PartyCharlie: Go 'Mini' for Labor Day

If you are planning a Labor Day barbecue (and who isn't?), who better to suggest a novel twist on the standard fare than Redondo Beach celebrity caterer Charlie Scola, otherwise known as PartyCharlie? (Yes, it's all one word.)

Scola, party planner for the likes of Hugh Hefner, Elton John, Tom Cruise, Bon Jovi, John Travolta, Bill Maher, Bruce Springsteen and the late Ted Kennedy (to name a few), recommends thinking small for holiday barbecues.

"Instead of grilling the big, giant hamburgers, make mini burgers, mini hotdogs, mini sausage sandwiches and maybe small chicken skewers," he said. "Let people taste different foods."

Varieties of rolls and garnishes add additional intrigue, he said, as does Asian coleslaw made with seasoned rice wine vinegar.

Scola—big on providing party guests (including children) with something to do—suggests baking or buying mini, un-iced cupcakes for dessert.

"Put out bowls of different colors of icing and sprinkles so they can decorate their own cupcakes," he said. Adults "will get into it" as much the kids, he said.

A buzz-saw of energy, Scola, who prides himself on having never lost his New Jersey accent, has been showing people how to entertain for more than 30 years.

In his book, Party Planning Secrets: The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Party, Scola lists PartyCharlie's "Five Steps to Create Energy for an Outrageously Exciting Party:"

1. Exciting invitations.
2. A high-energy welcome.
3. A Festive ambiance.
4. Something to do (such as games and line-dancing lessons).
5. Fabulous food and beverages.

The simple act of a host's "energetic welcome" at the door, he said, releases positive vibrations and communicates a sense of belonging. "Everything in life is about energy. If you create energy for your party at the start, it builds."

It all started when he was just 17 and studying to become a welder in New Jersey. Working in a hotel led to a waiter's job, then maître d', then management positions, until Scola found himself managing seven banquet rooms.

Hooked on great food, riveting themes and pleasing finicky customers, the Italian Catholic, who would remain a lifelong bachelor, orchestrated everything from Hasidic weddings to security-tight presidential events for Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.

Transplanted to Hermosa Beach in 1981, he moved back and forth from the South Bay to Los Angeles, eventually settling in North Redondo Beach. Meanwhile, along with involvements in restaurants and health clubs, he created Charlie Scola Catering, which led to a raft of celebrity clients.

One client, Charlie Sheen, wanted to toss a wingding for one of his favorite ball clubs.

"This was years ago," said Scola, who praised the actor at the time as "a true gentleman." He was "so courteous," Scola said, even to the point of introducing the PartyCharlie staff to his guests. "He's got a great memory, this guy."

One funny moment happened when the catering crew first showed up at Sheen's house and discovered the actor's motorcycle parked in the foyer. "As the crew started setting up," Scola said, Sheen "opened the door, started his motorcycle and roared right down the steps."

One of Scola's most unusual catering assignments was for a Breeders' Cup event at the Beverly Hills home of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Although the guest list numbered only 12 (a Churchill and the Sultan of Brunei among them), the various food selections asked for would have fed 100, Scola said. Appetizers, salads, seafood, meats, side dishes, desserts—

It would take a village.

Upon presenting his proposal for the menu to the prince's liaison, Scola worried the number of staff he would need (14 or 15) to prepare and serve would be rejected as excessive. "I needed two people just to baste [and care for] the baby Sonoma lamb that was to roast within view of the guests," he said.

Once the liaison had approved the menu, Scola was getting ready to explain why he needed so much staff, when the rep said, "Give me four or five more people."

After all the preparation and planning, however, the luncheon lasted only one hour, Scola said—perhaps because no alcohol was allowed.

Alcohol once played a big part in PartyCharlie's life—too big, he said. "Friends of mine came to me and said, 'You need to focus on you and not on drinking all the time.' I decided to listen to them."

That was 11 years ago. Between sobriety, yoga (he belongs to two South Bay health clubs) and a two-and-one-half year T. Harv Eker personal development course, Charlie Scola cleaned up his act.

The course, which included study, hiking and camping, "changed my life," he said. Above all, it crystallized the PartyCharlie philosophy, one that champions the psychological and health benefits of socializing.

"Studies show that an active social life boosts the immune system and helps people lead longer, better lives," said Scola, who takes a week's vacation every month and calls himself "the happiest man in the world" due to the people, places and parties he is involved with.

Always a proponent of healthy foods, Scola—who teams up with a Japanese catering chef for events—has no problem being around alcohol, he said. "I'm always researching the best new wines and the best, sharpest, coolest, fun cocktail."

He just lets someone else taste test them.

His latest find—a cotton candy martini—is made by filling a martini glass with cotton candy, then adding chilled vodka, "which melts the candy" and turns the cocktail pink. "You can do a sour apple martini by using sour apple cotton candy."

Scola's personal development course helped him overcome another demon, dyslexia. "With all I know about the party business, people were always asking me to write a book," he said. "I didn't want to do it because of my dyslexia. How could I write? I struggle to read."

Halfway through his personal development course, he began to list chapter headings and ideas. "I punched through [the dyslexia], and four years later the book was born," he said.

Written with the help of Katti Lippa, Scola's Party Planning Secrets came out in 2008. It boasts 55 chapters, everything from "Potluck—Organizing a Successful Event" to "Trash—It Stinks, But You Have to Plan for It."

Don't look for party recipes, however. Those will come a future book, Scola said.

Party Planning Secrets is an encyclopedia of everything else: info on budgeting, buffet setups, vendors, rental tips, DJs, bar necessities, entertainment ideas and much more.

What caught my eye, however, was a testimonial on the book cover.

"It's about time the world learned the secret of those little burgers," wrote Eric McCormack, co-star of Will & Grace and one of Scola's clients.

You won't learn the secret in the book, but you will learn the basics here.

"Before sliders were popular," Scola said, "I had a partner years ago and I would tell her about these wonderful little burgers I used to eat growing up in New Jersey called White Castle."

Thinking it would be "cool" to devise such a mini burger as a catering appetizer, the two came up with a concept of their own, said Scola, who admits to obsessively refining his recipes.

"We kept researching different rolls, different seasonings, different meats and finally perfected it," he said.

One of his secrets is to use King's Hawaiian [dinner] Rolls as the buns. "We cut out the center so you're not having so much bread," he explained. "Then we do a seasoned sirloin and a special secret sauce, also a quality, crisp pickle."

Although he would not reveal the exact ingredients or amounts, PartyCharlie’s secret sauce contains ketchup, "special mustard," spices and "a little bit of mayo." He described the pickle only as "tart."

"When you bite into it," he said, "the result is amazing."

Sounds amazing enough for a Labor Day barbecue.

For more information, contact PartyCharlie at 310-542-1234 or info@partycharlie.com.