Abraham Valentino, founder and chief executive officer of iMetros.com, takes comfort in cooking meals at home. With a passion for hosting dinners and learning about dining etiquette, Abraham Valentino hopes to one day publish a book that teaches people about cooking and hosting dinner dates.

A person has several choices for setting a table depending on the formality of a gathering. For informal dinners, the basic setup includes a dinner plate, napkin, and bowl, which is centered on a place mat and stacked, in the order listed, on top of one another.

To the left are two forks, one for salad and the other for the main entree. Situated to the right of the plate is a knife and spoon. The knife, placed closest to the plate, should face inward, so the blade points left. A good rule of thumb for remembering how to set silverware is to follow the progression of a meal. The first utensils used should be placed furthest from the plate, with the final course’s utensils set closest to the plate.

Other inclusions to an informal dinner

place setting are salad or bread and

butter plates and a cup, with saucer,

that go in the top left and right corners

of the place mat, respectively. If the

dinner includes wine, the glass may be

placed just to the left of the cup and

saucer.