STORIES
Explore Every Day
Pinpointing the extraordinary in the routine. Getting lost in the complexities of the many things we take for granted. Finding the common ground that connects us all.
Rayan
The evening was cinematic. The amber glow of candlelight flickered against velvet tablecloths and brassy chandeliers as piano music accompanied percussive rain on window panes. The crowd was boisterous, their voices and cheers filling the dance hall of the Refectory at Columbus Park, each course served a new reflection of Midwest autumn.
Sea Smoke
After wandering the botanical gardens with seasonal welcome cocktails, lacy leaves glistening with water droplets against grey skies, we gathered in the greenhouse. We listened to the patter of rain on the roof and the chatter of good conversation while the chefs stayed warm over hissing cooking fires just outside the translucent walls.
Doppelgänger
There’s a very short window of time when the days blend together with blissful regularity, the sun shining steadily over warm days and the farmers market. We took inspiration from the languid mingling of summer days and hosted two Suppers in a row celebrating the height of Maine summer.
Cultivate
A few of the farmers, like Akilah Zuri Campbell, who grew the gorgeous Alabama Blue collard greens featured on the menu, were even able to join us at the table to experience the fruits of their labor and connect our guests to the source of their meal. The evening ended with a stunning mountain sunset, summer finally winning the war of seasons that had been waging all day, while everyone lingered at the table to stay connected a little bit longer, to this place and each other.
Rifugio
Our first Italian Supper was our most romantic Supper yet! On a hilltop overlooking Spina, Umbria, we set a secluded table in the dim candlelight of the medieval Castello di Saint’ Apollinaire. We started the evening with welcome cocktails in the courtyard, made with elderflower and olive oil pressed just down the road, as the light slanted low through the trees during golden hour.
Callisto
It was so fun to look out across the orchards and rolling hills to see silhouettes floating through the tall grasses with glowing orange glasses in hand. Meanwhile, Chef Daniel Sabia of Wood Fire Food was stoking the cooking fires to prepare a midsummer feast of local treasures, showing off this region’s spoils. We sat down together for dinner against the beautiful backdrop of the farm, the heavy grey skies of the cloud-covered day serving to brighten the greens of the surrounding grasses and set the white fur of the goats in their pens gleaming.
Champagne
On a sultry afternoon just days before the summer solstice, the Frey Family opened their private Château in Champagne to us to host a beautiful Supper in their backyard. The storied rooms of Château de Mareuil have hosted Queens of England and Czars of Russia throughout history. We were delighted to work with Hautes-Côtes to set an intimate table amongst the trees to join in good company.
Sequoia
This Supper experience felt a bit like summer camp, from meeting excited guests at breakfast the day before to closing down the lobby bar after the Supper. We were able to feel transported to a different world deep in the woods, while everyone was still able to wander back to their rooms on foot at the end of the night.
Botanico
The day of our Seattle Supper was one of those rare, perfect, late-spring days in Washington. Each of the many greens of the manicured gardens at Jardin del Sol stood out against the bluebird sky, which perfectly matched the floral tablecloths we selected. The cloudless sky was decorated with wisps of cotton from the surrounding dogwood trees drifted gently in the warm air. Two half-moon tables fit just about perfectly in line with the sharp-edged hedges framing the garden’s lawn, creating a cozy nook in which to serve a very special meal from De la Soil.