The time has come for me to make two announcements! I’ve been dreaming and planning for this over the past year, and am unbelievably thankful and blessed that the time has finally come!

First, I’m launching A Daily Gathering. A Daily Gathering will start out as seasonal gatherings with friends, to share food and conversation, and to learn new skills. I
believe that some of the most meaningful conversations are had and the
best friendships are made over the table. That might be an elegantly set
dining room table at Nana’s over the holidays, a slab of wood in the
middle of a field, a makeshift coffee table in a temporary apartment, an
over-crowded kitchen table while canning beets. It’s definitely when
our day slows down and we come together with the intention of communing,
learning, and giving something of ourselves.So, we’ll gather together each
season (sometimes more than once), whether it be for a lesson from a
farmer, to forage fresh flowers, to make pies, or to hear from a local
musician. And almost always to enjoy a homemade meal. Take a look at our 2014 schedule here; we’ll be adding to it much more, so be sure to check back!

AND NOW, for the second announcement: I’m so pleased to announce that registration is open for Gathering From Scratch, a sourcing, styling, and photography workshop in the Shenandoah Valley. Join me and stylist, photographer and recipe developer Beth Kirby of Local Milk August 21 – 24, 2014 for both a family style farm-to-table dinner prepared by Beth and myself and a two day & three night creative workshop and weekend retreat in the West Virginia countryside. The retreat will be held at an historic stone farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley, just over an hour from Washington, DC.

We will hold a welcome dinner on the first night, open to 30 people, but the workshop-retreat is open to only 10 attendees for two full days of hands-on workshops. The welcome dinner is included in the workshop tickets. We’ll be sharing all our meals together and exploring the area on sourcing expeditions. We’ll learn where and how to find inspiration, prepare dinner together, and much more! The workshops will be taught by Beth Kirby and myself, and we’ll be spending the entire weekend together. You can find more information and register for the weekend retreat here!

At our Gathering From Scratch workshop, we will celebrate the beautiful simplicity of our everyday surroundings. We’ll discover how to put thought and originality into preparing the place where food and conversation will be shared. We’ll work together, collect together, cook together, and sit down to enjoy our meals together. We’ll talk about what inspires us, and how to bring together simple gatherings from scratch.

Can’t make it for the whole weekend and live in the area or want to make
a field trip of the dinner? Then feel free to just join us for the farm to table dinner the night of August 21st!

I am simply giddy with excitement and I cannot wait to meet you at one of our gatherings.