Tables & Spreads: A Go-To Guide for Beautiful Snacks, Intimate Gatherings, and Inviting Feasts

I loved her first book and enjoy this one even more. I’m not sure why some reviewers thought there weren’t enough pictures. There are tons of charts and illustrations and every single spread has a picture. There are often pictures, too, with many of the individual recipes that are part of the greater spread. As far as I see it, no pictures are missing. While I love to cook and bake, I don’t have an artistic eye for arranging things so I find this extremely valuable both for strictly following her directions as well as for generating inspiration for custom spreads.

My book came smashed in pretty bad along the entire top edge, like something fell on it and crushed it. While that was disappointing, the book is still useable and the content is great — and that matters most.

I love the idea of inviting people over to share in a beautiful, thoughtfully curated spread on a beautifully decorated table. I can see it in my head. But then everything goes wrong, and they show up to a bag of Doritos, warm soda, and some mustard. I need help getting from idea to execution, and fortunately, Shelly Westerhausen Worcel is here to guide me. Her newest cookbook, Tables and Spreads, is designed for those of us who want to be a domestic goddess and instead just keep turning into dramatic oddness.

Worcel lays everything out step by step, so that her readers can plan, prep, and execute a dinner party, an informal gathering, or even a weeknight dinner that is a well-organized, lovely, inviting spread of finger foods and dips that includes a variety of flavors and textures to satisfy any palette. She thinks of everything I don’t: the design of the table, the theme which you can use to unify the experience, the prep and storage of all your ingredients. She even includes diagrams of wine glasses and cheeses and cheese utensils. She tells you how to cut and cook your vegetables, how to make your meats look abundant on the board, how to add jams or sauces or pickles or dried fruits to add sweetness or tang, and how to fold your napkins to impress.

With checklists and schedules and a chart that shows how much food to buy per guest, Worcel makes the planning so much easier, and she helps you plan out not just the foods but also the tableware, the linens, drinks, the color palette, and the music. She helps you with “The Wow Factor,” making sure your spreads are as memorable for their inviting beauty as they are for the bold flavors and generous mix of foods. She includes over 20 different themes you can choose from, or she helps you plan if you want to go free form. And with over 65 recipes, you can find something that everyone will love.

Each theme comes with a wealth of information and ideas and a few new recipes to add interest and depth. For a classic example, there is The Standard, a classic cheese board featuring 3 different cheeses as well as olives, crackers, honey, and some dried fruit. Then she adds in recipes for Spicy Cantaloupe Jam, Pickled Zucchini Ribbons, and Herby Brown Sugar Nuts. But if you don’t have time to make those, there are store-bought suggestions that will work just as well. She offers ideas for styling and drinks pairing and make-ahead suggestions to make the celebration easier for hosting. And Worcel’s husband Wyatt adds his sidebar with meat suggestions, since she is a vegetarian.

Each of these themes are put together like this, with a wealth of ideas and information to help your event go smoothly. Need something to start your dinner party? Try the Fall Grazing Board, the Burrata Board, or Dips for Dinner. Is it Girls’ Night Out? Go with the Boozy Bloody Mary Bar, the Ladies’ Night Lettuce Wraps, or Valentine’s Day Chocolate Fondue. For holidays, there is the Mother’s Day Spring Minestrone Spread, Christmas Morning Dutch Baby Party, or New Year’s Eve Martini Bar. And there are so many more ideas, for birthdays, breakfast for dinner, Thanksgiving desserts, simple family dinners, or outdoor barbecues.

With fun and flair, flowers and flavors, Worcel brings ideas and inspiration for spreads of all kinds in Tables and Spreads. The photography is gorgeous, bringing these ideas to life in full color, and the creativity is boundless.

There is a lot of information in Tables and Spreads that I can use to be a better host, and I look forward to trying out what I’ve learned. Will I use Worcel’s pre-planned themes? I’m not sure. Some just aren’t right for me (I’m not that much of a drinker, so I probably wouldn’t use any of the spreads dedicated to alcohol), but I love how seeing her spread ideas makes me think of things that will work for me. Overall, I love the organization and creativity of Tables and Spreads, and I think it could help anyone else who struggles with putting together a great spread for family and friends.

Egalleys for Tables and Spreads were provided by Chronicle Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Seems like some too basic info like on table cloths but then very upscale recipes. Not a wide enough range for a family gathering with some kid items mixed with adult items for example. Just an odd mix of information and not what I expected.

Turns out there is an art (and a serious science) to putting together a solid tableau of nibbles. This collection of tips, tricks and recipes will have you making five-star spreads in no time. Containing guides to styling a board for an event, how much food to serve and how to combine cheeses, dips, veggies and more for optimal enjoyment, this part instruction manual, part cookbook will have you yearning for when we can all host again. I already have ingredients for several dips, and a few cocktails, on my next shopping list. If you entertain, or just want to have a tasty afternoon with a family movie, this book should be added to your cookbook collection.

Tables & Spreads is a stunning guide to charcuterie! Each page features vibrant, satisfying boards perfect for entertaining or taking solo snacking to the next level. It emphasizes both the art of presentation and the science of how to put everything together. It gives specifics on how to calculate the amount of food you need, what to serve, etc. Highly recommended!

Thank you Chronicle Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

This book is broken into two sections, the first gives you all the information you need to plan your spread.
I loved the explanation of what type of cheese knife you need for what type of cheese.
I also found the chart on how to best store fruit very helpful. I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets home from the store and doesn’t know which fruit goes in the fridge and which stays on the counter.
I loved the adorable illustrations.

Part two of the book focuses on the recipes.

The ideas are very creative. An oatmeal bar sounds like a brand new idea.
The burrata bar especially caught my eye.

There’s not a ton of pictures but the ones included are vibrant and eye catching.

This book will be fun when people are able to entertain company again, or for a treat for their immediate family.

I got to read an early copy from NetGalley. Thank you!

This was a nice book with pictures and tips. A great gift.

I purchased this book because I saw it in a store for $27. Amazon is selling this for about half of that. I purchased two, one for myself and one for a hostess gift. It’s a very very pretty book.

Really nice book for the price compared to others. Bought as a Christmas gift.

Love this book and can’t wait to use it for the holidays!