The story behind Garden Party

I’ve always loved cooking for people.

I love being the one who makes Thanksgiving dinner, having friends over for a meal, and getting a last-minute text asking if I can make someone’s birthday cake. I’ve been cooking vegetarian food for my entire adult life, mostly for people who aren’t vegetarians themselves. My food tends to be bright and colorful, inspired by the seasons, big on flavor, and cozy when the occasion calls for it. And I’m a firm believer that almost everything could use a little more salt (and maybe a squeeze of lemon).

I took a somewhat winding road to get here. I went to law school, eventually found my way into tech, and spent many years working behind a computer. When I was laid off last fall, I started looking for another job like the one I’d had - and realized I really didn’t want one. I started thinking about when I feel most content, when I can spend hours doing something without noticing the time passing, and I kept coming back to cooking. I started wondering what might happen if I invested in that part of myself a little more seriously - if cooking could become something bigger than a personal passion.

I already felt pretty comfortable in the kitchen, but I wanted to build on what I knew and add a little more polish and technique. That decision took me to London, where I spent three months at Le Cordon Bleu studying plant-based cuisine. I came home with a culinary diploma, a lot of new skills, and some fancy plating techniques, but what I really wanted was to get back in my own kitchen and cook for people again.

Garden Party grew out of something pretty simple: I love a good dinner party and having something fun on the calendar to look forward to. For me, the fun of hosting goes way beyond the food - I like dreaming up the tablescape, bringing in way too many flowers, creating a mood, and finding an excuse to dress to a theme. I wanted more excuses to gather around a table, make an occasion out of an ordinary day, and meet some new people along the way. Eventually, those ideas started to come together as Garden Party - a way to host community dinners and create more of the kinds of evenings I’d want to go to myself.

I’m starting with dinners, but I’m excited to see where Garden Party goes from here. I’d love to cook for celebrations, host workshops, dream up events in unexpected places, and find other people who want to make something fun happen. If you have a space, an idea, or something you think we could make together, I’d love to hear about it.