UrbanDaddy’s holiday party this week was a meat fest not because of its guest list but thanks to chef Joey Campanaro. With Nobu event planner Anne Yamamoto, Campanaro orchestrated a towering array of antipasti like coppa, prosciutto, duck prosciutto, foie gras terrine, Pecorino, taleggio, honey comb, acorn squash, boquerones, curried pepitas, truffled toasts, and a sliced-to-order jamón ibérico he made sure had “the hoof and everything.” If you’re used to seeing Campanaro in the little owl’s teeny kitchen, you might be surprised to learn he opened the restaurant after a run of private parties and now operates a full-service catering company called Blackfoot Consulting. Last year (in better times), Martha Stewart shelled out $150,000 for her 1,200 holiday guests, but Campanaro’s done events as small as an in-house dinner for five. He once did a party for $1,000, but it was only that much because “they wanted foie gras and caviar.” The UrbanDaddy event (sponsored by Johnny Walker Blue) cost about $20,000, Campanaro calculated, including food, liquor, six bartenders, servers, decorations, and music. So can we replicate a party like that at home?
“It’s not exactly on the cheap … but I got stuff from Despaña, Salumeria Biellese, Artisanal. If you can’t get Artisanal cheese retail, you can get great stuff at Murray’s.” But, always the hometown supporter, he referred us to Di Bruno Brothers in Philadelphia. “They can do a party like that anywhere in the country,” says Campanaro. “They’ll pack it and send everything out Cryovac.” But the key to any event, the chef told us, is the Italian word abbondanza, or abundance. Lucky for us, there’s an Abbondanza Gift Box on the Di Bruno site now for $69.99.
