At The Table With Last July

Current Coordinates:

Amagansett / West Village NYC

Inspiration for launching Last July:

To bring joy, fun and ease to shopping for tabletop and to share recipes and ideas that make hosting more approachable.

The one thing you always have on your dining table:

Candles, wine and sparkling water...oops sorry that's 3 things!

What do you love most about having friends over?

I love a good, long dinner party where everyone is included in the conversation - where you have one guest who asks some really deep, provocative questions, where everyone is helping out and roaming around in and out of the kitchen. At the end of the night there's nothing we love more than a good game. We went through a phase where we played a lot of Heads Up but charades or cards are also a great way to end the night.

Signature meal to serve:

Banchan fried chicken with lots of sides - and you can find the recipes on Last July!

Song (or playlist) you can't stop listening to:

One of my besties made some amazing playlists for Last July and I can't stop listening to them!! My favorite playlist is called Vintage and the song that always makes me smile is a total SATC throwback for anyone that watched it religiously in their 20s like I did, and it's Le Belle at le bad boy by MC Solaar. The whole playlist is great though.

Favorite restaurant or bar in your hood and why:

Joseph Leonard. My friend Gabe Stulman (from college) is the owner. I've had SO many amazing meals there (still waiting for the Duck Rillette to come back on the menu) and made some epic memories. Like the night I was the dishwasher during Hurricane Irene because the subways were down and he had no staff!! I threw on my yellow rubber dishwashing gloves and ran over. My husband filled in for the chef with Gabe that night and his wife Gina was head of the house. Out in Amagansett, I think my favorite restaurant has to be Il Buco. It's just so delicious...everything from the mustard greens to the smoked chicken are perfect.

Current Inspiration:

My two daughters. They inspire me because they are both creative and hard working and love to have fun. My older daughter came home from sleep away camp a few weeks ago with a mantra "no drama" and I've been applying it to everything that might ruffle my feathers under normal circumstances. Kids are so smart! Design wise, I just saw pictures of Sienna Miller's cottage in AD and besides the fact that having a cottage in the English countryside sounds dreamy enough, I loved her kitchen and dining room and the cozy vibe in her house.

One thing you look most forward to in the Summer:

Being in, on or near the water. I'm a Cancer! Beachtime is everything to us. I also love the freedom and fun of letting my kids stay up late, going to bonfires and parties and doing things we don't normally do the rest of the year.

Dream dinner guests:

I'm sure I'm not the first person to say this, but I think it has to be the Obamas. All 4 of them. I would love to have them over for dinner.