Holiday Newsletter | Fall 2021
We have been busy this season wrapping up projects from the crazy spring/summer and getting started with new clients for what looks like an exciting 2022. We have been all over the state sourcing new ideas and getting ready in our own homes to settle into the holiday season. This is a time for giving thanks, and now more than ever, we can all appreciate how wonderful it is to reconnect with family and loved ones whom we have missed over these past months. We hope you enjoy learning about our promising research done in High Point and Charlotte, savoring a mouth-watering recipe from our friend, Sheri Castle, and getting inspired by some gorgeous photos of holidays past. Cheers to a happy and healthy 2022!
Debra and Anne
We are all excited to be able to celebrate in person with our loved ones again, but even the most enthusiastic of us needs some inspiration during these busy months. Updating favorite holiday traditions with a little fresh perspective can be just the motivation we all need. Debra and The Curated Table project manager/stylist, Laura Montross, did just that while hosting a beautiful celebration that was covered in Triangle Home Design & Décor back in 2019, when communing in person was never a second thought. The collaboration on the French-themed holiday included catering by Chef Paris Mishoe, desserts by Miel Bon Bon, calligraphy by Myra Jester of Well Addressed Calligraphy, tableware from The Curated Table, and photography by Anna Routh Barzin.
Sheri Castle
Sheri Castle is a North Carolina treasure from the Blue Ridge Mountains and lucky for us, has been part of our Chapel Hill community for many years. She is the host of the wonderful new series on PBS NC, The Key Ingredient with Sheri Castle. She is an award-winning professional food writer, has authored/collaborated/ghost-written over 16 cookbooks, and has been recognized by the Southern Foodways Alliance as one of the Twenty Living Legends of Southern Food. Sheri has quite a following across the southeast and whenever she is making an appearance, her people come from great distances to see her weave together her humorous stories and culinary expertise. We checked in with Sheri to get some advice on something simple and elegant we could share with friends and family over the holidays. She graciously offered us a recipe for Fresh Pear and Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Peppered Honey from her masterpiece, The New Southern Garden Cookbook.
SHERI HOLIDAY q&a
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I don’t have a specific memory so much as deep affection for good food memories in general. We all know what it’s like to catch a whiff of something delicious and experience instant time travel, often back to time spent with someone who loved us dearly. Right up there with songs from our past, aromas can trigger some of our best and strongest memories.
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Until my beloved daughter moved to another country a couple of years ago, I made a big country breakfast for us every Christmas morning. The highlights included hash brown casserole, skillet-seared apples, creamy cheese grits, hot buttermilk biscuits, and sausage gravy. Even I will admit that I make top-notch gravy. My friends don’t call me The Gravy Whisperer for nothing.
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I like sharing small tools that can make a big difference in a home cook’s repertoire, items such as a Micro plane, food mill, citrus press, garlic press, instant-read thermometer, or legit oven mitts that actually work instead of simply matching our kitchen décor. Cooks who already have those tools often don’t realize how dull or worn they’ve grown over time, and will be delighted by the update or upgrade. For gifts that make a bigger statement over a longer period of time, I love giving (and receiving!) subscriptions to food gift clubs with monthly or quarterly deliveries. There are clubs for almost any palate and price point.
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Ha! I’m not the impromptu type, but I will say that I always have good cheese, chutney, and great crackers on hand. I also keep a bottle of Prosecco at the ready, not to mention several nice bourbons. That means that I’m only a pretty plate and a couple of cute glasses away from a party in less than 10 minutes.
HIGH POINT
October found us in High Point for the annual furniture market. Since we couldn’t attend last year’s event in person, we were excited to get back to business. There were some eye-catching pops of color that we loved, cozy dining vignettes that were very inviting,and interesting rattan pieces that we have on our radar for some of our new projects.
CHARLOTTE
In November, we headed to Charlotte for an event supporting The Mint Museum and featuring designer Celerie Kemble.She shared the fascinating backstory of her new book Island Whimsy, transporting us to her world in the Dominican Republic.
