On Southern Hospitality…
Southerners entertain often, and they entertain well. The south is quite spread out, and so, historically, if you had someone come for dinner, you really had to entertain them. In a contemporary sense, Southerners are certainly known for their gregarious enthusiasm, their comfort food, and their sense of welcoming—hopefully!
There’s no easier route to someone’s heart than to cook them dinner in your own home. I have a tiny shoebox apartment in Manhattan and am used to serving things out of a bathtub with ice. New Yorkers can be self-conscious about the size of their apartments, but there’s a real beauty in that sort of vulnerability. In my shoebox, I’d have about eight people, some of them fancy some of them less so, and I’d order fried chicken, haul my Grandmother's sterling flatware from my house in Savannah, and just do it. People got a real kick out of retrieving the third bottle of champagne from the kitchen sink. There’s a Holly Golightly ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ vibe which is really sweet. It does make it easier to have space, but sometimes being creative and self-deprecating can make for a better party. It’s all about making your guests feel at ease; you don’t want it to feel pretentious. With practice comes a confidence which allows you to throw your hair back and relax. And if all else fails, order takeout.
On The Holidays Down South…
I love to have a "come one, come all" house around the holidays, but this year will be much more intimate. We usually have Christmas in Houston with my parents and family and friends. It’s ideal vacation weather—we really don’t get cold until the end of January and February and even then it’s rarely very cold. Growing up in Texas, on Christmas morning, the ladies in my neighborhood would go for walks in their fur coats and velvet collars, even if it was 68 degrees outside.
On The Art Of The Cold Cocktail Buffet...
Every year, my parents would host a holiday open house and cocktail buffet which was so fun. It was always the same food, all these beautiful smoked meats. If you have a cocktail buffet laid with things that don't have to be a certain temperature, it means because people can come before church; or they can come after church and have one too many glasses of champagne; they can stop by before going to their own family meal; or come late night. A cold supper is a great format for spontaneity. There's nothing rigid or perfunctory about it. And it's easy for children because the kids can run circles around the house eating rolls.
The idea of a buffet is you want all those fabulous distractions: nothing is more unattractive than a ham on a silver tray, so I create giant topiaries out of green beans, Brussels sprouts, and swiss chard. I just string vegetables with a needle and thread, sort of making little hula skirts. I think garnishes are really embarrassing. A bed of battered lettuce under a beef tender is humiliating! I like French restaurants where everything comes on the plate; you see the grease and you know what you’re getting.
On The Little Details That Make A Big Difference…
I always bring lagniappe for the table. It’s a Creole word for little extras. In fashion lagniappe would be a little brooch or earring. If you were at a state fair in Louisiana and you had a bag of fried shrimp, then the lagniappe would be the little fried pieces at the bottom. I’ll bring cards with big tassels for the menu, or the amazing ceramic potatoes from Moda. It’s the little extras that make it special. A perfect example—in fact the finest example—of lagniappe are all those little ceramic vegetables from Moda Domus. The eggplant, tomatoes, corn...I love how you could put them on the table for a little trompe l'oeil surprise. And it would be so fun to put edibles inside the ceramic box for the adults. Hide them from the children.
On Drinks—Strong Ones…
My favorite champagne is Ruinart Blanc De Blancs. A sip on that on an empty stomach at the beginning of a party is better than a new haircut. You want to make your cocktails in batches: any cocktail you can make in a pitcher and then shake it and pour it on new ice is so easy. There’s a great recipe in Serving New York. A negroni is good, an old fashioned is great. You just need a really good looking pitcher, and Moda has tons of those.
On Her Home—And Holiday Decor...
I live in a pink stucco 1940s international-style house in Savannah, Georgia. I chose it because it was freeing; the house was already so wild—especially in Savannah, which is quite classic and old fashioned—so I just went for it and had fun. The walls are pink. It’s a color called Setting Plaster by Farrow and Ball. It looks like a dirty Band-Aid, but it’s really flattering. I designed this house to be really flattering to everyone at night. It has lots of glittering and reflective surfaces, all of the furniture is upholstered and cozy and low to the ground. I wanted it to feel like a club.