Summer Soiree in Westerly, RI

We could not have dreamt up a better day or way to celebrate the end of summer.

Where to begin?

From the massive dinner plate dahlias to the perfect 70 degree weather to the nearly 40 friends, strangers, and mothers and daughters present who came to be creative and connect... we were blown away!

Upon arrival all guests were greeted with a delicious seasonal cocktail and food prepared by some of Westerly’s best known (and most delicious) spots. Not only that, but it was perfectly styled by Aimee and Magaly, who have many years of culinary chops under their belts. Guests were literally gasping as they walked up to the space — it was stunning.

After mingling, we went on a farm tour to learn more about the special property we were on. At the end of the tour, we continued the food party and feasted on locally sourced provisions, refilled our glasses, and gathered around one long table.

Every guest was provided with all flowers and materials needed to craft their own unique full sized arrangement that they got to take home.

That included a one-of-a-kind vase handcrafted by Ahmee Ceramics. Ashley Jarzombek of Anther Living led us through a floral arrangement workshop utilizing fresh blooms grown by Echo Rock Flowers. As we do at all Create Dinners events, we all spent time answering intentional conversation questions so we could leave feeling more connected and fulfilled than when we arrived.

We ended our time together with portrait taking, capturing guests and their beautiful creations. We could look at these happy faces next to their thriving arrangements all day!

We have many thank you’s to give here:

Thank you to Nana's Westerly, Cinder Restaurant, The Malted Barley, and Frontier Farm RI for providing delicious food and libations and to The Westerly Land Trust for hosting us at The Barlow Preserve.

Feeling extra grateful for our co-hosts Echo Rock Flowers, Ahmee Ceramics, and Anther Living. You all were the DREAM TEAM.

We’ve already decided that this will be an annual gathering, so get ready for next year’s Summer Soiree! Many cheers xx

Dinner No. 20

And just like that, we went from Dinner No. 1 to Dinner No. 20 with many other Create Dinners events in between.

A lot of people ask me how I got the idea to start Create Dinners.

I love food, good conversation, and pretty tablescapes, but the truest answer is this: my best friends, several of whom were at the very first dinner almost 6 years ago. We all have different creative skillsets and the types of gatherings we would produce together for fun felt too good to not be shared with others. They are they best birthday and life celebrators I know, support in seasons of grief, my favorite group text thread, listening ears, hand makers of all things, and women who lift me up daily. They are the reason Create Dinners is what it is, so it only felt right for us to travel back to the place where it all began to celebrate our twentieth women’s dinner.

The theme this time around was FIGURES: an expression through art by way of lines, waves, and movement. This dinner honored the creatives that inspire us and the many forms that must take shape before a masterpiece. We looked to the greats like Alexander Girard and Hilma af Klint and chose bright kelly greens, poppy reds, mustards, and pinks for this HOT Palm Springs gathering.

Details, details, details.

Between Leah Pearlstein’s red figures inspired manicure, the Dos Hombres Hibiscus Paloma Cocktails, Tamales by Citlali Tamale and other incredible spicy fête by High Desert Food Fight, and hand painted tote bags from Elise Cahill, you really couldn’t go wrong. Well, maybe we would have chosen a cooler month, but somehow the 100 degree weather wasn’t that noticeable once the sun set and connections were being made.

The line up of women in attendance:

@eliseapffel / @eliseapffelatwork - Host + Hand Painted Tote Bags
@_kate_moran - Photography + Florals
@kailleen - Film Photography + Florals
@highdesertfoodfight - Chef
@citlali_tamales - Chef
@design.prettythings / @doshombres - Cocktail
@gabaiter - Mocktail
@annalundapffel - Paletas
@thelalook - Table Styling
@tatianatakabayashi / @domicilela - Green Glassware
@adaywithhoho - Paper Weaving Activity
@imaginarytheaterco - Poetry
@k_apostrophe - Textiles
@lozyjane / @willandbear - Hats
@leahpearlstein - IG Story
@anniebalto / @eatnour - Take Home Favors
@aliciadiscipio - Playlist
@yearandday - Ceramics

A personal highlight from this dinner were the amazing film portraits that Katie Marble took of each attendee throughout the night. She’s been photographing these dinners since Dinner No. 2 and it’s been so cool and inspiration to watch her work evolve over the years.

