Friendsgiving ideas from New York’s coolest French cafe owner

Looking for Friendsgiving ideas but want to keep things simple and chic? Who better to ask than New York's coolest French cafe owner.

Elisa Marshall is the founder of Maman in New York, known for its DIY avocado toast and celebrity clientele - Sarah Michelle Gellar, Bethenny Frankel, and Molly Sims are fans.

The original location opened in Soho in 2014; since then, its made its way across Manhattan to Brooklyn, with another branch opening in Toronto. Elisa Marshall and her partner Benjamin Sormonte created a menu that combines the best parts of France with a decidedly American twist.

With Thanksgiving coming up - followed by all the holiday parties - we spoke with Marshall to find out her ideas for chic entertaining in New York (even if your apartment is tiny).

“Keep things simple, classic, and sophisticated,” Marshall advised, recommending you stick to a simple palette.

“Don’t overdo the decor and color schemes,” she said, warning that multiple colors can make a small space seem busy. Instead, “pick two colors—like grey and white, or blue and white—and throw in a vintage element (like a patterned plate or bowl) for a bit of elegance.”

Marshall also recommends setting the mood with good lighting. “I like to put tall, unscented candles in varying heights on the bar and at the food station and use small votives and tea lights to on my shelves and other surfaces. Tall candlesticks have a better visual impact in a dimly-lit room and can provide additional lighting for tables. Tea lights provide an ambient glow. If you want to add more light and sparkle to the table, I love repurposing white holiday tree lights on the tables or in vintage glass jars."

And if you want to recreate a cafe vibe in your own apartment (or simply need a break from the heavier Thanksgiving dishes - one truly can have too much of a good thing, even if that thing is mashed potatoes), it’s easy to recreate some of the cafe's lighter plates at home that still have a holiday twist.

Marshall advocates creating the Phyllis salad, made with roasted shredded brussels sprouts, onions, herb roasted chicken, radish, mesclun, arugula, and cucumber, along with a feta Greek dressing. She's also a fan of the Brooke salad, made with turmeric quinoa, lentils, baby kale, goat cheese, slivered almonds, sesame seeds, balsamic, and dried cranberries for a festive touch (just remember to ask what your guest's dietary restrictions are.)

There's also no need to roast a whole turkey if no one’s going to be eating it, she says. Marshall recommends making a smaller amount to have with the salad.

Before you get too stressed out imagining lugging groceries home and heating your apartment up with multiple pots on the stove, remember that many hands make light work - get your friends to bring a dish each, and let everyone muck in with the washing up.

“I think the biggest faux pas is doing everything yourself. You'll be more inclined to host more often if you don’t wake up to the dreaded pile of dishes the next morning. Some of my most fun evenings have been spent with my girlfriends, lots of wine and doing dishes after a delicious meal.”