Entertaining with Tara Guerard

Many years ago, I started hearing whispers about an events planner in Charleston who was creating some very stylish affairs. Word spread like wild fire throughout the South, and Southern brides were clamoring for this planner to work her magic on their weddings. Great press and a book followed (Southern Weddings: New Looks from the Old South), and then before you knew it, the cat was out of the bag. Our Southern party planner Tara Guerard of Soiree became known across the country. And now Tara's fresh and colorful take on parties is so much in demand that she recently opened a studio in New York!

So I thought who better to ask for advice on entertaining at home than Tara. It's no coincidence that so far both people I've asked for advice hail from Charleston, a very social town. (Mitchell Crosby, if you recall, was featured in a post a few weeks ago.) What I found refreshing is that Tara is actually quite laid back about the way she entertains at her home. Of course, for someone who is in the party planning biz, having a few friends over for drinks should be easy. And with Tara's advice, it should be easy for the rest of us too.


A preprandial glass of wine

On bar carts and mixing cocktails:
"I have a bar side table...always prepared to mix a drink...even for an unannounced visitor. When we have close friends over for drinks or dinner, my husband and I always try to make their drinks, but I want them to feel comfortable enough to help themselves if that is what they prefer! For daytime events, I love having my famous Bloody Marys available. Otherwise, I stick to the basics."


Sweet Tea Vodka, perfect for a hot summer evening

On serving food with drinks:
"Because I do events for a living, I am a slacker for my personal events and usually have cheese, nuts, olives...something simple!"


Hors d'oeuvres at one of Tara's events

And some additional tips:
"Use great glassware. I prefer something a little unexpected- like chilled juice glasses for beer, stemless Riedel for wine (so that it doesn't get knocked over) or beautiful, very thin rimmed glasses for cocktails. And wonderful linen napkins are a must at my home! Dim the lights, even in the kitchen, and have upbeat, get you in the mood music! I always pick my favorites on the ipod and have them ready to go. Gypsy Kings, Cesaria, Miles Davis, and the Buena Vista Social Club are a few of my favorites.

Tara Guerard's Bloody Mary Recipe

1.5 oz. premium vodka
6 oz. tomato juice
1 tablespoon prepared Horseradish
Dash Worcestershire
Dash of Tabasco sauce
Dash Lemon juice (preferably fresh squeezed)
Dash Celery salt
Fresh cracked black pepper - to taste
One Teaspoon fresh chopped Dill
Garnish with pickled okra and enjoy!

(Photo at top taken at Soiree's New York outpost. Drinks photos by Liz Banfield. For more information, contact Tara Guerard, 54 Chapel Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29403, p- 843-577-5006, f- 843-577-0095; 37 West 20th Street, Suite 1205, New York, New York 10011, p- 646-329-6258, f- 646-329-6986; www.soireebytaraguerard.com)

Entertaining Tips from Janet Simon

New Jersey designer Janet Simon knows a lot about entertaining and sets a table with perfect aplomb. Since yesterday's post was about Wedgwood, I thought it appropriate to ask Janet for some tips on entertaining. She kindly shared with me photos of a garden luncheon that she hosted for four of her closest friends in the garden at her home, Hidden Pond Farm.

Janet said "In early June the parterre garden at Hidden Pond Farm is an outdoor room of boxwood hedges and topiary iceberg roses. The brick and slate roofed garden house is covered with climbing iceberg roses and sloping brick walls while surrounding the remainder of the garden is in full bloom with white flowering clematis vines. Four brick columns with limestone capitals support the wooden pergola. This space is the inspiration for my classical themed luncheon."


For the beautifully appointed table, Janet used a round table covered in a heavy linen summer leaf green cloth with white linen monogrammed napkins (HPF for Hidden Pond Farm). In the center of the table was a French wooden lattice white washed urn, and an 1830 English creamware compote was filled with white garden roses and dark green hydrangea leaves. Italian pottery buffet plates and hand blown goblets rounded out the look. Janet added green chintz pillows to the wrought iron chairs.


The menu included a platter of prosciutto, mozzarella, and tomato with bunches of fresh basil and light oil vinaigrette. The lattice creamware bowl was filled with raspberries and fresh mint while whipped cream with lemon zest accompanied the berries. Janet also served handmade painted sugar cookies of white roses and trellis boxes monogrammed with HPF. Talk about attention to detail! The signature drink was iced tea with orange juice garnished with mint and orange slices.


When asked for a few tips on entertaining, Janet gave me the following:

1) Keep it simple. You want the luncheon to be relaxing so you can enjoy your guests' company and have a nice time.

