What do you do when you can do whatever you want? For me it’s hosting a dinner party and for decades I’ve been throwing them every chance I get. Pouring over menu ideas, cultivating a garden so I can cook with my own freshly picked produce, thinking about the people I know who need to meet each other…these are the things I can’t stop myself from doing.
When I had kids, the tradition continued with babies and toddlers in tow. Dinners happened a little earlier and the table was more chaotic but the ritual became all the more necessary as friends shared the highs and lows of parenting and the ever present struggle to balance a creative freelance career and family.
When we moved to Harvard Heights in 2014 a whole new world opened up for entertaining. Not only did we have a grand old home to play with but we discovered an eccentric small town within the humming metropolis of LA. That first year we started a Friday Night Yoga Potluck. Neighbors were invited to do yoga in the attic while our kids happily ran amok in the backyard. Drinks and dinner followed and a tradition was born. Like a collective sigh from the stresses of the world, it was a place to catch up, connect and feel the warm embrace of a community that cared about each other.
In 2018, I started cooking for busy families in West Adams to give them a fair shot at a sit down dinner on hectic weekdays. The nightly glue of family dinner in my own hectic home had solidified how powerful the ritual is for staying connected despite the craziness of modern life. I wanted to give other families the same opportunity even if they didn’t have the time or inclination to cook. Nothing made me happier than to know parents and kids were around a table having a conversation that night because someone that cared about them made dinner.
And now I’m turning that same love and attention back into intimate pop up dinner parties for adults. It’s been a hard few years for many of us. The chance to meet new people and open up to new experiences has been difficult to come by. What better place to revive the communal spirit than around the dinner table. We’ll begin the night with a little ritual to inspire storytelling and conversation. From there it’s all up to the guests where the evening goes.
So ditch the daily grind and join us to slow down, connect and eat good food.