Thank you to the hundreds of women who have sat around the table and brought their whole selves, their talents, and kindness to build Create Dinners into what it is today.

Dinner No. 19

Hello! Kate here.

Before dating and eventually marrying a boy from Vermont, I had never seen (let alone heard of) a luna moth. The first time I saw one, I think my jaw hung open for at least a minute, admiring the colors and baffled that a creature so beautiful and colorful existed and could be categorized as a moth. I knew then that it would only be a matter of time before the luna moth would manifest itself as a Create Dinners event theme, and Dinner No. 19 was it.

Dinner No. 19 took place in Burlington, VT at our friend Liza Hendrick’s House. She lives on nearly 100 acres of mountain and green grasses with her husband, four children, and labradoodle, and it’s safe to say that it’s about as close to paradise as you can make up in your head.

There were ample locations we could have set our dinner table up, but down by the pond felt too dreamy to pass up. We did cocktails and apps up on the Hendrick’s porch, then loaded up the food and drove down to our little oasis.

The tablescape was infused with lime green, lavender, and light pink with fresh cut flowers, dreamy candles in custom made candle holders, and farm-to-table food.

The menu was prepared by Veggies and Hustle’s Hannah Baird, consisting of the most drool-inducing items…

- Lavender Bee's Knees
- Warm Citrus Marinated Castelvetrano Olives, Olives, Crudités, Local Cheeses and Salumi, Homemade Focaccia & Sourdough
- Honey Lemon Arctic Char with Citrus Suprême over Coconut Sesame Rice
- Beets with Citrus, Whipped Goat Cheese Microgreens & Pistachios
- Tomato, Melon & Mozzarella di Bufala with Hot Chiles
- Sticky Carrots with Dukkah
- Lighter Sweet and Salty Cheesecake Topped with Cherries & Mint

Below is the line-up of the 10 amazing women who attended and contributed. It was so magical we could float away like the theme herself. See what all contributed below.

Event Planning + Photos: Kate Pauley
Host: Liza Hendricks
Chef: Hannah Baird
Styling: Alexandra Duddy
Floral Arranging + Styling: Molly Velte
Flower Grower: Brooke G
IG Story Content: Kait Pearce
Conversation Questions: Kelly Thayer
Yoga Mediation: Kiara Medina
Ceramic Candle Holders + Serving Bowls: Rory Pots

We also want to give very special thanks to our event partner

Tata Harper Skincare made us feel refreshed and beautiful with custom beauty boxes! It only felt right to treat our attendees with clean beauty products from a VT-based brand.

We hope this is not the last Vermont event we do because wow, it was a special one! May we all channel the luna moth and feel beautiful and free-spirited this summer.

Book + Wine Exchanges with Pip Home

At the end of June, we hosted our first ever book and wine exchanges with Pip Home, who has sadly closed their doors since these events. We’re so grateful to have been the last event to utilize their beautiful space.

The instructions we gave everyone attending were simple:

We’ll provide drinks, snacks, and inspire you with vintage furniture and objects. After we've mingled, we'll cozy up around all the beverages and books and unwrap them Secret-Santa-style. As always, we'll weave some conversation questions in there so you leave more connected and fulfilled than when you entered.

The day of the event, please bring one of your favorite books and favorite bottles of wine (or fancy non-alcoholic beverage) to sip on throughout summer, wrapped, and paired with a short description of the ideal scenario for consumption somewhere on visible from the outside. For example, "Sitting under a giant weeping willow tree upstate." To keep things fair for all participants, we ask that you please stay around the $40 price range for both items, giving or taking a few dollars.

