we put these expectations on ourselves. And it’s like, how can we just make this enjoyable? Because then you’ll be more enjoyable to be around.”
Tune in to the episode to get Maddy’s thoughts on the Thanksgiving prep you can start this weekend—or follow in your favorite podcast listening app to save for later.
Maddy mentioned:
Parmesan polenta: Maddy recommends the version in Alexis deBoschnek’s book, Nights and Weekends.
Notion app for planning and to-do lists
Host a Party and Enjoy It, Too (Forklore)
Paris Starn’s Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Cake
Avgolemono Soup (FoodbyMaria)
Maddy’s Spicy and Sour Lemongrass Coconut Pork Meatball Soup
Nea Arentzen’s Swedish Cardamom Buns
Maddy’s Hot Honey Vinegar Wings
Maddy’s Thanksgiving turkey recipe
Ina Garten’s Butternut Squash Apple Soup
Molly Baz’s Ayoh, especially classic and Giardinayo
Nancy Silverton’s Mozza Cookbook (Bookshop here)
Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat (Bookshop here)
Nick Curtola’s The Four Horsemen Cookbook (Bookshop here)
Maddy is offering The Dinner Plan’s readers a 30-day free trial for her newsletter, Forklore. Use this link to redeem!
From the ad break:
The Zero Proof: Use code DINNERPLAN20 for 20% off your order
Made In Cookware: Head to madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.
CookShelf: Use code DINNERPLAN10 for $10 off your first year.
Find LaBelle Patrimoine chicken at Whole Foods or GrownAsPromised.com
Feasts on the Farm by Tamara Jo Hicks and Jessica MacLeod (Bookshop here)
Find House Foods Organic Soft Tofu wherever you shop, and get recipes here.
Maggie mentioned:
Samin Nosrat’s Fluffy Pork Meatballs
Dorie Greenspan’s Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good
A NOTE FROM OUR SPONSOR
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Missed the giveaway?
You’re in luck: The Dinner Plan’s November giveaway is staying open a few extra hours, so you can still head over to that post right now to enter. Giveaway will close Monday, November 10th (that’s today!) at midnight. Be sure to follow all three steps to complete your entry. $5 from every new annual paid subscription until Nov 15 will go to organizations providing food to people in need.
This week’s mini gift guide
Substack is a sea of great gift ideas, but sometimes I find the big guides a little overwhelming. Here are three under-$50 options that I’m mulling over. (Family and friends, look away!)
For the cook who wants to spend less time on their phone: This Rifle Paper recipe box is sold out on their own site, but right now you can still find it at Paper Source. Fill with a few of your personal favorites, hand-written. ($38)
For the host who wears a bright red lip: A limited-edition East Fork bowl (or set of bowls) in cherry red. ($44)
For the condiments lover: This yuzu-shaped condiment server adds whimsy to any table. ($44) For a bigger gift, you could package this up with one of your favorite condiments—maybe some yuzu kosho?
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Such good advice—we all get so caught up in making sure the food is perfect when the gathering is the important part
I love this advice so much!! And this mini gift guide is gold!