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Fresh fruit!

Watermelon slices, strawberries, peaches, plums, blueberries. I always like to serve fresh fruit. You won't believe how quickly fresh fruit will go.

Bread, cheeses, dips. Think tapas. Pasta salad (no mayo dressing, you don't want to leave that out sitting in the summer heat for hours).

Cookies, cobblers, and tarts are fantastic as summer desserts.

I agree that you should make lots of little things. Can't grill meat? Roast them in the oven. I personally love pork with roasted figs. You can make a potato salad with a vinaigrette dressing to go on the side.

When people are eating and drinking, they tend to fill up on less than you would think.

I always go for "one handed" food. Gazpacho served in shot glasses. Meat skewers, you can always put them in chafing dishes. Also, a really beautiful vegetable/fruit tray. Of course stand by's of some great cheese and salami's, with some artisan bread. Since people are drinking I like to have more food available, you do not want people drinking on an empty stomach.

I second the suggestion for a non-mayo based pasta salad or two. There are a lot of combos that are really easy to make in large volumes, taste good at roof deck temperature, and are filling.

For example, toss together cooked orzo, white beans (heat them with some olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper first), halved cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, grated Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.

Another good one I made: Saute some onion, garlic, and finely chopped carrot and celery in olive oil in a pot. Add canned or fresh diced tomatoes, a sprinkle of sugar, a dash of vinegar, and a bay leaf or two. (The amount of each ingredient will depend on how much you want to make.) Let the sauce simmer while you cook the other components.

Next, heat some olive oil in a skillet and add a can or two of garbanzo beans. Season the beans with salt and pepper, paprika, and cumin. Combine the sauce (remember to remove the bay leaves), the beans, cooked orzo, and a generous amount of roughly chopped Italian parsley. Add salt/pepper if needed. This salad shouldn't be too wet. (As a reference, I usually cook 3/4c dry orzo, and use one can of diced tomatoes and 1 can of garbanzos to make enough for me and my bf to polish off for dinner).

Basically any combo of cooked orzo, beans, fresh summer vegetables, and herbs works.

Gook luck!

Definitely small slices of vegi flatbread!

Agree with everyone about the hand food. It's also nice to have hand fruits like cherries, strawberries and blackberries. There is also a recipe for a very refreshing chickpea salad that is eaten with flat bread (like pita) at the url below that is best served warm at summer room tempature:

http://www.choosy-beggars.com/index.php/2009/05/26/curried-chickpea-spinach-and-roasted-red-pepper-salad/