A Beautiful Summer’s End — September 2024 Vol. Nº12
The shifts are subtle, but they are coming, sunsets are quietly creeping up, the light has shifted just enough to highlight the walls differently and there is a new kiss of chill to the evening air. My favorite time of the year is just around the corner. Xx
Get Inspired
A moment of back-to-school nostalgia with breakfast for dinner and a chic little sundae bar.
The theatre of dining all start with the table. Set the tone for your dinner party with a bit of Le Supper Club inspo and insight.
Mussels and spaghetti in a vermouth red sauce, a new, must-have end of summer staple.
Dinner parties of early autumn.
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Pear and Blue Cheese Ravioli: Pear and blue cheese ravioli - delicious pillowy bites of autumnal dreams. Xx
Forget blinis & potato chips, this is the new hero of caviar - Waffles and Caviar.
From cozy comfort food to fancy soirées, fall is just screaming for decadent feasting. With days getting shorter and weather shifting to cooler temperatures, it is only natural to want to warm up at a table overflowing with laughter and a delicious spread.
“Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.”
“Summer has always been good to me, even the bittersweet end, with the slant of yellow light.”
Autumn is coming - It’s time to set to tone.
Inspire your September with dinner party prep, sleepovers worthy of childhood ‘back-to-school’ days and give alfresco dining a proper farewell.
September is a strange time for me in Los Angeles. My soul knows that the weather should be shifting, I long for cozy nights and crisp mornings, I crave the shedding of leaves with their crunch underfoot with the scent of moss and the sweet decay of summer…however with temperatures reaching 105º F/40ºC at home, my heart is left wanting. Sweltering. Forced to draw the sensation of early autumnal days from my memories in the Pacific NorthWest and through films that transport me to the subtle change in season and the promise of fall. It is an imaginative world that I create for myself, a pocket where inspiration for my dinner parties and little fêtes can thrive. As we approach festive season and my pastel dresses are tucked away until next year, I lean into moments that I can create for myself, where I can build a little fix to my seasonal cravings and live outside of the endless summer of Southern California.
As the season of al fresco dining slowly begins to slip from our grip, the lingering golden hour moments and the summertime dinners are met with a twinge of urgency. A need to fit in just a few more nights on the patio, to savor the last juicy bites of sun ripened fruits, to pour chilled wine into glasses flecked with condensation from the evening heat. Summer is slowly becoming a memory, one filled with laughter and adventure and salty skin, and I am not quite ready to let go. Before we slip into autumn, there is a sliver of time to create a bit more summertime magic. A time when the evenings are inviting and the lighting is perfect. I love the seasonal in-betweens. It is a time when anything feels possible, you are suspended within these warm summer memories yet looking towards fall. There is excitement and wonder for the days ahead and still the crescendo of summer is signing. For me, it is the best of both worlds.
I have long been in love with dinner parties. The idea of them, the planning, the execution, the experience… It is a love language that is deeply rooted in my soul. From growing up idolizing Martha Stewart alongside my mother, to hosting my early dinner parties in a studio apartment in Portland, Oregon, entertaining is an innate part of my makeup. I simply do not know who I would be without my little soirées and holiday traditions.
“September was a thirty-days long goodbye to summer, to the season that left everybody both happy and weary of the warm, humid weather and the exhausting but thrilling adventures.”
How to set a semi-formal place setting
Semi-formal setting guide
1. Bread plate & butter knife 2. Dessert spoon 3. Dessert fork 4. Water glass 5. Wine glass 6. Champagne glass 7. Napkin 8. Salad fork 9. Entree fork 10. Entree plate 11. Entree knife 12. Salad knife 13. Soup spoon 14. Oyster fork
The Basics.
The first rule to apply to your table setting endeavour, is that utensils are placed in the order of use - working from the outside in.
The second rule is that forks go to the left of the plate, knives and spoons to the right. (The oyster fork being an exception, as it is placed to the right if being used.)
Thirdly, only set the table with the utensils that you will use. Not serving soup? Then, skip the soup spoon.
Finally, be sure to have fun and get creative with your table setting. Your tablescpae will help set the tone for the evening, provide guests with a bit of insight for what’s to come and reflect the personality of the lovely host.
*As with all situations, rules are made to be broken. If you don’t happen to have the correct utensils for everything being served, feel free to get creative. Salad forks can be reused for dessert. No salad knives? That’s okay, your entree knife can do double duty. With a bit of imagination and some speedy hand washing, anything is possible.
Le Supper Club’s adieu to summer. With a table setting guide perfect for upcoming hosting season and an easy sleepover style fête, the September edition is here to inspire your early autumn dreams.
Inspired by the legend of a Headless Horseman, this Halloween fête will transport you straight to a Sleepy Hollow feast boasting a hauntingly chic tablescape and ghoulish treats.