Friendly Feasting
Tarica Navarro, owner of Kettle & Brine, hosts a Thai- and tapas-style company dinner.
When Tarica Navarro opened Kettle & Brine, her curated shop of heirloom-quality kitchen supplies located in the strip of boutique stores just off 12th Street and North Lamar Boulevard in Central Austin, she welcomed foodies, cooking fans and design enthusiasts into her world of thoughtful and sustainable living. The carefully selected pieces nestled among the store’s eclectic home- style décor, ranging from handmade Spanish knives to Provencal copper kettles, were each chosen for their potential to enrich the routines of daily life.
Carrying out Navarro’s mission to foster a connection between people and the process of creating a wholesome meal would not be possible without her family and friends, who also include Kettle & Brine’s hardworking staff. To celebrate her team, Navarro created a summer feast fit for the soul, and shared her entertaining tips for a seamless summer soiree with Austin Woman, for good measure.
1. Flavors
Food should be simply served and tasty at room temperature. Grilled meats, seafood and side salads are the perfect example since they are delicious served at any temperature and can sit out for a while without wilting,” Navarro advises, hinting at how easy this makes the evening for the host herself.
To start the planning process, Navarro recommends picking a palette first, then finding dishes that complement each other within that spectrum.
“We went with a summer-fresh Thai and Mexican theme with bright citrus and spice notes,” she says.
Navarro accompanied her main dishes with a bevy of different sauces, which she highly recommends as a way to encourage guests to try, dip and scoop a little bit of everything.
2. Fixtures
With shared bites and passable plates come lots of dishes. Mimic the eclectic menu, says Navarro, by choosing “a variety of different serving dishes to showcase your food.” Navarro incorporated earthy tones by donning each place setting with fresh eucalyptus leaves, printed linen napkins and gold- plated flatware.
“Vary the shapes and textures to keep things interesting and laid back,” adds Navarro, whose understated décor utilized raw textures and neutral colors in subtle accent pieces, like hand-blown glasses, white enamel bowls and thin, tapered candles.
With so many foods on the table, eschew placemats or the traditional table runner to avoid clutter.
3. Friends
When it comes to tapas-style dining, more is definitely merrier, so, let your guests bring, assemble and help prepare the food on your menu.
“Every great dinner party has three necessary ingredients: good cooks, foodies and, last but not
least, people who are great company to keep the conversation moving and the atmosphere lively,” says Navarro, who enlisted the helping hands of her staff to arrange every element of her epicurean feast.
With no shortage of (quite cordial) cooks in the kitchen, Navarro’s menu swelled graciously into a heaping smorgasbord of classic Thai dishes, easy sides and Mexican-infused summer favorites, with more than a few laughs in between.
The Menu
Palomas made with mezcal
~
Tiger Cry steak
~
jim jaew (Thai steak sauce)
Asian fusion guacamole mango habanero salsa easy Thai peanut sauce chipotle
cocktail sauce
~
som tum
vermicelli noodle salad
grilled summer squash with cherry tomato confit and za’atar
Thai cucumber salad
peel-and-eat shrimp
ceviche
~
coconut ice cream with mango, sticky rice and peach compote
Inspired Entertaining
Carla McDonald’s Secrets for Entertaining
Share