For me, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing someone come back to attend a second one of our events. It’s happened a few times, and each time, I am again touched by a feeling of intense humility that this person should entrust me with their time and money because, I can only presume, they feel I have given them an experience worthy of said time and money.

I have heard from many of my clients and guests at public events about how much they have enjoyed the customized tasting experience, that they find the pairings delightful and the stories engaging. And yet, call me self-centered if you like, but I am often most surprised and moved by how they single me out, calling me out by name in public and private testimonials to tell me how much they appreciated… me. My easy-going nature, my embracing of how things can go wrong and making them simply part of the evening in a humorous manner, my dedication to the perfection of the story of the evening, my interactions with them throughout the night.

I have heard that people appreciate that I do not spend all evening mired in the red fruit aromas and the tannic structure of the wines we serve, that I play and interact with the other musicians and with the audience, making them feel at ease, as if they were in their own living room. It took me a while for those types of comments really to sink in but after a while, I realized that what they were reacting to was, yes, in technical terms, ME, but in abstract terms, their host(ess). 

How often, after all, have you been to an event – whether large or small – where someone checks you in and then… well, was that person the host? Or… where is the host? Or is there a hostess? The concept of welcoming people, of giving them a center of energy from which they can begin their evening’s entertainment is of utmost importance and, I believe, massively undervalued in today’s special events world. 

All these points, and so many more, are why I so adore being hostess to groups of around 25-40 people. In such an intimate setting, I’m able to be the hostess you’ll remember, the hostess who cares and is able to attend to the needs of each individual guest, the hostess who remembers you when you come back a second time.