Perfect Pasta

Pasta maybe the world's easiest food to make, but it is also an indication of a good cook. Pasta takes roughly seven minutes to cook (depending on pasta type and elevation). While pasta is the go to for large groups it must be enticing and imaginative. Have your caterer cook a pasta dish, even if you don't intend to serve pasta. You can gauge their creativity and ability to use flavors and colors this way. A drab soggy pasta is my worst nightmare, but time and time again I see lifeless pasta in the buffet line.

The choice of pasta speaks about the chef as well. Angel hair is delicate, but must be served promptly or it clumps. Rigatoni is playful and reminds me of the pasta necklaces I made when I was a kid. In my opinion Farfalle is the ultimate pasta. It’s elegant, it’s bow-tie pasta after all. It has attractive cut edges and a great surface-area to volume ratio. Go farfalle!