When hosting sensational parties became a bit routine, Susan Grimm, Linda Silverman and Dusty Stemmer, close friends who live in Dune Acres, Ind., decided to join forces and shake things up a bit with “something interesting and unexpected,” in Stemmer’s words.
Of course, the event would have to be up to their usual standards–“inventive and elegant at the same time, since we’re all very particular about how we entertain,” says Grimm.
What first came to mind was “a very exotic beach party under the stars to cap the summer, complete with rugs, tents and gourmet fare amid the dunes,” Grimm says. But because “sand and food are a disaster together,” as Stemmer sensibly points out, and because of delays in the planning process, the event evolved into a “harvest moon dinner in the Dunes” at the end of October of last year.
It was held progressively by the women, who live near each other. The idea of teaming up and using all three houses allowed them to share every aspect of the effort, from blending their friends and combining their considerable resources to dividing the work and expenses three ways.
Deciding the guest list was the easy part. “We all knew each other’s friends, but not necessarily well, so this would be a chance for everyone to get to know each other more intimately,” says Stemmer. They counted as three couples, and decided to each invite six couples.
Logistics and menu selection turned out to be a bit trickier. With three experienced hostesses, three great houses, three sets of everything from china to silver, and three educated opinions to consider, it took a bit of time to sort out the evening’s details, Grimm admits.
Logic actually dictated the logistics of the event. “We took stock of our spaces, which are all radically different, and played to our strengths,” says Stemmer. Grimm’s home was a rustic log cabin with romantic, intimate rooms; Silverman’s had a dramatic addition of ballroom-like proportions; and Stemmer owned a sleek, roomy contemporary with airy spaces and a superb sound system. So it made sense to start with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at Grimm’s log cabin, because, Stemmer says, “It really wows you when you walk in,” then move to Silverman’s home for the main course since it had a space that could seat the entire crowd comfortably, and finish at Stemmer’s home, where people could spread out, relax and listen to music while sampling desserts.
The women combined their resources to set up Silverman’s room for the sit-down dinner. With a soaring ceiling, a huge flagstone fireplace and picture windows overlooking a magnificent tiered garden, the room was dramatic to begin with, and it was outfitted with furnishings the Silvermans collected on their frequent trips to Morocco and other countries.
The hostesses decided to enhance the exotic, slightly Middle Eastern flavor of the space and give the party an ethnic theme.
Paring down the table components from their various sets of china, crystal and silver proved to be their most time-consuming task. “We got samples of everything we owned all together on a table in the room, and played with it for days–mixing and matching the pieces in different combinations until we got it just right,” says Silverman. Fortunately, they all had the same brass chargers to use as a foundation for each place setting, and their other pieces were similar enough to coordinate well together.
They wanted to avoid renting chairs because “they tend to be unattractive,” explains Grimm, but had to relent when it came to the tables because they needed at least five. So they turned them into fanciful backdrops for the place settings with tablecloths concocted of leopard-print sheets topped with yards of filmy chiffon. Each hostess contributed assorted wooden and wicker chairs.
The food was carefully chosen. “We only used finger foods that weren’t messy for the hors d’oeuvres, and chose lamb, couscous and fresh harvest vegetables for the main course to relate to the environment we had created,” says Grimm. Because all three hostesses wanted to be out of the kitchen and involved with their guests, they hired a caterer they mutually admire: William Potts, who owns Clayton’s Restaurant in Valparaiso, Ind.
“That way we didn’t have to worry about how the food would turn out or who would serve it,” Silverman says. “Everything would be taken care of and we knew it would be divine.”
Portions were on the moderate side (to keep the evening moving along), except for the dessert course, which was a sumptuous spread of harvest-oriented pies, cakes and cookies that tempted all to linger, mingle and munch well past midnight.
Ultimately, even though the hostesses were experienced partygivers, “it was still a learning experience for all of us,” Silverman says. “When you entertain a lot, you have very set ideas about how you’re going to function, what you’re going to use and how you’re going to approach everything. But when you’re dealing with people who do things a little differently, you learn from them and they learn from you.”
And just for the record, those leopard-print sheets did not go to waste, Grimm says. “My godchild is using them on his bunk bed.”
RECIPE
GRILLED GARLIC SHRIMP WITH RED ONION AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO DIPPING SAUCE
Eight servings
48 jumbo shrimp (about 3 1/2 pounds), peeled and deveined
15 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Combine shrimp, garlic, parsley and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour in the oil and mix until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to grill, remove shrimp from marinade, discard the marinade, and shake off excess oil and garlic pieces from the shrimp. Season shrimp with salt and additional pepper if desired, and grill 2 to 21/2 minutes per side. Serve warm or at room temperature along with the dipping sauce.
For the sauce
Yields 2 1/2 cups
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained and discarded
1/2 medium red onion, peeled and cut into several pieces
2 large cloves roasted garlic or 2 teaspoons roasted garlic puree
1/2 tablespoon each: Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and molasses
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon each: freshly minced thyme and rosemary
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
In the bowl of a food processor, puree the tomatoes, onion and garlic until almost smooth. Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, vinegar, sugar, thyme and rosemary and continue processing. Add the mayonnaise, pulsing on and off until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
CROWD CONTROL
Susan Grimm, Linda Silverman and Dusty Stemmer became experts in crowd control when they planned and executed their Dunes dinner. Here’s what you can learn from their experience.
Physical space and the way you serve food affect the mood of a crowd. A small space pretty much forces guests to mingle and interact; when you spread out a crowd too thinly, a party can fizzle out.
Put appetizers in a spot that will keep everyone moving, and skip putting out chairs (Grimm used a porch that connected several rooms). For a main course, seating everyone at tables and chairs limits their movement in a space; using a buffet encourages movement. So if space or time is limited, a sit-down dinner is the better option. Dessert can be served either way, depending on what you want to achieve.
But remember, once you let a crowd disperse, the end of the evening is in sight. The Stemmer home was very large, but the crowd was encouraged to congregate in an adjoining study, porch and dining area (the desserts, coffee and bar were all in that area).
