Unwrapping my copy of The Supper Club and spying the cover, I found a magnificent palette of colors that immediately recalled the classic, bold styles of Dorothy Draper, as well as recollections of vintage Lilly Pulitzer.
Indeed, this vivid new book would be a fitting addition to any suite at the Greenbrier or on the library sideboard of a Palm Beach mansion.
Between the pink and green cover, which also boasts two-toned blue striations along with a photograph guaranteed to bring a smile of joy, Lydia Menzies takes you on a fanciful and inspiring 300-page sojourn.
This trip includes stops in such renowned places as Nantucket, Charleston, and Boca Grande, where readers will meet the members of The Supper Club, an exclusive community composed of skillful professionals who all have shared interests in décor, entertaining, and fine living.
These members serve as the hosts within Lydia’s fashionable tome, each displaying their polished talents that form a rich tapestry of hospitality.
Divided into four parts representing the seasons of the year, The Supper Club features specialized gatherings which highlight the bright happiness of spring, the warmth and balm of summer, autumn’s crisp air, and the glow of candlelight in winter.
I especially enjoyed Menzies’ introduction to the section on Summer, where she writes in her Georgia-born native articulation: “From catching lightning bugs around campfires to sipping lemonade on the beach, there is nothing like the warmth of summertime to make you appreciate the slower pace of life.”
Those of us from the South, who grew up with nature as a constant friend, always call these magical creatures “lightning bugs.” Fireflies live somewhere above the Mason-Dixon line.
Readers will be engaged in more than 50 intriguing chapters that range from a “Debonair Dinner,” set in a handsome at-home library, to a “Garden Bounty” affair where table settings feature the natural beauty of farm-fresh tomatoes, corn, and herbs. Flowers — bouquets and bundles and vases and wreaths — abound on almost every page, and flora aficionados should be incredibly impressed with the bloom-filled baby grand piano in “Enchanted Evening.”
With The Supper Club, Menzies provides an extensive anthology of sweet, jewel-like celebrations, and introduces us to a cadre of acclaimed and masterful stylists; camaraderie and sociability abound throughout. My tumbler of bourbon is raised high in a congratulatory toast for such a tremendous and successful undertaking.
Hosting whisperer Menzies will bring her “hostess with the mostest” performance to Georgia Writers Museum (109 S. Jefferson Ave., Eatonton) on Tuesday, April 1, with doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. program start.
Tickets are $40 or $35 each for two or more. Menzies will not only be talking about her new book, The Supper Club with Lydia Menzies, but she will also be demonstrating ingenious ways to turn your next Spring party or sunset brunch into an experience that gets guests talking.
— Contributed by Johnathan Scott Barrett, author of the hit novel Ship Watch, plus beloved cookbooks Cook & Celebrate, Rise & Shine, and Cook & Tell.