When the French entertain, the mood is light, casual and 'nobody is stressed,' says one expert.Getty Images
My first summer soirée in France took place a few years before I moved to Paris.
I was on a press trip for a luxury champagne brand with a few other North American journalists, and the company hosted a dinner at a château in the French countryside. We were seated in a gilded, air-conditioned room at a long table lined with exquisite flower arrangements and porcelain dishes that could have been borrowed from the Louvre. A five-course dinner was served with a new wine pairing for each dish.
When I moved to Paris I learned the French have a term for dinner parties of that caliber: “American chic.”
“North Americans have an idea of elegance that’s different from ours,” says Alice Malaret, a Paris-based chef, event planner and caterer, whose clients include Caudalie, Miu Miu and Sisley. “Everything has to be perfect.”
But in Paris, especially in the summer, the decor leans more fuss-free, even for major fashion week events—unless clients request otherwise for their American guests. “French people don’t care as much,” Malaret says. “Everything needs to be very sharp, but not too elegant.”
They place more emphasis on serving good food and creating a positive vibe. “Dinners with French people are always so festive,” says Sutanya Dacres, a U.S. expat who has lived in Paris for more than a decade. She’s a podcaster, a frequent dinner-party host, and author of Dinner for One, a book about finding the joy of cooking through embracing French culture. “The parties are always light and fun and no one’s stressed.”
What are their secrets? Here, Malaret and Dacres share how the French do summer entertaining, just in time for any soirees you might want to host to fête the coming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Le Menu
The main should be one big sharing dish—”something that brings everybody together,” Malaret says. In the summer, French hosts favour mains that are not too hot or heavy since their dinners take place either outside on a terrace in the heat, or in their non-air-conditioned apartments.
Accompanying the main dish as sides or entrées are refreshing sharing plates, says Malaret, such as a caprese salad with burrata, tomatoes and peaches; or fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and strawberries.
Dinner menus in France are “heavily dictated by the seasons,” Dacres says. While the dishes are often simple—think chicken with potatoes and vegetables—”there’s a lot of effort, thought and care behind each meal.” Hosts collect the freshest ingredients from the local market and they source wine that pairs perfectly with the main dish they’re serving.
For dessert, Malaret loves strawberries with chantilly or whipped cream in the summer, and a cheese plate. For wine, Malaret is unwavering about serving white or rosé in the summer, and when it’s really hot, served on ice.
The French also entertain in the summer with buffet-style bites. Instead of seated dinners, Malaret says some hosts prefer to let guests stand and mingle, and they set bread, olives, fresh produce, cheese and wine on tables for easy, self-serve gatherings.
Le Decor
Classic French tablescape decor typically includes pretty, second-hand dishware. “Even if a plate is chipped, it’s okay because we can see that it’s vintage,” Malaret says. They typically opt for linen napkins and sometimes a tablecloth, and candles in silver vintage holders.
If you’re interested in tapping into a more trendy French decor look, try one of three popular tablescapes Malaret’s clients request: A centrepiece of chunky white candles of varying heights bunched together; a scattering of bud vases, each with a single long-stem flower, like a tulip, that bows over; or a large green and leafy bouquet accented with weird, artsy flowers.
Le Vibe
The rumours about French dinner parties are true: They last for hours. Not just because every meal has three or four courses, but because it’s customary after the final dish for guests to settle into their seats and chat past midnight, Dacres says.
But what really sets French entertaining apart is that French hosts always keep their cool. “They’re not stressing about how messy their kitchen is or how long they cooked for,” Dacres says. “You always feel welcomed.”
The French recognize that a fancy menu or tablescape won’t make the gathering any more special. What matters is how everyone’s made to feel—and how great the food and wine are, bien sûr.