2) Start with a natural theme. Don't over think it. The best way is to select a theme that works with your space. Choose elements about your garden or outdoor space that can be incorporated into the luncheon.

3) Repeat an element. Find an element that you can use to bring it all together. Maybe it's an architectural aspect of the garden, maybe it's the flowers. Whatever you decide, repeat that element in creative ways.

4) Don't get caught up with over-complicating the food. The food you serve should be an opportunity to have fun and should be easy to prepare. Try serving food that everyone enjoys but have fresh ingredients in abundance. If you don't have your own garden, visit your local farmers market and select items that are in season. The freshness, and the fragrance, of the local food and herbs will add character to your luncheon.

5) Have a signature drink. Maybe it's champagne; maybe it's pink lemonade; whatever your drink is, show it and serve it with pride. A cold, refreshing drink is the best way to complement the environment.


Visit Janet's website for more photos of her parties at Hidden Pond Farm.

Entertaining Tips from an Amateur

After Mitchell's post from yesterday, I thought I would share my thoughts of having people in for drinks- but not for a minute do I think I'm an authority on the subject. I do like having dinner parties, but many times casual drinks is an easier way of entertaining. That said, I'm guilty of getting so wrapped up in work, blogging, etc, that I don't always make time to have people over. Case in point, I'd love to have my kind neighbors over for drinks (that's you, Barry and Rory), but another week goes by and I haven't played hostess. Shame on me, because it's really so easy. Enough with the excuses.

So let's start with drinks. I do have a vintage bamboo bar cart that is always at the ready. I keep it stocked with the usual suspects: vodka, bourbon, gin, scotch, and vermouth. Mixers include tonic water, club soda, and Pellegrino. And of course wine for the wine drinkers. My double old fashioned glasses, bar pitcher, jigger, and cocktail napkins are also kept on the cart.

I don't do specialty cocktails at my apartment, not for any other reason than I'm not the world's best bartender. (My friends can attest to the fact that I have a heavy hand at pouring, something which has left more than a few guests feeling a little queasy at the end of the evening.) Although, if I was in a festive mood, I might serve kir royales. And Southsides or Margaritas are good at this time of year. But basically, I leave the drink pouring and mixing to my guests. That means I don't get any fingers pointed at me by the end of the night.



In terms of food, I keep it pretty basic. Basic does not mean that the food isn't tasty, though. Some nights it might be smoked almonds, Marcona almonds, or wasabi peas. Other times it's the block of cream cheese covered in pepper jelly or doused in Pickapeppa sauce. But the secret weapon in my cocktail food arsenal is Mamie's Cheese Wafers from Mobile, Alabama. Basically, it's slice and bake cheese wafers, and I can't tell you how good they are. Keep a few logs of dough in the freezer, and you've always got an easy and quick hors d'oeuvre. (I'm starting to sound like a commercial). While you bake them, your house smells divine too, as if you were actually baking cheese wafers from scratch.



Don't forget too to have clean hand towels in the guest bathroom, and fresh soap as well. (There is nothing worse than having to use a bar of soap that has cleaned three dozen different hands.) Those Claus Porto soap pastilles are great because of their small size and because they come in a box of 15.



And while we're on the subject of powder rooms, I think you should just bite the bullet and get everything whipped into shape so that you can't use that room as an excuse not to have people over. I don't mean you need to renovate it or paper it in some fabulous wallpaper. All you need to do is get a nice wastebasket and tissue cover, a decent soap dish, and linens, and you're good to go. I've been eyeing these wastebaskets and tissue covers from Dana Gibson lately.





See, prep work for cocktails is really quite easy. If you don't have a bar cart, set up a tray of drinks on a console table or chest top. The drinks tray at top (unfortunately, that's not mine) is so pretty and so welcoming. If you're having a larger cocktail party, get a folding table and drape some gorgeous fabric over it, one that can stand up to spills, though.

P.S.- On a recent episode of "Barefoot Contessa", Ina Garten demonstrated how to get those crisp, folded edges on a drinks table cloth. For the life of me, I just don't understand the procedure. I spent half an hour the other day trying to figure it out, but it's just not working. Can anyone tell me how the heck you're supposed to do it??

Image at top from an old, old issue of Southern Accents. Champagne photo from Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes from New York's Savviest Hostesses. Dana Gibson images courtesy of http://www.danagibson.com/

Mitchell Crosby and Tips for Entertaining

Mitchell Crosby is one of those people for whom entertaining is second nature. And not just any ol' entertaining. I'm talking about entertaining with Style. I suppose that you would expect this from a man who is one of Charleston's preeminent event planners (JMC Charleston), but there is a reason that Mitchell went into the event planning business. Perhaps it's because he's a native Charlestonian- you know, they especially love the social life- but I think it's also a result of his graciousness and his desire to make people feel special. (That's Mitchell at top. You can just tell that he knows how to mix a great martini.)

