Carla's Book Crush

Southern Get-Togethers: A Guide to Hosting Unforgettable Gatherings by Kelsey Barnard Clark
Published by: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
Genres: Cookbooks
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Add to Goodreads
Buy on Amazon

Southern Grit author, Top Chef winner, TV personality, and queen of Southern hospitality Kelsey Barnard Clark presents more than 100 irresistible recipes perfect for a crowd, plus all the expert wisdom and inspiration you need to host exceptional gatherings..

“A perfect guide for planning gatherings of any size; great for any collection.”—Library Journal, starred review

Call some friends, arrange some flowers, and whip up a quick bite. Let’s get the party started, y’all!

Chef Kelsey Barnard Clark catered her first wedding at age fifteen and has been hosting events ever since. In these pages, Kelsey distills her hard-earned party-planning wisdom into practical advice for newbie and experienced hosts alike: “I’ve made all the mistakes already, lived to tell the tale, and want to give you the benefit of my experience so you can stop worrying and start celebrating. This is a self-help book for throwing the damn party.”

With more than 100 crowd-pleasing recipes, this book has everything you need to do just that, demonstrating how easy it can be to host anything from a casual stop-by, low country boil, or BYO burger night to a bridal shower brunch, formal French dinner, or hunting season feast. No matter the event, Kelsey’s wide-ranging and accessible recipes make entertaining a joy, never a chore. Recipes include such gems as:

NOLA Barbecue Shrimp
Southern-Style Ramen
KBC’s Smoked Brisket
Zucchini Gratin
White Sparkling Sangria
Bananas Foster
And many more Southern classics with a twist (and classics with a Southern twist) like Jambalaya, Hot Honey Chicken, Green Pickled Tomatoes, and Beignets

Helpful tips on tablescaping, flower arranging, menu planning, food buying, and more ensure you have the confidence and know-how to pull off a memorable celebration of any size. Brimming with beautiful food and lifestyle photography, Southern Get-Togethers is a must-have manual on Southern hospitality and a lively, delicious, all-around cookbook that’s calling for a space on your shelf.

I’m a sucker for Food Network. I watch it constantly and that is where I met Kelsey Barnard Clark. You may think, oh sure, she’s a Top Chef. Nope, that’s not where I saw her. Not even sure if I’ve ever watched that. It was through appearances here and there but the real clincher, when I knew that she had my foodie soul was when she competed on Bobby’s Triple Threat. I will not spoil the episode if you haven’t seen it but it’s a must watch. Southern Get-Togethers smacks of Chef Kelsey, she is on every page of this cookbook and in an oh-so-good way.

The tagline of this book is A Guide to Hosting Unforgettable Gatherings, however, if you are not a regular hostess and prefer the quiet of an empty house you will still learn so much from this cookbook. There are tips in here that I have never seen before. Did you know you can smoke a brisket without a grill? I didn’t but you can bet this will be happening at my house now. If you are the quintessential hostess there is tons of information packed in here including what to keep and what to trash as far as traditional, long-standing hostess rules go. There are a few on there that I’m so happy to hear I can just ignore going forward.

For me, photography is an essential part of any modern cookbook. My personal preference is a photo for every recipe. Southern Get-Togethers does not disappoint. It is not so formulaic as to place recipe, photo, recipe, photo (you get the idea) but instead showcases the recipes in as you would lay them out on the table at a well decorated party.

There is a, dare I say, very Southern hospitality element to the book layout. After the “Getting Started” section which is everything you never knew you needed to know about being a hostess, each section is divided into get-together types. Within each party chapter there are multiple celebration types. My favorite chapter is “Formal Affairs & Slow Food Socials”. If you are not a formal affairs type of gal, no worries, this is not just about putting on your formal wear and getting out your best china (which is not actually a recommendation anywhere in the book), think Sunday meals, spending time with friends and family and just relaxing. But Chef Kelsey has you covered regardless of the type of party you want to throw. Some I never knew were a thing. You can now consider this Midwesterner educated on Southern style.

The recipes are well organized and thorough. Ingredients are listed as used, and instructions are so thorough that I could envision myself making the recipes without ever picking up a spatula. Another great thing to love is the accessibility of the ingredients. In a few instances, Chef Kelsey even recommended specific, easy to find brands. Techniques are described in detail within the recipes so that you understand what you are doing while you are doing it. There are a few callouts throughout, highlighting tips and providing definitions. Recipes to master and put in your regular rotation include Mrs. Susan’s Animal House Chex Mix, KBC’s Smoked Brisket, Roast Chicken, Five Ways, Bananas Foster, and Fish en Papillote, Six Ways.

Southern Get-Togethers is an excellent resource for any hostess, party thrower, guest or home cook. There is so much invaluable information here, it will answer questions you didn’t even know you had. If you are a cookbook collector, and even if you’re not, I highly recommend a copy grace your kitchen.

Do you read cookbooks?
What is your favorite Food Network show?