St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect excuse to raise a glass, gather your friends, and add a little Irish-inspired spirit to the celebration. Whether you’re hosting a lively party, heading to a festive get-together, or simply toasting from home, the right cocktail can instantly set the mood. We’re sharing a lineup of St. Patrick’s Day cocktails that are as fun to make as they are to drink. So what are you waiting for? Shake up the luck of the Irish! All you need now is our Irish Feast to match.
Skip buying Baileys this year and make it at home instead. Our recipe for homemade Irish Cream is not only cheaper than the bottle alternative, but tastes better too. Its full-bodied profile lets the creamy cocoa shine, followed by a smooth chase of Irish Whiskey. Serve it in your coffee or on its own in a glass with delectable whipped cream on top.
Now that you’ve made your own Irish Cream, put it to good use by making a Bailey’s Irish Coffee. We recommend serving this coffee hot as a way to both wake and warm you up on St. Patrick’s Day morning. All you need is your favorite brew of hot coffee, your Irish Cream, sugar, and whipped cream as well as cinnamon for a garnish.
It’s tradition to enjoy a cold pint of Guinness on Saint Patrick’s Day, so why not make it a bit more fun? This is Not Your Average Guinness Float either since it includes dashes of walnut bitters. The nutty addition blends perfectly with the ice cream’s creaminess and rich, stout Guinness. With a combination this good, you’ll be looking forward to dessert before dinner is even made.
Even though Saint Patrick’s Day is thought to be all about the drinking, you don’t have to be drunk to enjoy the holiday. In fact, this Non-Alcoholic Irish Coffee delivers a burst of energy with the use of cold brew. It also uses a bourbon replacement and chocolate bitters to make this drink more complex than your average coffee.
Stephen Treffinger: Have you spent much time in Pittsburgh?
Peter Dunham: I have, actually. My brother got married in State College, and Pittsburgh was the quickest and most interesting place to escape to.
And I went to see Fallingwater and it was on the way. It was a long time ago, maybe 20 or 25 years, before the cultural renewal.
ST: Is there something you’re looking forward to seeing?
PD: I definitely want to see the Warhol Museum. We were friends when I was young. I was very much in his orbit in the 80s when I moved to New York—and also in Paris, where he and his business partner had an apartment. I also love to tour houses that are open to the public—such as Clayton, the home of the Henry Clay Frick family, as well as lots of other museums.
ST: Can you tell us what your talk will be about?
PD: It will be centered around my book, The World of Peter Dunham: Global Style from Paris to Hollywood, which came out in April of last year. I’ll talk about outdoor living and outdoor entertaining. I also have a collaboration with the brand Hudson Grace, which does a lot of tabletop. I may also talk about doing historic renovations, because we are called on to do those a lot.
ST: How do you get ready for a big talk?
PD: I start thinking about who I’m speaking to, and what they’re likely to be interested in, and what time of the year it is. It’s May, so people are going to start thinking about summer and outdoor stuff. So I might also do something about travel, which is one of the themes in my book. I’ll think about the photographs that we can populate the lecture with. To pluck something the audience is not necessarily expecting. And then, you know, I need to figure out how I can make it entertaining.
ST: Will you be signing books?
PD: Yes.
ST: And, finally, what do you love about your book?
PD: Oh, dear. Wow! All of it. I was a very, very reluctant enter into the idea of doing a book. I felt it was going to be very exposing. I didn’t want to do a portfolio book, just a list of projects. That seemed to me very boring and static. I’d saved up quite a lot of projects that people did not want me to publish in magazines or did not want me to publish with their names attached. In a book, you don’t really have to worry about that, as you do with magazines now.
So one of the things I do like about the book is I was able to present these projects that I’d saved up that either didn’t resonate with editors, or they were just not timely, or they wouldn’t publish because of the anonymity. The book is a little bit all over the place. And so I think you dig into it, and the effect becomes a little bit subliminal, the effect of color and pattern, as you go through. We organized it obviously into certain themes, because it’s very hard to do a seamless or completely unstructured book.
ST: Can you give an example?
