A Frond Fête

Gather around for a lively evening celebrating the arrival of summer. As the weather warms, I felt it was time to welcome it with a festive family get-together on my patio. This Frond Fête features a fresh Thai-inspired cuisine, a bold color palette and natural textures to celebrate the lush season of summer. 

Ready to join the fête?  

The Gathering

Featuring a fresh menu inspired by Thai cuisine and a lively evening under twinkly lights, this outdoor gathering was the perfect setting for celebrating with friends and family. 

I chose to host the gathering on my patio since my dining area can be a bit snug. By opting for outdoors, I was able to have two separate areas designated for cocktail hour and dinner. It made the evening feel lively, and guests enjoyed mingling over drinks before dinner was served. 

The Inspiration

Once I settled on a mood I was going for, I created a mood board to tie all of the visual details together. Not only was planning much easier, but I also found the end result came together really cohesively. 

The Bar

The entire evening was spent outside in two distinct places. I rolled out my bar cart from inside so guests could conveniently enjoy cocktails seated comfortably outside and then make their way over to the set table for dinner. 

I styled the bar using cut palms, whole grapefruit, and the rest of the prepped ingredients for self-serving Palomas: 

• I lined up sliced grapefruit on a Palm Mango Wood Large Rectangle Board and balanced it with a shallow saucer for salting the glass rims.  
• In an effort to make day-of execution easier, I pre-mixed the Palomas earlier in the day in our Signature White Ruffle Pitcher and popped them in the refrigerator until guests arrived.  
• I placed the pre-cut lime wedges, lined up Estelle Colored Glasses, and my favorite Casamigos Blanco Tequila bottle {which is pretty enough to fit into the aesthetic!} right next to the pitcher and serving board to silently instruct my guests on how to self-serve this recipe.  
• To ensure I had enough extra ingredients on standby, I lined everything up in a styled way on the bottom shelf of the bar cart so I didn’t have to scramble during the party.  

The Table

When deciding how I would set the table, I knew I wanted to focus on highlighting natural elements as décor pieces to complement the blush tones of the dinnerware, so I layered cut palms directly on the table in the middle of the place settings for the centerpiece. Then, I tucked colored glass votives around the textured leaves, taking care to position them safely where the ends wouldn't burn but would be dispersed for that upward glow.  

The Place Setting

It's not often that I set the table with a bowl being one of the main dishes in the setting, but knowing we were serving the Sweet Chili Noodle Salad, I jumped at the opportunity to feature my favorite footed bowls atop a coordinating dinner plate to hold the accompanying Summer Rolls and Thai Garlic Shrimp.  

These footed bowls are some of my favorites for a variety of dishes, but I mostly find myself reaching for them to serve soup, rice, or noodles. Bonus - they're a great way to elevate takeout!

I perched individual sets of chopsticks on top of the bowl at each place setting and tucked the napkins underneath to create a layered look.  

The Menu

I chose to feature a Thai menu because the dishes are typically light and fresh but still so flavorful with the infusion of spices, fruits, and vegetables - perfect for the summer heat.  

I crafted the menu to feature light and flavorful dishes that could mostly all be prepared ahead of time to ensure I could spend less time in the kitchen and more time gathered with guests.  

To begin the festivities, I served delicious Summer Rolls alongside a savory Peanut Sauce topped with crunchy garnish pieces.  

Meanwhile, while we settled in and waited for the sun to set a bit, guests sipped on a refreshing Paloma cocktail to bring in the citrus notes and complementary flavors to the rest of the menu. I served it in our favorite Estelle Colored Glass Blush stemless glass.  

For the main course, I served a Sweet Chili Noodle Salad along with Easy Thai Garlic Shrimp – one of my absolute favorite summer recipes. I served the Sweet Chili Noodle Salad in our Blush Layered Arabesque 9 Footed Bowl and the Thai Garlic Shrimp in our Palm Platter, which was the perfect serving piece for the occasion! 

A change of the season can be a simple excuse to gather together! Take our cue, and host your own Frond Fête gathering, too.