As an award-winning Food Network television host, cookbook author, cooking teacher, and food and wine writer, David Rosengarten clearly knows a thing or two about food and drink–not to mention putting on a great show. Now he brings all three together in an imaginative collection of dinner parties that can transform even a casual get-together into a memorable occasion. Each party features a complete menu of delicious-yet-doable recipes that are centered around a specific food or ethnic theme–a Texas BBQ, Cassoulet (Show up chez-moi for beans and wienies!), or a Tapas Time night featuring Spanish Ham and Chorizos. Planning and presentation ideas show how to make a gathering truly special, from table-setting tips to music suggestions and more. Top photographer Quentin Bacon captures the food and the celebratory mood with style and dramatic flair. Throughout the book, Rosengarten is the perfect host, with a style that is as bold, lively, and entertaining as the parties themselves.

David Rosengarten (New York, NY) is one of most recognized figures working in food journalism and broadcasting today. He is the former host of Taste and cohost of In Food Today, both on television’s Food Network. He has served as a restaurant critic for Gourmet magazine and as wine columnist for Newsday, and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, BusinessWeek, and Bon Appétit. The author of four cookbooks, including Taste (IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award winner) and It’s All American Food, he is currently the Editor in Chief of the popular culinary newsletter, The Rosengarten Report.