We’ve all been charmed by the fantasy of the effortless host: the “I don’t know how she does it” entertainer whose wondrous tablescape is matched only by the impressive list of names gathered around it.
But staging a perfect evening also comes with its own set of demands. “The best part is coming up with the guest list,” admits Alina Cho. “Stressing about whether the seating is right is the worst.” The journalist, who recently received the Media Award in Honor of Eugenia Sheppard from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, is one of six creatives revealing their top hosting tips and favorite recipes in Art on the Table, a new magazine-style book by Christofle.
Courtesy of Christofle
The French tableware house has a remarkable history: Its glittering silverware accompanied the lavish buffets of Emperor Napoleon and sat in the cutlery drawers of the late fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld. This holiday season, however, Christofle is sharing its gift for bringing people together with everyone. “We decided to throw a party,” reads the introduction of Art on the Table, “or, rather, five.” Premiering this week, the book invites readers into the private homes of Cho, artist Laila Gohar and chef Ignacio Mattos, fashion designer Laura Kim, interiors dealer Michael Bargo, and creative director of Palm Heights Hotel Gabriella Khalil for a seat at each of their tables.
It’s a party crawl kicked off by the food-world power couple Gohar and Mattos. While the latter is revered for his New York eateries that blend good taste with equally tasty cuisine, his home is less designed. “Things can have a thoughtful ease, yet still be very thoughtful and deliberate,” says Mattos, who finished his partner’s crispy fennel salad with a creamy crème brûlée for a festive holiday lunch featuring silver metal pieces adorned with anemone flowers from Christofle’s Anémone-Belle Epoque collection.
Across town, Bargo went the other route, opting for designer delivery to cater a last-minute get-together in his Downtown apartment-slash-gallery. The designer-dealer presented his favorite rolls from Blue Ribbon Sushi atop Andrée Putman’s Vertigo collection from the brand and vintage Christofle pieces. (It also featured his own special twist: a cucumber sake-tini with double the usual alcohol content.)
Courtesy of Christofle
Khalil, too, was taken by Putman—specifically his caviar server. The hotelier mixed the 2000 Modernist collection with silver-plated Babylone porcelain accented by braided bases and Tourbillon blown glass by Alya Tannous in her family Christmas Eve feast. “I had my family over for the Feast of the Seven Fishes—a traditional Italian Christmas Eve celebration, done my way,” says Khalil, whose impressive lobster pasta was served alongside olive meze with capers and buttery mashed Yukon potatoes. The main dish not only harkens back to her childhood, but is also her order of choice when in residence at her hotel in Grand Cayman.