Summer Garden Dinner | Black Forest
Hi Friends! Thanks so much for following along and checking in on the blog for posts. I hope each one brings a spark of life, leaving you with a good feeling tucked down in your soul. My intention with all posts on both instagram and in this space is to inspire any kind of a good thing in another as well as a reminder to myself that sometimes doing the good things or the hard work is satisfying and kind, not only to others but for ourselves… and we’ll chalk that up as self care.
Without further adu, here’s the yummy from my first garden dinner. I’ve been packing my IG Timeline with pictures from the evening but wanted to give a more full version of the story in this space as well.
This event was my favorite so far. I feel like in a time such as these it felt really rewarding to see people’s faces light up after not having seen a friend in a while, listening to continual laughter from throughout all angles of the table and closing the gate shortly after midnight when the dinner was marked to end at 8:30 felt really encouraging, kind and loving.
For this evening the weather held off during our rather steady two week period of rain leading up to the dinner which felt like a nod. Just before six, the guests began arriving. The women’s dresses caught a light breeze as they walked down the hill, hands gravitating to their champagne glasses. Those who brought a date proudly walked alongside their person, girlfriends gabbing with one another on their way down. Each pairing that arrived tucking somewhere into the garden in the interim of greetings and seating. The curved table carved the garden perfectly in half, enclosed by flowers beneath our feet and tall grasses and leaves tipping over from the florals because while I have the vision the technicality of the tall vase without a weighted feature quickly and humorously reminded that still, I’m not a florist! But we recovered quickly and stepped back into the dreaminess of the evening. The table was packed with goodies from my favorite New England shop, Helen Milan. The enamel dishes from Bare Bones added the perfect punch of color with the faintest bit of texture by way of their wine glasses perfect for outside to mugs prepared to warm our bodies at sundown. While only rented once a month or so, the curved shape of the table curated space for each of us to speak to more than just one or two but more like three or four… this felt refreshing and eased the transition of conversation from one to the next and the CO Party Rentals plush chairs made us feel like royalty.. booties so comfy down in the wilderness of the garden… Who would’ve thought?
In the spirit of all things outdoor, my long time pack back love affair Fjallraven contributed in the kindest way with the best version of their KÅnken bag for each guest + a gift card! I felt like Santa Claus in July and I didn’t hate it one bit. And I quote, “We’ll keep them all black and include the bags that have leather features in order to stay with your overall life vibe.” Have I ever felt so known?! ++ In addition to these goodies from Helen, my girls at The Local Honey sent the men off with travel kits and the women with the cutest bite-sized stone planters that I’ve ever seen. Their shop focuses on dressing us well but their little home things are perfectly curated. I like to include a favorite item that I actively use, this time was from The Real Dill. They so kindly gave each guest a sampling of their bloody mary goods.. If you haven’t had it, do. And would it even be a swag bag if some of our best friend’s gin cocktails weren’t included? Lee Spirits is always our go-to gin drank and we love to share… Their canned cocktails are at the top of our list and no, they’re not carbonated.
The food was off the charts. I’ve actually never enjoyed a lobster tail so much in my life and I started young. The salad was picked from the garden. Jacob worked to integrate some other garden veggies into the meal as well. He and his Sous, Zack, worked tirelessly since 11 AM in my kitchen and I know it didn’t just start then. The bread was soft and the perfect touch to the start of things. The sides were buttery and creamy and wonderful for the palate. I mean, if you’re going to give gifts like Santa, you have to eat the part as well, right? Jacob made fennel that I liked… wow. It’s the only part of the menu I really kicked back on and he assured me it wouldn’t be anything as I was expecting and he was right. It was so, so good… no black licorice hints at all. The pork had been smoked and grilled earlier in the day. Justin and my mouth were both left watering and longing for more when we walked away from our sample, Navy couldn’t rip it out of my hands fast enough… Perfection. Creamy pasta topped with arugula and roasted tomatoes… are you kidding me? And dessert, a drunken peach bowl of heaven topped with a breaded crumble and paired with homemade ice cream…. that hot mug of coffee and YUM. Yes, we all rolled one another up the hill to respective cars. Bravo, Jacob.
Friends, in a year that’s been really different, that’s included unexpected challenges, very new waters to navigate, personal and generational growth, cultural change and a complete redesign of rhythms that we’ve spent years creating and growing comfortable with, I urge you to shake the proverbial sieve and take claim of the activities, things, and humans that shake through. Own the spaces that feel worthy of your time, reclaim the relationships that haven’t been prioritized, recognized the gift of living a little slower, and most intentionally holding tight to the remains that leave you feeling connected with life-giving, kind people. Let’s work to refrain from re-filling the schedule if that drains us and let’s sit with the nuggets of really good things that 2020 is teaching us. It’s never too late to start big change for the ones that will come after us and enjoy some of those fruits in the present. As we move closer to global physical health let’s continue to press into overall health too. Cheers, you. Thankful for each one that’s reading this. xx-k
A huge shout out to Laura Klassen for the photos. She works for my studio, which I love and her work is glowy and dreamy and I’m thankful each time we work together, not just for her images but her spirit is pure gold. AND
Get yourselves a Tarah MacAlmon! She persisted for weeks and pressed in for days just pursuing how she could help me on the night of and she totally saved the day. Gracious, kind and gets everything done, thank you for interacting kindly with our guests and thank you for being a joyful source of encouragement in all things creative community building.
AND
to Justin who would love to unwind in a different way but instead pushes through to be such a good host, always fun for the men and making women laugh … and always making sure things are just so- in order that my heart is full.
AND
My mom who worked tirelessly in helping me prepare indoors and outdoors so that I was actually able to have things like I imagined them before everyone arrived. ++ she’s a wonder with the grandkids. Win.
BIG love.
xx,
k
