What to cook for 70 people...

[JoeSousa]

In May I am going to be cooking dinner for 70 people at our church. Last year I did brisket and pulled pork and I am sure everyone would love some good bbq again but I want to do something a bit different. Budget-wise we are wanting to keep it around $20 per person.

One thought was some individual beef wellingtons. Not sure I could make filets fit in the budget but there is a local restaurant here that does it with some nice sirloins. We could probably make that work in budget with some baked potatoes, salad, etc.

Anyone have any other good ideas? Thought about doing an epic taco bar with a few different meats, tons of toppings, sauces, etc. but think I want something a bit "nicer" than that. Don't want to do pasta or anything like that. What are some other ideas you have for a meal like this?

[Clawbear57]

It seem like beef Wellington for70 people is a lot of work, for me at least. But then I don't have that much skill.

[texastweeter]

Chicken halves and sausage, pulled or chopped shoulder clod. Ribroast. Smoked salmon. Spare ribs. Crown roast of pork. Turkey. Smoked ham. Crawfish, shrimp, or crab boil. Chili bar. Fish fry.

[Oak Smoke]

Chicken halves was my first thought. There’s several different flavor profiles you could give them.

[texastweeter]

Do some catering for events around town Rob whatever

[Sweaty Paul]

+1 on this. Could spatchcock the chickens to make serving easier and more variable. Add some grilled veggies and salads…think it would be pretty tasty.

Another thought would be stuffed pork loins you could slice for folks.

Good luck!

[texastweeter]

You could also do a pork wellington

[DTro]

I have done this A. Brown recipe a couple times. So good!

[JoeSousa]

Pork wellington is something we were considering as well. Have you ever done it with a pork loin instead of a tenderloin?

[texastweeter]

I would think the loin would be under or the puff pastry over if you used a loin. JoeSousa

[Skip]

1 1/4" Thick Bone in Pork Chops or Windsor (smoked) Pork Chops.

[Richard Chrz]

I love the idea of a giant taco bar. I do that for my neighbors here, for cinco de mayo party, make sure there is some pulled pork and pulled chuck available also. Super cheap meal.

[58limited]

Jambalaya

[shify]

This or gumbo is what I was thinking

[Jim White]

Tandoori chicken, dal and naan.

[skipsdaughter]

Breakfast for dinner -- allows for some cheap items to be mixed in with some splurges. Almost everyone loves breakfast foods. Most of it can be made ahead of time and reheated that day.

One year I hosted a dinner where I really leaned into a "church dinner" theme -- jello salads, casseroles (or hotdish here in Minnesota), bars -- that might be different than what you are hoping for.

You'll do something great, I'm sure!

[RonB]

With all those cookers, you could do a ton of chicken wings in different flavor profiles.

Or, if ya had a 60" wok and some long handled shovels, you could do a stir fry.

[WillTravelForFood]

This is a vote against a Giant Taco Bar buffet. It'll be a mess to maintain for 70 people, among other execution issues (running out of sour cream or guac, tortillas getting destroyed, cross-contamination as people grab handfuls of lettuce....)

We understand not wanting to go Italian -- but there's a reason that many Italian places are able to do "all you can eat" or "unlimited whatever" menu offerings. Pizza, Pasta can be super inexpensive to make.

perhaps if you had one of those insta-cook pizza ovens (Ooni, or rent a pizza-oven-on-a-truck), you could possibly do made-to-order pizzas?

Bigger question for you --- is this a sit-down meal where everybody is expecting to eat at exactly the same time (such as "dinner is served at 6p, presentation at 6:30p), or is it more of a social activity where people come and go over the course of the evening?

[JoeSousa]

More of a sit down dinner. I do have an Ooni but cooking that many pizzas would be a lot.

[Texas Larry]

Cornish game hens come to mind here. Could be served very nicely with roasted vegetables and a creative pilaf.

[jfmorris]

I like the ideas suggested so far OTHER than the taco bar. I experienced that at a wedding once, and with 200 guests, the line to get food at the taco bar was long and slow. I imagine it took 45 minutes or longer for everyone to get through the line, because folks were taking so much time to make their tacos. They also had it along a wall, and did not have it setup for a line down each side of the tables, which was a major fail.

Food that can just be grabbed with tongs and put on the plate as you go through line, and doesn't have to be "fixed" as much as a taco, would work much better in my opinion. It's all the toppings and sauces and such that slows things down on a taco bar.

[lumbrjk]

I know you don't want tacos, but I have fed over 250 with them and they turn out great. Another option that I like to do that turns out well is pulled pork (+ other meats if so desired) over baked potatoes. You can have all the potato fixings with meats and home made BBQ sauce. Pair with salad, beans, bread.... end with some smoked pecan pie!

[WillTravelForFood]

Take a look at randomly selected Hotel catering menus. They know how to do these things already, so why not leverage their expertise at menu planning. Also gives you an idea of a per-person price point.

Here's a Google'd menu from one hotel that might inspire some ideas:

https://www.davenporthotelcollection.com/the-historic-davenport-hotel/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/10/2020-Historic-Davenport-Banquet-Menus_Updated_-10.07.20.pdf

Plated lunch: Roast turkey cobb salad with egg, bacon, tomato, blue cheese OR classic chicken caesar salad with baguette croutons and parmeson tuille. Dessert could be apple crisp or cheese cake

Plated dinner: crab cakes over bed of lettuce, or maybe stuffed peppers?

If you're doing chafing dishes, you also want food that won't die from sitting out on a steam table for a while.

Go fancy: steam trays of various fixin's (potatos, mac cheese, rolls, etc), then do a brisket or two at a carving station where you can control the portion sizes fresh off the slicer. Chicken or turkey breast of those who don't do meat.

Have no solid ideas for the vegetarians, but the hotel menus could inspire those too