Potluck Logistics for a Dozen Families
A sign-up system and reheating setup that kept a large potluck from turning into a kitchen bottleneck.
A shared sign-up sheet organized by course, rather than a general 'bring a dish' request, meant the twelve-family gathering we observed ended up with a workable spread instead of six desserts and no sides.
Reheating became the bottleneck rather than the cooking itself, since a single oven cannot handle a dozen dishes at serving temperature at once; a slow cooker relay for soups and casseroles solved most of it.
Labeling dishes with index cards noting ingredients took five extra minutes of setup but noticeably reduced the number of questions about allergens during serving.