I've been thinking of writing a few posts in which people share with us their thoughts on entertaining. But what I wanted to make clear was that I wasn't talking about a seated dinner for 16. Personally, I enjoy entertaining like that but I'm also a glutton for punishment. I wanted to do something more along the lines of having people over for drinks. I think that this is the way most people entertain nowadays. It's really quite easy, and there's no excuse not to have people over for some fun. And perhaps if we're armed with some sage tips from the pros, we might actually get over our fears and have people into our homes- and actually enjoy it too!

So, on to Mitchell's thoughts on drinks, food, and the good life:

Do you have a bar cart or drinks tray in your home? Do you let people mix their own drinks, or do you do the honors? Also, do you ever serve a festive cocktail to your guests? Or, do you stick to the basics?

All of my friends know where the bar is in my home. As I think of it as a destination, it must be well stocked for the event at hand. I usually let my guests know if I will make more than “the first one” or if that one will they be on their own! This usually depends on whether or not there are “out of the inner circle” friends there. In that case, I make the drinks.

The stocked bar always has:

•lots of linen napkins as I feel a fresh napkin is as important as a fresh glass
•wonderfully heavy double old fashioned glasses and extra large wine glasses
•lots of ice in a handsome padded bucket with tongs
•nice size wedged fruit (who can squeeze a slice?), tasty stuffed olives
•good vodka, bourbon, blended whiskey, scotch, gin, dry vermouth
•red wine only if I know someone drinks it during cocktails

If one is going to serve a “theme drink” or set the tone for a set style of drink, I usually announce that in the invitation – verbal or written. “Come for Mimosas and Drivers”, “Come for Martinis and Manhattans”, “Come for Prosecco in the Garden”. That sets the expectation and clears the air for anyone who may wish to ask for something else in advance.

Case in point – at a Summer White Party I hosted for a friend’s 50th, I chose to have a full bar and “White Cosmos”, made with White Cranberry Juice. A guest looked me right in the eye and said “I suppose I will be the designated driver tonight as I ONLY drink champagne”. Begrudgingly, I pulled two bottles of Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame out of the chiller and placed them with the bartender and informed him to keep them under the bar and serve them in a wine glass to her as not to start a stampede. She drank them both!

What about food? Is there one hors d'oeuvre that you like to serve? Or, do you just put out a bowl of nuts or crackers?

When sitting for cocktails in the living room where we can all reach the coffee table, or standing in the kitchen while cooking, I like educating people about cheese and accoutrements. I take the label from the monger and use a glue stick to place it on a place card and attach it to a bamboo pick so as to identify said cheese. I ask the monger for their recommendations for jams (quince, pear, fig are the expected) and then dried fruits and nuts. I place the cheeses together with what is suggested so that guests will have an opinion about what they are trying. This is nice with certain wine pairings and just fine with cocktails as well.

When in the garden, I tend to offer passed items due to the bugs in the South. Deviled Eggs, Pimento Cheese in Celery Sticks or on Ginger Snaps!

Sunday Brunch cocktails always call for something poured over Cream Cheese – I love to try at the Farmers Market different condiments like Peach Chutney, Green Tomato Relish and such. Also, fresh Charleston Blue Crab and a Louie Sauce over Cream Cheese is divine!

Any other tips?

•NEVER RUN OUT OF WHAT YOU ARE SERVING. These items do not go bad, so why not stock your bar and be ready for the next event?

•Always have good sparkling water on the bar and have it well chilled. If it is hot, I will often offer guests a glass of sparkling just to quench their thirst. If you offer a vodka tonic to someone who has just worked, showered and may be a bit dehydrated, they will get drunk quickly and pay for it the next day.

•Keep the bar tidy. Keep a lovely towel there for spills, have a back up wine tool should yours break, and inspect the glasses ahead of time for lipstick and smudges. A great cocktail starts with a clean glass; not one that might have a bit of dust and a dog hair on it!

In closing, if you are serving dinner, I enjoy after dinner drinks very much. Port, Madeira, Cognacs….dinner is not dinner until you have ascended to withdrawing for the after dinner drinks! That sounds like a line from Doris Duke or Dorothy Parker, but I swear it is not!

Image at top courtesy of Charleston HOME Magazine at which Mitchell is a style/entertaining editor. If you're in Charleston, do try to visit The RSVP Shoppe, a stationery and table top shop owned by Mitchell and his partner.

