Transportive experiences – I live for a moment that feels exceptionally unique. From ‘armchair travel’, to living in between the pages of my favorite book and alongside the characters of my favorite films, I have always sought escape. Falling into daydreams and imaginative worlds has always been my favorite way to inspire my own reality. I always say that I was born in the wrong era, and while that is undoubtedly true, mostly, I find that I crave living in moments and time periods that, for me, evoke a feeling… tell a story. And through Le Supper Club, I have found a way to do exactly that, to constantly transport myself and my guests to another time, another place, another world in which we can disappear for a moment. Last year alone, I dined on moules frites at a Parisian bistro with my closest friends, hosted a small town state fair with blue ribbon winning corndogs, had cheese plates with million dollar views and immersed myself into a Home Alone frenzy where paint cans were somehow chic for Christmas – all of which came to life within the confines of my electric little apartment.

I am so very desperate for authentic connection. Evenings where phones are set aside and completely forgotten. Nights where the conversation is so captivating, discovering it is past midnight feels absolutely impossible. I crave seating arrangements that inspire the very best banter, menus that nourish the soul and laughter that echoes in my dreams for years to come. I want my dinner parties to feel like living memories, shaping the way that we immerse ourselves into these livable experiences constructed and curated out of visions and feelings that I hope to forever hold on to. A flash of authenticity in a world that feels more and more contrived and generated rather than lived. To build evenings that feel like a deep breath, a step into a new world entirely has always been the goal, but, now, more than ever, I feel as though I must dive deeper. I simply have to design worlds in which we can escape. Fully immerse. A place where dreams can live on forever and one’s imagination is set free.

As I dive further into the endearing clichés of my life, I find that I am more and more in love with the tradition of it all. Sometimes reinvention is not required. And with Valentine’s Day, it is exactly the tradition that I love so much. I crave a flurry of red and rosy hues, chocolates presented in heart shaped boxes and sweet nothings scribbled on cutesy cards. It is a day that comes prewrapped in a big pink bow and needs little more than a sweet treat and maybe a rom-com in order to celebrate. The holiday fits perfectly into my motto of making special moments for myself… a reminder to serve delivery pizza on your fine china, turn your bedroom into a five star room service moment, transform your living room into a fancy prix fixe dining experience. And for Valentine’s Day, take a moment to make it special with heart shaped touches and a little too much red and pink. Not because you are in love, but because you love yourself, you love your friends and you simply love to love. 

Christmas for me is firmly built on nostalgia and traditions. Festive season tends to look roughly the same each year. My space, illuminated with decor and elements that have continuously brought me joy through the years, a collection of bits and pieces that seemingly breathe a sense of familiar comfort and dependability to my Christmassy scene. To repeat and recycle is to create my own little world of tradition that helps to bring to life the festive season… Without a conventional family of my own with which to build the holiday, I have come to rely on decorations and intentional moments of celebration to design a world that feels truly special for myself (and my cats). Each year, an evergreen garland draped over the doorway to my breakfast nook, the same die-cut strand of Christmas cake carrying kittens strung on the bookshelves, an ever-growing eclectic collection of vintage and modern glass blown ornaments that when placed together feel as though they perfectly spell out the story of me – a Marie Antoinette cat, always front and center, kept company by a smattering of vintage Santas, baked potatoes, leopards, caviar and deviled eggs. This is my carefully designed and collected Christmas. Colorful and electric with just the right amount of vintage and homemade. This version of Christmas, in essence, is me. 

Swiss miss hot chocolate mix. Anyone who grew up in the 90’s and early 2000’s knows the unmistakable smell, taste and texture. Yes, it was hot chocolate… in a nostalgic concept of hot chocolate kind of way. But in reality, I think it was simply a wintertime right of passage wrapped in silver lined packets and always somehow just barely more than warm. Served at the Christmas tree farm, bubbling out from the giant electric silver catering carafe inside the old hay barn, it became tradition, it was comfort. And if you added enough marshmallows it could almost be decadent. It is because of these little memories, these sugary infused moments, that my love for even subpar hot chocolate began.

There is a certain type of romance that is so perfectly synonymous with wintertime. The way that the sunrise dances across a foggy morning, the slumbering garden kissed with frost and glittering under the ice blue light. How dusk brings with it a hazy mist, blanketing the evenings as we drift from violet to azure and finally into a rich navy scene. These are the nights that are built for crackling fires and dinner parties boasting decadent menus and moments that illuminate one’s soul and warms from within. A time for gathering and feasting and relishing in the slower, more intentional moments that winter seems to demand. I have fallen in love with the beauty of the season time and time again. Being swept off my feet by cozy nights that follow rosy cheeked adventures, where a mug of hot cocoa piled high with whipped cream is the only way to properly defrost and crackling fires seem to suspend time with each pop and snap of the flames – Pockets of magic that are designed to melt the chill away, inviting moments of reflection, love and togetherness. 

Chic little snacks designed to make your holiday hosting both fun and festive. With these holiday treats, your soirée will absolutely be the talk of the town.

I love a blustery autumnal day. One that leaves you craving a hot cup of perfectly spiced apple cider, a good book and crackling fire. Those are the types of evenings that I melt into with ease, happily hibernating in a dimly lit sweater cocoon – All snug within an intentional, richly toned aesthetic life until the first thaw of spring. This is the feeling that I want to emulate for my dinner parties this time of year. The sense that, as a guest, you are wrapped up in a blanket of cozy comfort foods and stunning seasonal tablescapes, warming the wind kissed nights with bits of conversation and dishes that nourish and ignite your heart and soul. Simply put, I want my life to have an internal glow this time of year. Like a fire that pops and crackles to life with every thoughtful recipe and little moment that I create for myself and loved ones. This, to me, is the enchantment of autumn, the comforts and charms of this magnificent season. 

It is that time of year again. A time when we settle into moody, dusk blanketed evenings and nights that are richly painted with tones of amber, chocolate and chilly blues. A time when indoor comforts become a haven and food is not simply about sustenance, but rather a stage for merry moments of connection and enrichment meant to be shared. For me, this is what Thanksgiving and festive feasting is all about – Reaching into the darker, seemingly hollow nights and pulling from the shadows, something full of warmth, decadence and comfort.