Peter Callahan, the owner of Philly and New York’s Callahan Catering, knows how to throw a party for sophisticated clients: he’s a favorite of everyone from Kate Spade to Martha Stewart, and he just catered the pink-carpet Manhattan DVD launch for Sex and the City. And he also knows how to please kids: He orchestrated Kelly Ripa’s son Michael’s birthday party, and his own son Hart’s MTV-worthy super sweet sixteen.

So when Peter and his wife, fashion and interior designer Josephine Sasso, throw a holiday bash, they like to entertain both grown-up friends and their little party animals, including pals of 7-year-old daughter Juliette.

“I love doing the two-generation party, where people can bring their kids and everyone can enjoy,” Peter says. “My food is very kid friendly. All the things I’m really well known for [as a caterer] are perfect for kids: mini cheeseburgers, mini grilled cheese and frites in paper cones. We never have a kids’ menu; we serve them all the exact same food. Kids generally love stuff like steak frites, too.”

So, last year at their holiday party for around 140 adults and 60 kids, he served up miniature comfort foods in an elegant setting. To accommodate the crowd, Peter says, “We had a big winterized tent with a white rug, draped and specially lit, and it felt like it was a room off of the house.” But inside the house, decorating is up to Josephine, who finds creating a festive holiday ambience easy. “I’ve got tons of material here—I have all kinds of decorations I store in boxes,” she says, pulling out tiny white trees, strings of crimson jingle bells, festive wreaths, candles and colorful flowers.

And at each year’s party, child-like wonder—always wel­come around the holidays—per­vades, from sugary decorations to a pint-size surprise of s’mores at the fireside. And since Callahan discovered that one of his chefs was also a stilt-walker and balloon sculptor, she sometimes stops in to entertain the kids. But mostly, he says “they are entertained anyway: They love running around an adult party, getting food and drinks and feeling grown up.”

MAKE AN ENTRANCE
The main entryway gets a dramatic—yet oh-so-sweet—centerpiece in the form of a boldly decorated table loaded with sugary treats. “When guests are coming in, we’re in here to greet them—so Josephine likes to do lots of bowls of candy and candles on this table,” Peter explains. It’s incredibly simple to do and packs a huge color punch. Red, white and green candies all become décor elements when set in polished silver bowls: Swedish fish, licorice bootlaces, green and red jelly beans, swirling peppermints and
foil-wrapped chocolates all pop against the silver. Plus, they’re not just for looks. “Everyone’s a closet candy person,” Peter laughs.

STOCK THE BAR
You can be a gracious host without setting up a full bar each time you have a party. “I like to pick a signature cocktail and serve that at the bar, and then we always have Champagne and white wine as well,” Peter says. “For the specialty drink, we picked a pomegranate-tini with fresh-squeezed pomegranate; that’s what makes a specialty drink really good.” A niche under the stairs becomes a perfect central spot for a bar, laid out with Veuve-Clicquot Rosé, white Burgundy wine and stemless Riedel glasses. Josephine also likes to set up a bar in every room, so no matter where guests wander, there’s a bar nearby.

SERVE COMFORT FOOD
“Everyone loves a party with a lot of passed foods,” Peter says. “We like to serve enough passed hors d’oeuvres to substitute for dinner.” As a rule, he says, for a two-hour party he’ll have 14 small items per person—or he’ll add passed plates or a sushi station. Other things to keep in mind: The passed food should be bite-size (or pretty close). And sometimes, simple, old-fashioned things really are the best—for example, pigs in a blanket are still “the most popular hors d’oeuvre in the universe,” he says.
Here, he’s serving frites, deep-fried on the spot and wrapped in paper cones with a holiday pattern simply scanned and printed at home. He’s also offering mini grilled cheese, on slices cut from tiny loaves of bread baked in custom-made tins. And, he buys wheatgrass by the flat for a fun presentation of pigs in a blanket “two ways”: the traditional finger-food is served side by side with pig-shaped bites of smoked salmon, caper butter and pumpernickel with a wasabi-flavored flying fish roe blanket.

ADD A SIGNATURE TOUCH
When Peter spotted glass artist Andy Paiko’s absinthe fountains, he knew he had to have one for himself. And now, it’s a great serving piece for a mint-infused cocktail he’s dubbed the Green Goddess.
“I’d actually love to serve absinthe, mind you, but at a holiday party people might think that was a little racy,” Peter says. “So we’re toning it down a little bit with a specialty drink, with puréed fresh mint leaves, fresh-squeezed lime juice and vodka.” As for the stemware pieces, they’re sherry glasses that once belonged to Peter’s grandmother; he’ll seize any chance to use crystal he has in the house. “My mother said to me, ‘What would you ever use those for? Nobody drinks sherry anymore,’” he remarks, “never knowing of course that her son would be a caterer, or that I would be serving absinthe out of them. But I think my grandmother would actually approve.”

GO ALL-OUT ON DESSERTS
Desserts follow the same theme as the food: miniature versions of beloved favorites. On a four-tier serving piece, diminutive caramel-coated Lady apples on twigs stand by an army of tiny white glazed donuts, espresso-size cups of chocolate soufflé, and classic rum balls. Josephine uses more silver bowls of candy to complete the look of abundance.

THROW IN A KID-FRIENDLY BONUS
A party like this, says Peter “is going be a somewhat adult night for the kids.” But that doesn’t mean there won’t be fun surprises just for them—like a row of twigs topped with homemade marshmallows, set by the fireside along with all the makings for a classic campfire snack. “I love cooking in the fireplace, and s’mores are fun,” he says. “That’s such an unexpected thing for kids to be allowed to do indoors at a party.

MORE HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING TIPS:

STICK TO THE CLASSICS: “If something is already great, you don’t need to improve upon it,” Peter Callahan says. So cotton candy is great, but cotton candy with foie gras filling, less so.

CONSIDER AN ADDITION: A winterized tent with rugs, lounge furniture and candles suspended overhead can provide extra entertaining space and a cool party vibe. But, Peter warns: “For a winterized tent you have to go to the additional expense of having it built up off of the ground, so that in case it’s a little snowy or rainy it can withstand the weather. If the tent is against the house, it’s like an extension of the house; that’s the best way to do it.”

FIND A GUIDING VISION: “We’ll get inspiration and then base the party on that. For example, I love that Harry Potter scene with floating pumpkins in the great hall, and I definitely want to do a Halloween party based on that. So just a vision like that will totally inspire a whole party; it gives you a road map to follow for décor and theme.”

SKIP THE BAND: If you want to hear a particular song—and not someone’s interpretation of it—a DJ is a good choice. “We love DJs. They can create any kind of music vibe that you want,” Peter says. “Plus parties movie all around, so we pipe music everywhere—which you can’t do as easily with a band.”

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