PD: We discuss the importance of finding cool light fixtures. I mean, you might think, ‘Oh, light fixtures are light fixtures.’ But to me, light fixtures are almost like sculptural pieces. They’re like the jewels on someone’s earlobes, you know. You can be dressed in a similar black dress, but if you put on some great piece of jewelry, you know, you have a completely different aspect.
I tried not to make it some kind of glory piece of, you know, how great am I—but just try and give people ideas to take home and decorate with.
Allegheny monkeyflower. Culver’s root. Great Blue Lobelia. Do those names roll off the tongue like poetry? They should! They’re native plants which evolved in this region and know how to handle the intricacies of our climate. They support precious pollinators and beautiful birds. They are capable of re-seeding so that you have a new batch of flowers next year. And they’re downright gorgeous.
Veronicastrum virginicum flowers
What Western Pennsylvania Native Plants Can You Grow?
If you’ve never thought about planting natives, check out the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania’s Native Plant Guides. They’re free online, and full of information and plant lists that will get you started. The first step is to decide where in your garden you want to sow local. Is it sunny or shady? Moist or dry? The next step is to choose your look. Do you want showy or subtle? Short or tall? Then dive into the list and make your picks.
Next step: go shopping. The Audubon Society’s Beechwood Farms may have what you’re looking for. They’re in Fox Chapel. After shopping, walk their lovely trails. But you can also purchase some amazing seeds online at places like Ernst Seeds, and Hungry Hook Farm. I had some amazing results from an Ernst seed mix designed for sunny hillsides. The areas where I planted it looked amazing for years and years.
Finally: watch your seeds grow into stunning flowers. Clip a few when they bloom to enjoy on your table. Let the rest go to seed so that the next growing season is even more beautiful than this one.
For the Pittsburgh Opera’s annual fashion fundraiser on March 23, vintage clothing dealer and perennial scene-maker Richard Parsakian of Eons goes gloriously over the top—serving couture-caliber looks, a cast of provocateurs, and drama worthy of the stage.
Inside Richard Parsakian’s Vision for the Pittsburgh Opera’s It’s About Time Fashion Show
It’s a snowy Tuesday morning in the last week of February, and Richard Parsakian is fretting over two garment racks in Eons Fashion Antique, his vintage clothing store in Shadyside. He’s moving outfits, trying to decide which of the pieces he’s pulled from his vast archive—everything from a 1940s monkey-fur bolero jacket to a delicate silk floral-embroidered coat dress dating to the early 1900s—will be featured on the catwalk at the Pittsburgh Opera’s It’s About Time Fashion Show on March 23. He is 77, running on three hours of sleep, the sole creative director overseeing one of the city’s most-anticipated fundraisers, and it’s just four weeks to showtime.
“The runway is in my head when I wake up, and when I try to sleep,” says Parsakian, a self-described insomniac. “It’s a puzzle, but I like puzzles.”
A Long Creative Partnership With Pittsburgh Opera
For Parsakian, whose store turns 40 this year, the event continues a relationship with the Opera that began in 2016, when he designed and sourced costumes for a production about Gertrude Stein, set in 1920s and ’30s Paris. In 2022, he returned to oversee and curate the runway show Diva Dreams and Fashion Queens. This season, with general director Christopher Hahn preparing to step down after two decades, the Opera invited Parsakian back for an encore.
“Richard’s commitment, couture collection, and quirky creativity makes him the perfect partner in producing a high-octane, theatrically charged and intriguingly different event,” says Hahn.
Blending Opera, Performance, and Vintage Fashion
Staged at the Opera’s Strip District headquarters, the event ranks just behind the company’s black-tie gala in fundraising and is expected to bring in about $60,000 to support productions and education programs. The evening blends runway and performance, with the Opera’s resident artists singing arias and Bob Dylan classics while models strut, sashay, and dance down the runway. Parsakian’s concept, inspired in part by the 1992 film Orlando—a story of a gender-fluid immortal noble who moves through centuries and across sexes—travels through time, with hybrid, high-drama looks spanning roughly a century. He is also selecting the music and collaborating with the Opera team on cinematic videos that will play during the show. “It’s storytelling,” he says. “Just without dialogue.”
