Telling the story of your table from field to fork. The table as love language. The table as relationship. The table as nourishment of every sort. The table as ephemeral art. This is the heart of so much of my work. Finding & creating sustenance where you are, when you’re there & embracing the perfect imperfection of things as they are. Of the season, of the region. Of the table. Of people. Of yourself. That’s all I stand for. All I do. And that’s what we lived, explored, and created together at the workshop retreat I hosted with Rebecca Gallop of A Daily Something a few weeks ago, Gathering From Scratch. Here’s the first installment of the photos (there are just too many gorgeous moments to limit myself to one post) and more about our workshop.
Rebecca and I wanted to explore each aspect of putting together a small gathering from sourcing your tableware, flowers, and food to cooking & laying the table to the moment it all comes together and you share in it and in each other. She found the perfect location, Oldstone Farm, a pre-colonial farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley built in 1734. A working farm. A gorgeous, eccentric space where a family of trash-hungry labrador puppies roved, baby chicks peeped, and all manner of livestock milled in the pasture. Towering sunflowers nodded in the garden like lazy sentinels and one wily cat slinked around, lounging impudent as cats are wont to lounge. It was some sort of heaven. And the light, my God, the light was unreal. And so were the tables we laid together.
Styling isn’t about unnecessary fussing with things. It’s about telling a story, laying a table with attention to detail as an act of service, and creating beauty in every nook & cranny of life you can manage. It lifts up the mundane. Styling with Rebecca was pure synergy. And I can barely write her name without tearing up I miss her so much. Rebecca, working with you was an honor, a pleasure, and everything I hoped it would be and so much more. You are one funny, glowing soul, and anyone who can take my eccentric self is high on my list! I cannot wait until we tackle that madness again next year.
We started off with one big farm to table welcome dinner that went well into the bonfire hours during which The Great American Canyon Band played while people lingered over wine and clafoutis. Over the course of that languid weekend in late August we, along with our guests, spent the days baking, styling, photographing, and just spending time with one another around the table. We wanted each and every meal to be memorable, each moment to be beautiful, each bite delicious and local.
And so many people made that possible. We had two of the best interns I’ve ever known, Anna & Bekah, who worked like bees, and in the kitchen we had the indispensable help & salvation of Melinda of Knead and Know, a genius artisan bread baker, instructor, and cook. Not to mention cheerful in the face of boatloads of work, which is truly invaluable in any kitchen. Friends & family (the moms! Rebecca’s mother and mother-in-law helped so, so much!) pitched in and we couldn’t have done it without a single one of them.
We also had extremely talented partners like the photographers of Sweet Root Village and the videographers of Our Terrain who made the above video for us. Give it a play & check their work out. Besides that we had so many makers who were willing to share their talent & wares with our students. Because of them we were able to give each guest a handmade gift with each and every meal. You can visit each maker at the links below
Pear Tree Leather Co. – custom leather notebook cases and more | Ontario
Consider the Wildflowers – delicate, minimalist handmade jewelry | Tennessee
Sweetgum Co. – handcrafted reclaimed wood spoons & boards | Tennessee
Field Notes – the best everyday, spur of the moment idea notebooks out there | Illinois
Ortolan Organics – sustainable homegoods | California
Straw & Gold + Calyer Ceramics – online homegoods store featuring handmade & artisan wares | New York
Ambatalia – hand sewn linen bento & furoshiki bags and more| California
Daphnis & Chloes Herbs – handpicked & dried rare herbs | Greece
J Q Dickinson Salt – hand harvested salts from an under ground ocean in the Appalachians | Virginia
The menus were as much a joy to put together as the tables & gifts. They were an intuitive homage to late summer in the southern United States—heirloom tomatoes and peaches featured heavily. Heaps, really. Here’s the menu that kicked it all off:
Daily Gathering | Farm to Table Summer Supper Menu
To Start
Aged Gouda Pimento Cheese Crostini
Pickled Dilly Beans & Okra
Local Charcuterie
Amuse
Field
Roast Free-Range Chicken, Fig + Olive + Shallot
Mint Chimichurri
Garden
Charred Potato Fennel Leek Salad + Lemon Aioli
Heirloom Summer Garden Salad + Chevre + Summer Herbs
Baked
Polly Foster Yeast Rolls
Knead & Know Breads
Whipped Raw Honey & Sea Salt Cultured Butter
Sweet
Rose + Cardamom + Peach Buttermilk Cornmeal Clafoutis
Stay tuned for part two. I’ll tell you all about how we spent our time—what we ate, did, and where we went! In the mean time…I’m just coming off of a two workshop trip to Australia & my heart is full and breaking at the same time. To ease my pain I’m focusing on next year’s itinerary which includes workshop-retreats in Venice, Japan, Australia, and Portugal. Email me if you want to get on the early bird list for next year’s retreats! (contact form in the side bar)
Your photography is just incredible, it’s so evocative! Can’t wait to see what you’ve got planned for Australia next year, you should definitely come to Melbourne!