Entertaining à la Dorothy

It's Monday, but I'm already thinking about my weekend entertaining. Who better to turn to for a lighthearted take on design and entertaining than my gal Dorothy- Draper, that is. Here's what she had to say on the subject of entertaining one guest (but I believe her suggestions would work for two or three guests as well).

*If the meal is to be dinner then do not serve this in the dining room where you and your guest are uncomfortably conscious of being just two people in a room arranged for a larger number. Instead, have a card table set up in the living room or on the porch.


This 48" square card table and cloth from Ballard Design might be slightly large for two, but for three or four it would be perfect.

*The menu should be short, simple, and simply delicious. Every dish should count.


A nice gratin is simple, and it can be elegant too, especially when served in an Ercuis Gratin Dish. I have two of these that I use for entertaining and I absolutely love them. (Try serving Ina Garten's Seafood Gratin in one.)

*Choose flowers that are small and fragrant- lilies of the valley, white daisies with six dark red roses, or sweet smelling freesia.


I actually don't agree with Dorothy because I think you should avoid fragrant flowers on your dining table. However, this Martha Stewart Lily Centerpiece is pretty for another area of your home, and it's on sale too.

*If you want to be really festive there is nothing that looks more enticing than a wine cooler filled with ice and a small bottle of champagne, sauterne, or chablis peeping out of this, waiting to be opened.


How about this...


chilling some of this? And forget about getting a small bottle per Dorothy's advice- unless you have to go to work the next day.

*Try a combination of a turquoise-blue linen cloth with flame-pink camellias, white china and candlesticks of clear glass.


One of these blue Sferra linen tablecloths might be nice (available at F&B Specialty Linen).


And this white Augarten Opus china, available from Owen Lawrence, would look great with table linen of any color. I would love to have that covered vegetable dish- how great is that?

*Perhaps you have picked up some blue Staffordshire or old Canton china plates.... Try these on a mustard-yellow cloth with a big bunch of bluets or purple violets.


I know this table is not set with a mustard yellow cloth, but I do think it's a pretty table nonetheless. (Table set by Mrs. Angier Biddle Duke)

And most importantly:
*The same rule of careful attention to the details, simplicity, and few courses (deliciously prepared and attractively served) applies to the small informal luncheons or dinners you give. Your friends will be quick to appreciate the fact that you have tried to give them a good time. Moreover, they'll have a good time, and so will you.

(Draper tips from Entertaining is Fun!: How to Be A Popular Hostess. Duke photo from The New Tiffany Table Settings)

Deadline Decorating

Am I the only person who decorates her home's interiors first and deals with the outdoor part later? For the past three weeks, I've sequestered myself inside in order to meet a few deadlines, and the entire time I kept looking out the window at my poor, neglected balcony. Wouldn't my grotto chairs look a lot nicer with a chic outdoor fabric? (They came with Naugahyde. Who the heck puts cheap vinyl on elegant grotto chairs??) How about a tablecloth for my bistro table? And trellis- that would be awfully nice.

It's really crazy that I live in Atlanta and don't have a balcony dressed to the nines. After all, it never gets too cold here, so one can entertain outdoors about nine months out of the year. I'm turning over a new leaf, though. What I realized is that the promise of a party is what forces you to get your house- and balcony- whipped into shape. Like I said a few weeks ago, I'm having a party for my sister in August (I will continue to mention this because once something is in print, you can't go back on it.) I've also mentioned it to many of her friends as a kind of save the date thing, although to me it's a "You better get your act together and finish what you've started... or else."

I've pulled lots of photos as inspiration for my sadly neglected balcony. Can I get it together in two months? Well, do I have any choice?


I've been taken with this balcony since I first saw the photo over ten years ago. The wrought iron furniture, the sculpture, those oversized hurricanes... perfection. I think I have my work cut out for me.


"Supper on a Romantic Terrace". First, can I call my high-rise balcony a terrace? It sounds much nicer. Anyway, truth be told, I wouldn't add those butterflies to my tablesetting because I just don't go to that much trouble in my decorating. However, I would add white lights to my boxwoods (that I have yet to buy), and if I had plain patio chairs I would consider painting them in faux-marbre.


I'd nix the wooden fence- for some reason, it looks a little Trader Vic's to me. But I do love those chairs and the black and white tablecloth with pink napkins. Perhaps I've found the color scheme for my party?


Obviously, this ballroom is far grander than my outdoor space, but isn't all of that treillage just beautiful?? Elsie de Wolfe designed this space for Bessie Marbury.


Awnings are always right for a balcony, and I do like those graphic stripes.

Two months and counting...the pressure is on.

