Mother’s Day Southern BBQ

Everyone always asks me how I learned to cook. I tell them: my mom. She made me breakfast every day before school, packed my lunches, created family dinners that were enjoyed at the table together, threw dinner parties for business and pleasure, and had masses congregate in our home for every single holiday. She was Martha Stewart. With love. I learned the art of menu planning, preparation, timing and thoughtfulness through observation. I recently told a story about my mom and realized it’s her spirit that has inspired my sense of playfulness in my menus and parties. One night when I was little I went to sleep with white walls in my bedroom and woke up the following morning with hot pink ones. My mom had moved me mid-slumber and painted my room through the night. That is love. That is fun. And that is how I aim to entertain. This year for Mother’s Day I created a southern BBQ menu with plenty of my mom’s recipes (buttermilk brownies), as well as her mom’s recipes (sweet and sour baked beans). Amy, who learned all about arts, crafts and beauty from her mom Betsey, created an unbelievable table, featuring birch bark wrapped arrangements. She made the night magical with hanging lanterns, lights and flower filled vases. We are both so very grateful to our moms who exposed us to our passions and raised us in Oregon where things like seasonal eating and nature crafts were, well, second nature. Happy Mother’s Day!