All understood the assignment, and brought some truly A+ books and wines.

We’ve compiled a recap list below for all the curious.

BOOKS:
- Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
- Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
- Girlhood by Melissa Febos
- Love Letters of Great Men & Women by C.H. Charles
- Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
- The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali (brought by two guests on different nights!)
- Notes On Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach
- The Power by Naomi Alderman
- Life of The Party by Olivia Gatwood
- The Shining by Stephen King
- Kafka Was the Rage by Anatole Broyard
- This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
- Tweak by Nic Sheff
- Women Don't Owe You Pretty by Florence Given
- The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
- Warmth by Daniel Sherrell
- The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
- All About Love by Bell Hooks
- Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

WINES:
- Fest
- Empathy
- Chateau Montaud Rosé
- Quinta do Ameal Loureiro 2020
- Suriol Mataro 2018
- Poggio di Cicignano - Vanempo ‘Aura' Bianco Toscana
- Tsikrikonis
- Explosivo
- Sebastien David Hurluberlu St Nicolas de Bougueil
- Secco Strawberry and Raspberry Rossini
- Uivo Curtido Branco
- Decoy Merlot
- Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
- Zillamina 2021 White
- Gulp/Hablo - Orange 2021
- Nomos Cabernet Sauvignon
- Whale Route Cinsault Rosé
- Wolffer Summer in a Bottle Long Island Rosé
- Curious Elixirs No. 3 and No. 4
- Ame Du Vin Rosé
- Say When 2021 Over Easy Piquette

Cheers!

Dinner No. 18

Guest Author: Johanna Silver

Several days after the summer solstice began, a group of creatives met in Dobbs Ferry, NY for a fun, floral Create Dinners event. Under the theme “Flower Child,” attendees were invited to dawn Woodstock-inspired digs and contribute their skills toward an incredible evening. 

Pairing perfectly with Create Dinners’ cooperative ethos, the event was hosted at HudCo — a beautiful, sprawling co-working space that can also be used for events, gatherings, and trainings. Guests began the evening introducing each other over flowery Barr Hill Gin cocktails crafted by mixologist Rachel Luo, while sampling a spread of seasonally-inspired vegetables and dips.

They were then treated to a workshop by Liz Chick who uses flowers, food scraps, and spices to make stunning natural clothing dyes. Using vinegar, simply-treated organic fabric, and an array of dried florals, they were able to create their own colorful dyes. 

For dinner, culinary creatives Neha Ramani and Lottie Gurvis made an entire menu of delicious plant-based dishes, including a bright grapefruit burrata salad, decadent stuffed aubergines and a light, sweet rice pudding. The meal was accompanied by bottles of Say When wine and — of course — generous garnishes of edible flowers. 

With flowers being the focal point of the evening, it was only appropriate that they would frame the dinner’s discussions. Penned on place cards designed by illustrator Lauren Barr were floral-themed questions like guests’ favorite places in nature and ways in which they’ve recently grown. Among the attendees who shared their answers were botanical artist Emily Scott, who created stunning centerpieces for the event; Aiko Austin, who photographed the night’s festivities alongside Kate Pauley; textile artist Chrissy Ziegler, who showcased her gorgeous works at the event; and set designer Ashley Naum, who helped curate the evening’s tablescape.

As the evening wound down and guests finished their last sips of wine, they were able to exchange information and reveal their naturally-dyed creations that had been steaming during dinner. Along with the flowery fare and compelling conversations, they also enjoyed natural lip and cheek stains by Mad Hippie, organic whole flower teas by The Qi founder Lisa Li, inventive Heart Parts cutlery, and a pretty print by artist Whitney Berowsky.

And though they began the event as strangers, everyone’s efforts and skills led to a truly memorable evening of bonding over blooms.

XX,

Johanna Silver