The
Entertaining
Guide
The joy of hosting
Nobody remembers whether the napkins matched.
They remember that they stayed.
Eight moments worth setting a table for, what we have learned about each of them, and the pieces that carry them.
The Sunday Table
The Sunday Table
Porcelain bowls gather sauce, torn bread, and Parmesan curls while crumbs settle across the plates.
Toss pasta with sauce before it reaches the table, then spoon extra sauce into the serving bowl so every portion stays coated.
The hour after the bowls empty and before the chairs move is sobremesa.
Set the Sunday table
One More Place
A Chair Already Waiting
Cotton fringe brushes the chair legs while a white plate, bowl, initialed mug, and folded napkin wait at the table.
Set the spare place before platters arrive, leaving a hand's width between settings so another chair does not force hot dishes to move.
Make room at table
The Golden-Hour Picada
Before Dinner Begins
Cheese cubes and salami coins cover the wooden board while olive pits gather beside glass mugs, ice, and orange rind.
Set an empty dish beside the olives and keep soft cheese away from the board handle so the board can pass without fingers crossing the food.
The board that keeps dinner waiting while every hand returns for one more bite is picada.
Gather around the board
Three-Oh-Five
Coffee Makes the Rounds
Dark coffee threads from the white moka pot into four ceramic cups while pale foam clings to each rim.
Fill the espresso cups with hot water while the moka pot brews, then empty and dry them before the first pour.
The small coffee poured for every cup within reach is cafecito.
Pour the afternoon coffee
La Mesa Dulce
The Sweetest Hour
Meringue rises above the glass stand while a gold spoon rests beside one cut slice and a porcelain cup.
Mark cake portions with the knife before lifting the first slice, then wipe the blade between cuts so meringue stays with each piece.
Set out the cake
The Season Opener Spread
The Opening Spread
Chips lean against porcelain bowls while cheese cubes, salsa seeds, and sauce spoons crowd the wooden board.
Arrange sauces from pale to dark and give every bowl its own spoon so one hot spoon never lands in the mild bowl.
Build the opening spread
Good China on a Tuesday
Tuesday Gets the Plates
A woven placemat frames each plate while chicken skin, citrus rind, candle wax, and crumbs cover the table.
Place a folded kitchen towel beneath the carving board before cutting the chicken so the board stays put and the platter reaches the table without drips.
Lay the Tuesday table
Beach Sobremesa
After the Plates
A ceramic tray rests in the sand while stacked plates and glass mugs hold the last coffee and milk.
Set empty mugs on the tray and pour coffee only after the tray reaches the sand so lighter cups travel with fewer spills.
Carry coffee outside
Before you go
For the table you're planning
A box to fill
Any gift purchase over $100 arrives in a free heirloom box — its Family Recipe card handwritten with your message.
Build your kitSomeone is always worth a table
The other half of hosting is arriving with something. Our gifting guide is next door.
The gifting guide