Image at top: Technically, the old Garden Lounge at Hampshire House wasn't outdoors, but Dorothy Draper's handiwork could certainly work on a patio or balcony.

(Image 1: In the Pink: Dorothy Draper--America's Most Fabulous Decorator. Images 2 & 3: Tiffany Table Settings. Image 4: HOUSE AND GARDEN'S NEW COMPLETE GUIDE TO INTERIOR DECORATION: FIFTH EDITION. Image 5:Manhattan Style. Image 6:House & Garden's Complete Guide to Interior Decoration

Picnic on My Balcony

Have any of you caught the recent airings of Picnic on Turner Classics? I have, and it's one of those movies that sucks you in. If you're not familiar with it, the 1955 movie stars William Holden and Kim Novak as two people in a small Midwestern town who find themselves mighty attracted to one another. One of the most famous scenes in the movie- and one of the sexiest dance scenes of all time- is when Holden and Novak share a charged dance together during the town's Fourth of July celebration. Had I been a teenager back in '55, I know that I would have been on the floor after seeing that scene. Not out of shock mind you, but because I know that I would have been wishing that I could live out that scene in real life!! Even in 2009, this movie seems to have held up pretty well.

Every time I see this scene, I'm captivated by the music and the attraction between the two characters. But the other thing that gets me are those gorgeous lanterns that were strung along the dock of the river. Those colors! The shapes! The tassels! It's so beautiful that I find myself struggling to pay attention to the acting. I'm planning a party for my sister this summer, and I've decided to string a few on my balcony for some colorful illumination. Am I trying to recreate the Picnic scene? I don't know, but I'd sure be willing to try!


I like this accordion style lantern from Pearl River. Great color combo.


The upside is that these lanterns come with LED lights that flicker. But, they lack the interesting shape and pattern that those from Picnic had.


Nothing like the movie, but this reminds me of that great Clarence House print "Flowering Quince".


This silk lantern is a bit more along the lines of those in the movie. At $19 each, a little pricey, though.

And though I don't usually include You Tube videos on my blog, here is the scene that got everybody hot and bothered fifty years ago. Just try to ignore the fact that Holden wasn't the world's best dancer:

Nymphenburg to the Rescue

I too would share Wallis' glee at visiting the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory in Munich. Wallis had a thing for porcelain (amongst, um, other things), and so do I. Why is porcelain perceived to be something old, fussy, and outdated?

I find it depressing that many of today's brides forgo the fine china and sterling flatware for something low maintenance. Well, whoever said life is easy? Isn't it nice to have special, exquisite things for which to care? And don't you behave a little differently, perhaps in a more civilized manner, when you're dining from formal china? It's the same thing in terms of your wardrobe. I find myself slouching when I'm dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, but when I make an effort and wear a dress or suit, I tend to stand more erect and mind my manners too!

One porcelain manufacturer that is attempting to keep porcelain relevant for today's society is Nymphenburg. With a history that dates back to the mid-18th century, Nymphenburg honors its past by manufacturing historical pieces that have been part of its collection for over two hundred years- perfect for those traditionalists. But they also are embracing modern design by engaging artists like Ted Muehling and Hella Jongerius to design more contemporary pieces. It's really the best of both worlds.

Lest you think that some of Nymphenburg's porcelain figures and accessories are too traditional, perhaps it's time to rethink them. I believe it's all about the environment in which you display the porcelain. I like the incongruous look of a very traditional piece of porcelain in a starkly modern room. And if you need further evidence, look to design guru Murray Moss. He displays all kinds of Nymphenburg porcelain amongst the more cutting edge wares at his eponymous Manhattan shop. Moss, and Nymphenburg, are making porcelain cool again.


Bavarian Lion paper weight, based on a design by Johann Peter Melchior, c. 1800.



Chinese group with vase, ivory glazed, design by Konrad Linck around 1770.



Egg vase in glazed coral red by Ted Muehling, 2000



The "Atlas" pattern is inspired by ikat weaving. Would it surprise you to learn that the pattern on this china was designed in the late 18th century?



Butterfly collection, plate sky; by Ted Muehling, 2000



Nymphenburg Sketches, Game series; Hella Jongerius, 2006



I'm now coveting Mare Nostrum fish service. The rococo shape was taken from Nymphenburg's Cumberland service of 1760, but the variation with the fish motif was added in 1928.



Bonbonniere Eye container, 2009



Hare in Cabbage, Luise Terletzki-Scherf, 1960. Not for everbody, but this figure made me smile.

Image at top: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, accompanied by Princess Hella of Bavaria, visited Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg in 1954. All images from the Nymphenburg website.