In his workshop, Cooking for a Crowd, chef Charles Hunter III shares some of his favorite crowd-pleasing recipes that are sure to entertain and delight your guests.

Cooking for a Crowd: Recipes for Entertaining 

Learn how to prepare two of Charles’ favorite crowd-pleasing appetizers: butter-whipped deviled eggs with spicy bacon and fresh, citrus guacamole.

Appetizers: Deviled Eggs, Citrus Guacamole

Create a simple, yet elevated plated meal for any occasion as Charles demonstrates how to prepare peppercorn chicken, sautéed broccoli and garlic mashed sweet potatoes, topped with a delicious fig sauce.

Plated Dinner: Peppercorn Chicken

Make a comforting, family style meal that is wonderful for hosting a large group of guests as Charles shares his recipe for a flavorful pot roast with grilled green beans.


Family Style Dinner: Pot Roast

Complete your dinner party with a mouthwatering brown butter apple cobbler as Charles shares his tricks for elevating vanilla ice cream.

Dessert: Brown Butter Apple Cobbler

Mix your own signature party drinks with just a few simple ingredients as Charles shares two of his favorite recipes: an Earl Grey refresher and ginger-berry lemonade.

Drinks: Earl Grey Refresher, Berry Lemonade

Learn to entertain and cook for a gathering with chef Charles Hunter III.

From an early age I always liked veggies. I would always reach for them first at the dinner table and green beans are one of my favorites. I just LOVE green beans! Grilling them adds a wonderful smoky flavor and char and my sweet and spicy sauce takes them to the next level.

Grilled Green Beans

Even though pot roasts are a well-known dish in southern culture, I feel there are different variations of the slow-cooked meat dish that span through the country as a whole, and even globally. There’s something really special about a slow-roasted meat that falls off the bone, it really says “made with love,” and it’s an easy dish, especially for family dinners. For me, pot roasts invoke memories of Sunday family dinners. We would rotate houses and have everyone’s unique pot roast. I remember a big dish at the center of the table with a beautiful piece of meat and my mom cutting chunks away. Vegetables and gravy were always my favorite. I would reach out and soak a roll in the delicious gravy!

Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

Peppercorn Chicken with Fig Sauce

Deviled eggs are such a southern staple. Growing up, it was a dish we ate as part of just about every meal and gathering. At any given time, you could open anyone's refrigerator and see a plate of them. We would snack on deviled eggs like chips! Everybody made their own version, so I saw many renditions of them along the way. My recipe combines sweet and spicy, and the bacon topping helps lure people in while also adding a great crunch to complement the creaminess of the egg filling. It's a great recipe for skeptics or first timers!

Butter Whipped Deviled Eggs with Spicy and Crispy Bacon

I had a version of this citrus guacamole at a restaurant that is no longer open, and it was so delicious that I created my own version. The pop of citrus in your mouth is unexpected and pairs beautifully with the rich butteriness of avocados. The flavors keep building as you eat it. You can use oranges, grapefruits, or whatever your favorite citrus fruit is! I’m sure you’ll love this recipe so much it will become your go-to guac recipe.

Citrus Guacamole

I learned how to make homemade ice cream with my grandmother, and it was such a treat! Now, when I want to have special ice cream, but I don’t have the time to churn my own, I just elevate store-bought ice cream. It’s such an easy way to customize your ice cream flavors to the seasons and take your dessert to the next level.

Sea Salt Vanilla Ice Cream

Brown Butter Apple Cobbler

Ginger-Berry Lemonade

There was a time when I used to drink a good amount of tea, so there’s always some in my house. I developed this recipe as an easy way to use the tea I had in the pantry and turn it into something a little more special and refreshing.

Earl Grey and Honey Refresher

Garlicky Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Sautéed Broccoli

Charles Hunter III is a chef, recipe developer, and food blogger based in Nashville, TN. After years in the restaurant industry, he created his own in-home catering company, The Salted Table, sharing his passion for entertaining and creating culinary experiences that inspire people to gather and eat well.

Charles Hunter III

Cooking for a Crowd: Recipes for Entertaining

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