Alain Ducasse is well-known for the sophisticated, sometimes elaborate dishes and settings at his high-end restaurants such as Adour Alain Ducasse at the St. Regis New York and Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris. But when he's throwing an outdoor party at home, he makes it a point to keep things simple.

For starters, he believes that "less is definitely more" when it comes to dinner-party decor and chooses to focus his efforts on "the tablecloth, the tableware and the food." At his country home in St. Jean de Luz in the French Basque country, he has filled his garden with chestnut, lemon and orange trees, as well as tomato and aubergine plants and two wandering pet donkeys (named Titou and Choco). He likes to plan outdoor parties that are as low-key and relaxing as the setting, decorating his stone outdoor dinner table with only a plain white tablecloth or one that features white embroidery on white cotton or linen. Sometimes, he'll forgo a tablecloth altogether and focus on eye-catching place settings.

Mr. Ducasse sometimes places small flower displays on the table, always choosing flowers with no scent "so they don't spoil the smell of the food." But generally he avoids cluttering his table with decorations. Instead, he adds touches of his personal style to the table by using pitchers, serving dishes or utensils such as antique butter knives that he has collected on trips to Italy, Japan and the U.S.

At home in the country, Alain Ducasse keeps parties simple. Reuters

When having dinner parties, Mr. Ducasse believes that the ideal number of guests is 12—large enough to be diverse and interesting "but small enough to be intimate and allow everyone to be laid-back." If he's having a cocktail party for a group larger than that, he always makes sure to hire staff to circulate with drinks and food. "We invite people to see them, chat with them and have fun with them, so running around making sure they drink and eat is not how we want to be spending our time," he says.

Mr. Ducasse's laid-back approach extends to the food that he chooses to serve. He often begins his outdoor parties with an aperitif of what he calls his favorite summer drink, a variation on a Bellini featuring one part peach-and-raspberry purée with two parts champagne. He eschews fussy food for such occasions, choosing to serve "fresh, simple, healthy, good" dishes. "If I want sophisticated food, I will go to a restaurant," says Mr. Ducasse, who likes to cook for his guests with produce from his garden and items bought from the market that very day. The dishes he likes to make for such events include chilled soups and foie gras on toast. Adding to the ease, "we like to serve family-style" rather than having individually set plates. "Everyone can eat at their own pace and choose what they like best," he says.

As a final touch, Mr. Ducasse always makes sure to have extra cashmere wraps for women and jackets for men, so if it starts to get chilly, guests can still dine outdoors comfortably.

Write to cheryl lu-lien tan at