Hello! Kate here!
Oh man. This NIGHT.
I couldn’t imagine Dinner No. 2 being better than Dinner No. 1, but somehow it was. This time around, we went for a southern theme. The group, which grew from 7 attendees to 15, mingled and clicked like a song. There was a rhythm and different high notes that were hit over the course of our four hours together. We did lots of chatting, crafted together, ate together, and made memories that I hope everyone will cherish for a long time.
Like Dinner No. 1, everyone contributed something. From the moment people arrived until they pulled away in their cars, hands were working together to pull this thing off. Here’s a breakdown of the masterminds who made dinner happen.
Kylie Mazon – Our master chef for the night, who crafted the unreal menu and runs the blogCooking with Cocktail Rings. My personal favorite dish this time around was the crawfish mac and cheese, but the jalapeño cornbread with whipped maple butter was a close second. Kylie just did a magical recap on Dinner No. 2 here.
Kirsten Robinson – Kylie’s soux chef for the evening, who runs her alter ego Instagram account, Darth Does LA. If you’re a Star Wars fan, you should just stop here and creep the feed.
Elise Cahill – Part 1 of the Happy Hunters, who put together our craft for the night – take home roll-on perfumes made with blended essential oils. In addition to this, she contributed tons of things from her home and helped Lottie and I build (see Lottie for more details on this) the table that you see pictured below.
Katie Marble – Part 2 of the Happy Hunters. She’s a creative genius AND is having a baby boy in November!! Telling you this is really more important than elaborating more on the craft that I just talked about.
Kristin Violet – Like last time, Kristin put together our perfectly simple menu. Her graphic design work always makes me sigh happily. You may also notice that Kristin has gone platinum blonde since our last dinner. I feel like I have to call it out because she looks like a smokin’ hot babe.
Lottie Caiella – Runs the blog Porridge + Pine. For dinner, she was our florist, coffee pour over extraordainare, and table builder! Lottie had the brilliant idea to BUILD a custom table for the night. Several nights before the dinner, we put on our least loved clothes, and sanded, stained and assembled the table that we’ll be using for all future dinners.
Linsey Metcalf – Lins traveled all the way from Austin, TX for Dinner No. 2! She is the co-owner of The Wild Standard, where you can purchase handmade flags. You’ll see two of them in the pictures below.
Kimberly Bozeman – Worked with Kylie to make our delicious sweet tea cocktail and came early to help set everything up. She’s going to be launching her personal blog soon — stay tuned!
Corban Poorboy – Owner of The Here Company. Her styling is beyond good, guys. If midcentury could marry vintage, that would be her aesthetic. I’m very excited to have her creative input for future dinners.
Megan Messina – Embroidered the linen napkins you’ll see pictured below. They were so special! Each one had a different type of flower / greenery. Everyone got to take one home – it was the perfect little treat. Megan is also in the band HOUSES, who you should start listening to now if you don’t already.
Carolin Künzner – Carolin was a foreign exchange student from Germany at my high school. She was randomly in Los Angeles for a work trip and messaged me (after not talking for about 10 years) for ideas around the city. I asked her if she wanted to come to dinner, and she did! It was so wonderful to reconnect with her and get to introduce her to new friends. She now has plans to host a dinner in Berlin!
Shirlee Fisher – Ceramic wizard Shirlee brought her pop-up shop with her, selling handmade goodies, and created handwritten place holders with everyone’s name on them. Everyone was very excited to take one home.
Katie Reibman – A dear friend of Jenn’s, who works as a wardrobe stylist. I’ve yet to see her work, but if it’s anything like her personal style, it’s on point.
Jenn Cahill – Our lovely host, once again. Jenn has been so kind to open up her home for the last two dinners. It almost feels like her outdoor space was made for us. TRANSITION… If you need a beautiful outdoor space of your own in LA, Jenn can help you there, as she’s one of the best real estate agents in the biz. Check out her page here.
I, of course, had the pleasure of photographing the night and organizing everything.
You shouldn’t be surprised to read that Dinner No. 3 is already in the works. It’ll be happening sometime in early December!
And now, a visual recap of the night.
