Why I Love a Good Dinner Party

If I am being honest, my love for a good dinner party started long before I ever hosted one of my own.

Growing up, Sunday supper was something special in our house. It wasn’t just dinner. It was an event. My mom had a way of making even the most ordinary Sunday feel important. There was always a big meal, the china made its way onto the table, and dessert — my personal favorite — was never an afterthought.

Looking back now, I realize those evenings shaped so much of how I feel about gathering people today, much like I shared in There Was Always Room at the Table.

It felt intentional.

It felt comforting.

It felt special.

There was something beautiful about the idea that even in the middle of ordinary life, we could pause long enough to make a meal feel like an occasion. It taught me from an early age that food has never been just food. It is connection. It is memory. It is one of the simplest ways we can show people we care.

Over the years, as I attended retreats with other creators, I found myself experiencing that same feeling all over again. There was almost always one meal that stood apart from the rest.

Sometimes the table was set in the middle of an orchard beneath rows of trees, with long wooden tables stretching farther than seemed possible. Other times it was candlelit and intimate, overflowing with flowers while laughter carried on long after dessert had been served.

Those dinners changed something in me.

They reminded me that a meal can be so much more than simply eating. It can feel immersive. Transformative even. They showed me that when someone thoughtfully creates an experience around food, what people remember often has very little to do with what was served and everything to do with how they felt while sitting at that table.

I think those experiences gave me permission to see entertaining differently.

Not as something reserved for weddings or expensive celebrations.

But as a way of loving people.

Of course, every single day cannot look like this. Life gets busy. Schedules fill up. Most nights dinner is practical and we are simply trying to get something on the table before moving on to the next thing waiting for our attention.

But every once in a while, I love to go all out. I have always believed that small thoughtful details matter, whether it is a simple linen napkin, fresh flowers from the yard, or taking a few extra minutes to create a table that feels welcoming. It is something I have written about before in The Simple Art of Setting the Table because I truly believe those little touches change how people experience a meal.

I love creating evenings that feel memorable for the people I care about.

Summer is probably my favorite time to host because I can take everything outside. I have been to some incredibly beautiful dinner parties over the years and while mine may be a little less formal than some of them, I think that is part of what makes them feel like me.

You probably won’t find gold candlesticks tied with silk ribbon on my table.

But you might find mason jars filled with water, herbs from the garden floating alongside candles dancing softly when the evening breeze rolls through.

I love the beauty of things that feel simple and approachable.

When guests arrive, I always like to have a fun drink waiting. Something festive enough to make people feel welcomed the moment they walk through the gate. There is usually a snack too, something to nibble on while everyone settles in, mingles, and begins that easy conversation that happens when people feel comfortable.

Dinner almost always starts with a really fabulous salad because while I may be known for loving dessert, I firmly believe a truly good salad deserves just as much appreciation.

The main course is usually something that can be served family style and, most importantly, made ahead of time. I learned a long time ago that I do not want to spend the evening trapped in the kitchen while everyone else is making memories without me.

I want to sit at the table too.

I want to laugh.

I want to listen to stories.

I want to be fully present.

I have always believed dessert carries its own kind of magic. Sometimes it is the final course of a beautiful dinner party and sometimes, as I once wrote in The Magic of Dessert on a Tuesday, it is simply the small act of making an ordinary day feel worth celebrating.

The best part.

The final little act of love before the evening comes to an end.

Sometimes I send people home with a small party favor. Sometimes I don’t. But I hope that no matter what they take with them physically, they leave carrying the feeling of the evening itself.

Because I know exactly how evenings like this have always made me feel.

Welcomed.

Celebrated.

Seen.

Cared for.

And being able to create that same feeling for the people I love is honestly one of my favorite things in the world.

I think deep down that is what I have always loved most about food.

Not the recipes.

Not even the cooking itself.

But the way food allows us to care for people in ways words sometimes cannot.

There is something incredibly beautiful about gathering people around a table and saying, I thought of you. I prepared this for you. I wanted tonight to feel special because you are special to me.

And maybe that is why I will always love a good dinner party.

Because at the end of the day, food has always been my favorite way to love people.