Always start with a theme...

Why a Theme?

Each and every time I plan to entertain, I go through an inspirational thought sequence. It always starts with a theme. To me, it is the most important part in planning a party. A theme sets the mood and gives spice and flair to an event. The food itself is only one component, but you can focus your theme around its origin- Italian, Mexican, Indian, etc… 

journal excerpt from "July Feast with Fireflies"

However, an occasion such as the annual appearance of the fireflies in the garden, or the celebration of a new house, or the equinox or Christmas eve can provide wonderful thematic inspiration and be your best opportunity to entertain with panache.

A theme helps you get organized and becomes your personal style board for planning and producing a successful experience. From the invitation to the menu, to the table setting and the décor, a theme is almost like a special assistant who makes your lists and focuses your decisions so you can enjoy your party and your guests, which is really the point!

For big or small parties, I always follow the same check list.

The theme, the date, the menu, the guests, the tableware, the candles,  the decorations for each room where we will sit. I sketch it all out and make annotations like a storyboard or script for a commercial. Working as a Creative Director in the advertising business, where I had to organize photo shoots and manage the disparate elements of an ad campaign, has helped me to see the entire picture.

When the dinner party is over, I enter the details into a journal, drawing the table, the flowers, and what serving pieces I used. I note where I bought a particular decorative item and when. I list the guests who were invited. I write down the menu, the recipes, and the source.

My journals help capture these ephemeral evenings so that I can refer to them when I know my memory will not help with the details.

But most importantly, I wanted to have a record for me and my family to look back on years later. 

Since I began entertaining every single one of my dinner parties has been recorded. Every single one, including a Venetian Masquerade  dinner that I did for a feature in Bon Appetit Magazine, a Halloween body parts buffet, many Crab Orgies, country picnics, croquet matches and rematches, dinner after tennis, after the movies, after the harvest, before Christmas, Christmas Day, after Christmas Day, New Year’s Black Tie, the Super bowl, breakfast, lunch, dinner, buffets, and anything in-between. I’ve recorded them all in many, many volumes of journals.

some of the journals I've kept over many years.

I have been asked frequently for copies of these dinner party journals, which now cover the course of 30 years and are a real treasure trove of menus, decorating tips, and thematic ideas. Instead, I have selected from among them my very favorite pages, recording occasions I want to always remember and share. 

My hope is that every reader, whether a timid or enthusiastic host, will find this blog to be a truly unique guide for unforgettable fun with food and friends.

No pressure. Really.  

I can't wait! In my next blog I'll begin sharing entertaining menus (all taken from my journals that I've kept over the years). I'll provide a range of entries each month, from current dates or years past--- usually pulling entries by month (so, for instance- in September you can see what I've done recently in September or what I was doing in earlier years). 

I'll plan to post once every week, on Sundays(4 x per month).
With the exception of Sept. 11, I'll post that entry on the 10th.

I'll start with September and The Crab Orgy. 

Do check back again and, as always I'd love to hear from you! xxoo, Sheila