Chelsea Handler's Dinner Party Tips

Food and Wine magazine recently interview Chelsea Handler, where she handed out her dinner party tips. Here's what she had to say:

F&W: What makes for a perfect dinner party guest list?
CH: "You want people a) that are going to drink and b) that don’t necessarily know each other. I like having people that don’t know each other. I feel like that’s always interesting. And find topics that aren’t so specific to their career. I think everyone that’s a public figure is so used to talking about themselves in a way that’s a promotional tool. So it’s nice to get people talking about real stuff because, obviously, we have different parts of our lives. There are other things you care about."

Do you find yourself hosting parties like these in your personal life?
"Oh, I have dinner parties all the time at my house. My house is an entertainment house. It’s not for children, it’s for adults. I’m a social person. I’ve had dinner parties for six people and I’ve had dinner parties for twenty-five people at my house."

What foods would you recommend or not recommend for good conversation?
"Well the last dinner party we had Korean barbecue and that wasn’t great for conversation because you’re gnawing on a bone the whole time. So anything where you have to gnaw on a bone, maybe not. But I don’t think it’s food specific."

Do you like hosting people, or would you rather meet at a restaurant?
"I always prefer to have it at my house because then we end up hanging out later than normal. We did a really fun education dinner party with my best friend Mary McCormack, Rashida Jones, Jim Parsons and Gabby Hoffman and that was really fun because we all hung out later than the dinner party and sat around, and my crew is there. We film so much at my house, there’s always a crew meal so we sit and eat together all the time. So it’s nice to use my house. It’s important to have over and to have them break it in. I think it’s one of the benefits of being an adult and getting too tipsy at dinner and you’re not out in public. It’s more intimate than a restaurant and it’s a safer place to be."

Is there a city you’ve lived in or been to—Los Angeles, New York, or somewhere abroad—that’s your “food home?”
"Spain is my favorite place for food. I love jamón, I love everything about Spanish food, tapas, the small portions. New York is more exciting for me for food than L.A., but L.A. is where I spend most of my time so I go to the same five places. New York, I’m always trying something new. Spain, you can try anything and not have a bad meal. And surprise, the best Chinese food I’ve ever had was in India."

Read the full interview at Food and Wine.