In the spirit of welcoming Fall, I recently teamed up with my talented friend Jenni to create an afternoon lunch to celebrate our new seasonal gift box collaboration. The Woods box is inspired by foggy mornings in the forests of California, waking up surrounded by redwood trees, pine forests and fresh ocean - misted greenery, the feeling of bringing the outside indoors, the ritual of a peaceful afternoon.
We invited some of our closest friends to Jenni's beautiful home in Santa Monica, a setting truly reminiscent of the mood of our gift box. It also happened to be a cool and rainy day (such a rarity in Los Angeles) so we were able to indulge in the just type of cozy afternoon that inspired the collaboration.
Kristen, the florist extraordinaire of Moon Canyon brought seasonal arrangements that
incorporated greenery found throughout the California and beyond. How gorgeous is that mix of fern and florals?
The talented Annie Campbell designed an incredible meal for us to share from start to finish. I created menus and place settings inspired by watercolor paintings in oceanic and coastal forest colors. I wanted them to have a very washy, moody feel that could be interpreted as either sunrise or sunset. The phenomenal Anne Robin created the calligraphy.
For the meal, we started with a deep woods gimlet that combined Sage spirits from Art in the Age with mescal, lemon, and honey. It truly was the perfect welcome. Annie created delicious seasonal starters and for the main, a truly divine cacio e pepe with bucatini and porcini mushrooms that I am still craving! She also blessed us with one of her famous naked cakes, pictured below. Buttermilk spice cake with cream cheese frosting and end-of-summer berry sauce - how's that for a beautiful finish? You can read a bit more about the afternoon and find Annie's delectable recipe right here.
** all photos courtesy of domino
