Casey Elsass

I like they are so busy running a restaurant, and they just don't have time to take a year off and write a cookbook.

So I come in, I do a lot of the writing.

I also play referee with the chefs because they like to cook in a very restaurant type of way.

And so I keep them grounded on what a

home cook is actually going to be able to do.

So, yeah.

Yeah.

Well, there's this great author.

I love Priya Parker.

Have you ever read any of her work?

Exactly, yes.

She really changed my whole perspective because her whole thesis is the more you can set an expectation, the more comfortable the guests are going to feel in that scenario.

So I think that's always so good to be really clear about what's expected, if you do want them to bring something, if you don't want them to bring something.

a sense of how the night's going to flow, if there's a theme to the night.

I think the more info you can give ahead of time, the better everybody's going to be able to engage with what's actually happening at that party.

I am such a big fan of co-hosting.

I'm a big fan of crowdsourcing.

I think a lot of people have aspirations to host, but the cost is a big hurdle and the effort is a big hurdle.

So that's where I think it's really great to just ask a few friends that you can really trust to chip in and bring the appetizer or bring the dessert or bring a side.

And that way you're just crossing things off your to-do list and you have less and less that you need to stress about and focus on.