Ohhhhh Beth! This! We need this same program for Australia in 2015! This is just incredibly amazing. You and Rebecca make magic together! Too freakin’ beautiful! xoxoxoxoxoxxoo
I think this is my favorite post of yours….the photos are exquisite! You captured the light, the textures and the mood beautifully. That’s how I hope my gatherings and get-togethers feel, or at least that’s the feel I strive for.
You must feel so lucky to be surrounded by wonderful and creative people and beautiful places. 🙂
Dear Beth, I am again in awe of you photographs and words! Always an inspiration! Thank you
your pictures, writing, and prose are all so wonderful and insightful! thank you for a daily dose of whimsy happiness.
love, arielle
a simple elegance
your words, your photography, your styling, the food……it is all so comforting, truly truly. i enjoy my visits very much to this blog….the way you write pulls me in and inspires me so incredibly much. thank you xoxo ~ashley
I’m having some kind of pivotal moment, having experienced this post. I’ve dismissed styling as being frivolous and even scoffed at the idea for being unreal/hyper-real, overly manicured for vanity’s sake. but I’m all about sensual enjoyment and appreciating the beauty in the mundane, and I think you just bridged a mighty gap for me:
“Styling isn’t about unnecessary fussing with things. It’s about telling a story, laying a table with attention to detail as an act of service, and creating beauty in every nook & cranny of life you can manage. It lifts up the mundane.”
I’m inspired. thank you.
what an incredible assembly of talent! everything – from the setting, to the food, to the partnering creatives – was so thoughfully and deliberatley selected. i would love to be able attend one of these workshops one day!
gorgeous and moving as usual. your blog has so much more depth and wisdom than most things you find on the internet.
and i love the video! more videos! 🙂
My goodness … the beauty within this post is breathtaking. So otherworldly and dreamlike. Your guests must have been absolutely delighted by the experience you guys created for them.
“Towering sunflowers nodded in the garden like lazy sentinels and one wily cat slinked around, lounging impudent as cats are wont to lounge.”
looks like an idyllic place and event, and your words take me right there.
Exquisite! The table is breathtaking, and I Loved the pictures, and the article. I Loved everything about it. I would love this for my home.
OMG! I love every pic and moments that you take, and the colourtone was beautiful.
Absolutely gorgeous dishes, bread, scenery, and, of course, photography. I appreciate the emphasize and thought you put into sourcing products in each and every one of your workshops. And as a constantly-evolving photographer, your statement about telling a story with styling really resonates with me. Thank you for the continuous inspiration!
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Wow, this looks terrific! Congrats on hosting such an amazing event! Inspiring really, in so many ways.
Everything in this post makes me want to cry big fat ever-rolling happy tears. I could read this post 1,000 times over and find something new to love on each time. These workshops of yours are truly something special, the kind of weekend that, I reckon, would change your life if you let it. And you obviously let it. And you do such a resplendent job. I cannot wait for installment two of this workshop! Beautiful!
Portugal??? My heart just fluttered, I have to start saving up for that one for sure!!!! SO curious about the location, so desirous of attending it!!
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It will most likely be held in Lisbon this year and promises to be amazing…I love that city so much! It will be around May!
That would make it soooo near possible for me to attend, as I live in the Lisbon area – although I quite don’t like the city myself. I must fill in a form, then, as I am really really curious with this, even though I am quite a shy and secluded person, nearing antisocial ahah!!
I want to be there!!
Incredibly beautiful, fantastic work!
I love your recipes and your style. This post is really inspiring. I loved the rustic table, its simplicity and elegance. I checked your links and I found them very interesting
I found this whole thing so inspiring. I loved everything about it, the video was wonderful, the photos sublime and the whole idea was perfect.
Really wish you were coming to the UK!
*catwithhearteyes* GAH! I miss you. & I love your writing. My favorite part: “A gorgeous, eccentric space where a family of trash-hungry labrador puppies roved, baby chicks peeped, and all manner of livestock milled in the pasture.” #pupsout *catwithhearteyes*
This is just simply stunning! I love your work (and person) in all of it’s manifestations.
Beautiful! I am inspired for thanksgiving. Love your photos and I love it when you add a video! Thank you for sharing your gifts.
yes please! i want to be on the early bird list for next year’s retreats.
I would definitely be interested if you headed over to the West Coast next Australia visit. I’ve loved all the Instagram shots of the Melbourne and Sydney Slow Livings!
I came here from saveur.com to see your photos, and am not disappointed. So beautiful. I just wanted to tell you that. Will be bookmarking your site for future visits.
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Veery well written!
Great post.
OOooh I wish I could have been there. Beautiful. I am especially interested in those magnificent iron wall sconces. Where did you find them? THX
I agree that your photography is so evocative, I could step into this and not change a thing. Exquisite in its seeming simplicity and warmth.
The photography looks amazing!! Such a lovely post. Thank you for sharing!
you have amazing pictures on your posts!