Inside the Crafted Holiday Kitchen: What Makes Our Holiday Meals Truly Special

Every holiday season, families across the Capital Region choose Crafted Catering and Events for a simple reason. They want food that feels nostalgic but still exciting. They want classic dishes made with intention and local ingredients. They want a meal that tastes like it took two days to prepare without actually spending two days in the kitchen.

To create a menu that checks all those boxes, Chef Will and the Crafted team spend weeks testing entrées, refining sides, and selecting ingredients that shine in the colder months. This year’s menu is a mix of tradition, smart technique, and the quiet confidence that comes from years of cooking for families during the most meaningful time of year.

We asked Will to share a little of what goes into building the Crafted holiday dinner. Here’s a look behind the scenes.

The inspiration behind this year’s entrées

According to Will, the menu is built on dishes that simply belong on a holiday table.

“Tenderloin is a classic. Short rib is always good in the winter. Turkey is for the people who don’t want red meat. And the pork roast is the sleeper hit.”

Most families default to ham for the holidays, but Will wanted something more special.

“The pork roast is bone in and cooks off beautifully. It’s familiar, but not boring.”

This balance of comfort and elevation is what defines Crafted’s holiday offerings.

Local ingredients that bring the season to life

Winter in New York brings some of the best cold weather produce and pantry staples, and the Crafted kitchen embraces it fully.

Will lights up talking about the ingredients he waits for each year.

“NY maple syrup in the winter. Local honey. Winter vegetables from Sun Sprout Farm and Paffenroth Gardens. And dairy from Ronnybrook Farm.”

These ingredients show up across the menu. The maple glazed squash, the cobbler, the gratin potatoes. They add a depth and richness that only comes from food grown close to home.

A chef’s personal favorite holiday dish

Every chef has a comfort dish they return to, and Will’s is no exception.

“I like any kind of braise. Anything that can hit the oven in the morning and be ready by dinner. I love pot roast made with chuck roast, served with roasted root vegetables.”

Celery root, turnips, rutabaga. Simple, hearty ingredients that make a house smell like the holidays.

That same warmth shows up in the Crafted short ribs, one of the stars of this year’s menu.

Creating dishes that actually get better as they reheat

Reheating is an art, not an afterthought. Will builds the menu around dishes that improve after resting overnight.

He puts it simply:
“It’s about learning from experience and focusing on items that get better when you reheat them.”

Apple cobbler. Short rib. Gratin potatoes.
These are dishes designed to stay tender, stay flavorful, and stay beautiful on the plate long after they leave the kitchen.

This is where Crafted sets itself apart from grocery store holiday meals. The menu is engineered for success at home, not just made to look good on a sheet pan.

A little childhood tradition woven into the season

Food memories matter, even for chefs.

Will shared one of his own.

“My grandmother would make matzoh brei for breakfast during Hanukkah, so that’s something I always like to make.”

It’s a small detail, but it’s the kind of thing that shapes how a chef approaches seasonal cooking. He builds dishes that feel grounding. Familiar. Comforting.

Because the best holiday food isn’t complicated. It just feels right.

What most people don’t see behind the scenes

Cooking for hundreds of families is no small task, but Will says the surprising challenge isn’t the food.

“The packaging and organization can be just as difficult or more so than the cooking.”

Every entrée, side, sauce, and dessert is labeled, sealed, arranged, and cross checked to make sure families have everything they need for a seamless holiday meal.

It’s precise work. And it’s one of the reasons Crafted holiday meals look and feel so polished when families unpack them at home.

This year’s predicted fan favorite

Will didn’t hesitate.

“The cheesecake for sure.”

Dense, rich, perfectly balanced. It’s Crafted’s version of a holiday mic drop.

The energy in the kitchen during holiday week

People imagine chaos. Will describes something very different.

“It’s a tight crew, and as usual we’ll be vibing.”

There’s rhythm. There’s flow. There’s a team that trusts each other and has done this many times before.

This is the part you can taste in the food.
Because when people enjoy making something, it shows.

What Will hopes families feel when they sit down to eat

Behind every holiday package is a simple goal.

“The shopping, cleanup, and prep can cause stress, especially with everything else going on. This eliminates all of that and gives you time to wrap presents and argue politics with your uncles.”

This might be the most honest summary of holiday cooking ever spoken by a chef.
Crafted holiday meals give people their day back.

What makes this work meaningful

For Will, the answer is easy.

“Seeing repeat customers from Thanksgiving and getting great feedback.”

There’s something special about preparing food for a family’s most important traditions. When they come back, year after year, it’s the highest compliment.

A holiday meal made with intention

From the bone in pork roast to the maple glazed squash to the cobbler that reheats like a dream, Crafted’s holiday menu is built with real care, local ingredients, and a deep understanding of what families want this time of year.

It’s comforting.
It’s celebratory.
It’s thoughtful.
And best of all, it lets you show up to your holiday with more time, more calm, and more joy.

Order by December 16.
Pick up or delivery December 20 through 24.

Crafted handles the cooking.
You handle the memory making.