’Tis the season for holiday entertaining, and we’ve enlisted the help of the most stylish hosts we know to serve up their party tricks for a holiday hosting mini-series. Dress code festive, RSVP requested. À Table!
In the right hands, food can be art—and when Imogen Kwok is involved, it usually is. The chef and food stylist has a way of spinning even tiny details into visual gold: Martinis topped up with shards of sugar pressed with dried flowers; slices of saucisson arranged like dominoes; verdant ravioli crescents shaped to look like pea pods. That’s not to say she’s too precious with food, though; in fact, for her end-of-season holiday party, her low-key approach involves shared plates and lots of interactive participation.
“Encouraging a tactile connection with food is an integral part of my cooking, both for work and at home,” she says. “I love creating a shared moment when people are making their own plates or passing dishes to one another.” She chose a classic Korean menu (with a few twists) as that’s both her go-to craving and the cuisine she grew up with around the holidays. The visual spark comes through in the considered way she assembles everything: neon pink radicchio and purple radish, arranged on plates to resemble miniature gardens, with tiny bowls heaping with colorful ingredients peppered throughout to fill the gaps on the clean white table.
The whole setting is a lesson in delicate balance: “The tableware pieces are elegant and refined, but it’s the type of holiday party where you’re using your hands and adding condiments to dishes, so it’s not stiff,” explains Kwok. “It s very representative of how I cook at home.”
Ahead, Kwok shares the behind-the-scenes of her hosting philosophy, her dinner party outfit rules, and the unexpected hostess gift idea that’ll secure you a second invitation.
“I am very sensitive to different materials and textures. This actually stems from both my Chinese and Korean sides, as both cuisines pay a lot of attention to food texture and a distinct ‘mouthfeel’ in their dishes. Growing up with those cuisines gives me quite an intimate, visceral understanding of our relationship with food. So I instinctively apply this understanding to the menu and ingredient choices—but it also translates to the way I carefully source tableware.
I prefer a clean, neutral-colored tablecloth. This one from Rose Uniacke is so soft and luxurious, it could be a bedspread. I choose ingredients in the same way that I choose tableware: high-quality ingredients and hand-crafted tableware, pieces that share.”
“On most days I typically wear variations of black, and hosting is the same. Definitely tight sleeves or no sleeves—I’m never going to wear something that balloons out, nothing voluminous as I’ll probably spill on it. Silk is a bit risky. I’m in my vintage Prada Sport phase from 100Percerti, and that fabric is perfect for cooking: sleek, minimal, not too precious. For shoes I am very skilled at running around and cooking in heels even if it’s impractical—no crocs for me.”
“I veer more towards neutral-toned ceramics without any pattern, because I like to let the food speak for itself and really have all the attention. For this meal in particular there’s a lot of color going on; it’s quite vibrant. So I want to let the food have its moment. In terms of a centerpiece, I prefer smaller arrangements on the table so people don’t have to crane their necks to make conversation. I think you need to adapt depending on what you’re serving.”
“This table, I’m really focusing on gorgeous glassware from Ann Demeulemeester’s Serax collection, and weighty crystal. Dior’s new homeware collection adds a level of complexity with the geometric cut patterns. Then, the ceramics are different porcelain in matte and gloss finishes: Serax’s Sergio Hermann line, French vintage round trivets, chopsticks from home.”
“Today I’ve made pork Bo Ssam, which is a Korean dish: tender sliced pork belly that you traditionally eat with cabbage and a whole array of side dishes and sauces. I’ve zhuzhed it a bit for the holidays to make it very special, using this luscious pink radicchio instead of cabbage and adding a decadent touch of Volzhenka** **caviar, seaweed, and sesame oil pearls. The other sides are pickled daikon, purple radish, and tiny red plums, little soy braised mushrooms, ssamjang (fermented chile paste sauce), slivered raw garlic, and of course rice. I love this dish; it’s nostalgic and reminds me of all the meals I’ve had at home. I cook for both the senses and the emotional experience, so I’m always thinking about how the food smells and looks but also really considering how it makes you feel.”
“I like setting up a drinks area or station on the table: glassware all laid out, bottles in an ice bucket. I’m a fan of a pre-batched cocktail too, but for this dinner we’re having a traditional Korean rice wine called Makgeolli. It’s very low in alcohol and is an opaque milky color, and I kind of loved this contrast between this and the white wine. When you come to my house you should feel comfortable and welcomed with a few things set up; you can open the next bottle of wine, serve yourself.”
“I think not bringing something. It doesn’t always have to be a bottle of wine. I’ve brought a combination of odd ‘thank you for dinner’ gifts, like a candle plus a gorgeous heirloom tomato. Or a huge bunch of flowering cilantro (which personally I would love to receive) that can go in a vase. I’m also guilty of forgetting to bring anything, then I feel bad; so send flowers or chocolates the next day!”
“It’s most important is to read the room and the vibe as the evening goes along. I tend to change the playlist depending on the mood and how late everyone stays. Either way, don’t have the volume too loud at the beginning. In both restaurants and at home that’s always something that bothers me, when the music is too loud.”
“I think more important is a seating plan, unless you’ve having close friends over. It’s worth it to put time into making thoughtful decisions about where people sit for their comfort level and what conversations they’d be interested in having. The curation of a good dinner party extends beyond the food, to the entire scene, the energy flow.”
“Always prep as much as you can in advance! Do as much as you can, whether that’s laying the table the day before or cooking all the fiddly bits ahead of time. I like to be present with my guests and I don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen all the time, which is also why I prefer low and slow braised dishes (like this pork belly, which is boiled ahead of time) so everything is ready at once.”
