Tom Colicchio’s Secrets to Holiday Entertaining

Watching Tom Colicchio on television makes it clear he does not mess around in the kitchen. The award-winning chef, cookbook author, and host of Top Chef, which has aired on Bravo for a remarkable 21 seasons, is a personable guy but a no-nonsense cook, with a clear idea of hospitality, whether at the dining room table or entertaining a house full of guests.

Now, Colicchio has made life easier for seasoned cooks and amateurs alike with his new line of jarred sauces and other fine products in the Colicchio Collection. Colicchio has also teamed up with Harry & David to offer an Italian specialty collection of gifts and meal solutions for home cooks, which will make anyone look like a pro in the kitchen or as a host.

The collaboration features gourmet cooking and pairing sauces inspired by six different regions in Italy (Abruzzo, Calabria, Liguria, Piemonte, Sicily, and Trentino) and must-haves for the pantry, all to make entertaining a breeze — especially during the holidays. There will also be gift sets focused on Italian-themed meals, from a Piemonte box with all the fixings for risotto to “Brunch the Italian Way” with everything needed to make the spicy baked dish “Eggs in Purgatory” (except the eggs). Recipe cards are included with codes to access cooking videos, making it easy for anyone with basic skills to prepare a restaurant-quality meal at home.

“The real skill in being a chef is organizing and managing your kitchen,” Colicchio says.

While he shares tips for meal planning and prepping in advance, he also has created what he refers to as “shortcuts” — Colicchio Collection sauces, for instance — that will cut down on cooking time while perfecting memorable flavors.

Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with family and friends

Colicchio says, for him, the holidays are a time to recharge, think about the year ahead, and spend time around the table with people you love. The Colicchio Collection was created, in part, to deliver delicious kitchen shortcuts. The sauces can shave hours off the time it takes to cook a memorable dish without sacrificing any flavor.

“Food really has the ability to bring people around the table,” Colicchio says. “When we did the collection, I thought, ‘People would like to cook and do more, but it's time consuming — and they don't have the time.’”

He makes a fair point. Anyone who has hosted a dinner party knows the inherent stresses and pain points. Preparing and serving food, while also mingling with guests, is nearly impossible. If you’ve ever heard someone tell you “It smells like something is burning in the kitchen,” you’ve probably tried to play host and chef simultaneously — and failed.

READ MORE: 7 Simple Ways to Throw a Glorious Holiday Party

Colicchio has suggestions for preparing certain ingredients or dishes in advance, but even that requires nearly maximum effort.

Starting with the idea for a basic marinara sauce, he says, the Colicchio Collection quickly evolved to include sauces not just for mixing with pasta but for simmering to add flavor to a braised chicken dish, or even a fish stew. As part of the collaboration with Harry & David, he has also developed sets ideal for gifting.

Holidays made easier with the Colicchio Collection and Harry & David

Growing up in an Italian-American family in New Jersey, Colicchio learned how food ties into celebrations, from holiday traditions like Easter ham to comprehensive menus like the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a parade of seafood dishes served on Christmas Eve.

In an Italian-American household, gatherings frequently feature antipasto, a spread with cured meats, cheeses, and jarred items including olives and artichokes. The Colicchio Collection and Harry & David will feature items to help make your own charcuterie or salumi board, or gift an item or basket to friends and family members who appreciate fine foods.

As Colicchio points out, the holidays involve lots of parties, and “you don’t want to show up empty handed.” He says wine is always a great gift, but high-quality olive oil and vinegar can be more unique and memorable.

While the new selections from the Colicchio Collection and Harry & David will save time and effort, the chef also suggests preparing certain ingredients and dishes in advance to cut down on cooking time when guests are present.

Among his tips for make-ahead items on Thanksgiving are:

• For stuffing, chop vegetables, such as carrots, celery, onions, and leeks, and “sweat” or lightly cook them the day or night before the feast. Cube the bread and prepare any herbs in advance. When it’s time to make the stuffing, combine the prepared ingredients and add stock, and it’s ready.

• Cranberry sauce can be made from scratch at least two days in advance, and can last up to two weeks in the fridge, making it the perfect candidate for a make-ahead Thanksgiving side dish.

Not everything can be made ahead of time, he says, so it’s best to use your judgment. For instance, potatoes are ideally made and served the same day, and fish is cooked right before serving.

Whether for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve, or any other festive holiday, preparing some items a day or more prior can make all the difference in making entertaining a less stressful experience. “Prep ahead,” Colicchio says, “and when you start cooking to finish the dish, you won’t need a knife anymore.”

Harry & David has collaborated with Chef Tom Colicchio to bring you experiential Italian-inspired gifts for home cooks featuring gourmet sauces and pantry essentials.