Parsakian’s biggest difficulty is fit. Vintage clothing was typically made for smaller bodies—especially through the rib cage—and none of the garments can be altered. Because he can’t cut, sew, or hem the fabric, Parsakian has to find models who exactly match each period piece, not the other way around. With the clothes determining the casting, Parsakian relies on his innate ability to visualize structure and proportions. “I see the person, and I just know,” he says. “Or I know it won’t work.”
Inside the Eons Vintage Archive
Nearly everything in the show comes from his warehouse—he won’t divulge the hush-hush location—where he stores more than a thousand pieces collected over four decades. Nothing in the inventory is cataloged or digitized, so Parsakian imagines the runway lineup first, then heads to the warehouse to pull each look. “I can picture where things are,” he says. “It’s like a mental map.”
For the 33 models, Parsakian tapped his far-reaching network: drag performers, artists, longtime customers, and Opera supporters across a range of ages, sizes, and gender expressions. The youngest walker is an 18-year-old from Pittsburgh’s performing arts magnet school, and the show’s closer is a woman Parsakian has dressed since the 1980s. Her finale look, he promises cryptically, will be “big.”
Parsakian arrived in Pittsburgh in 1971 with an architecture degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a placement with VISTA—the stateside version of the Peace Corps—and never left. He opened Eons in 1986 two doors down from its current location, building it into a hybrid retail shop, costume archive, and community room. With thrifting now a TikTok phenomenon and the second-hand retailer Depop having sold to eBay for over $1 billion, Parsakian fills the racks through word-of-mouth. Visiting stylists, filmmakers, and costume designers rely on his inventory and encyclopedic knowledge of fashion history when they’re in town for shoots, while other customers come simply to shop or hang out. Among the local LGBTQIA+ community, his store has long been a place of affirmation and experimentation, where people can try on clothing—and identities—without fear or judgment.
Eons and Parsakian as Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Icons
Over time, Parsakian has become an icon and patron saint of the city’s queer cultural life, organizing early drag performances, co-publishing one of Pittsburgh’s first gay newspapers, carrying a mammoth 30-by-60-foot Pride flag through the parade for 25 years, and throwing out a first pitch at a Pirates Pride Night. “I’m like Auntie Mame,” says Parsakian. “I just want everyone to have a fabulous time.”
Back at the rack, he pauses at the bolero jacket. Parsakian will likely pair its glossy, jet-black Colobus monkey fur—popularized in the 1930s by designers like Elsa Schiaparelli and now rarely seen outside museum collections—with a red vinyl Versace dress from the 1990s, one of the many cross-era mashups he’s assembling. Further down the rack are looks still in progress, including a patterned Pucci dress, dramatic lime-green velvet bell bottoms from the late 1960s, and a Thierry Mugler blazer with a peplum and sharp shoulders.
Eons opens at noon. Despite the demands of the show, Parsakian is still working six days a week while finalizing what he insists will be his last runway extravaganza. But he notes he’s Armenian, like Cher, who has spent years on farewell tours. Asked if he’s certain this is truly his fashion send-off, Parsakian pauses.
“This is my last show,” he says. “The same way Cher’s is her last show.”
Story by Kathleen Renda Photography by Laura Petrilla
Stepping into Triple Threat, the new installation by Argentine artist duo Lolo y Lauti at the Mattress Factory, you might feel like you’re stumbling in late for a rehearsal you didn’t know was happening.
Lolo y Lauti’s Triple Threat at the Mattress Factory Takes Multimedia Art to New Levels
A ballet barre runs along the wall while a row of monitors shows three dancers already mid-routine. Their movements have the stylized flair of vintage television musicals: kicks held a beat too long, arms flung outward with theatrical precision, bodies pivoting sharply in formation. Their hair is sculpted into retro shapes, and they wear matching pale blue sweaters that give the scene the look of a variety show from a bygone era. One dancer performs much of the routine with a cigarette dangling from their mouth, pushing the choreography toward camp. The room begins to feel less like a gallery than the set of a long-lost television variety show.
The artists conceived the project after a visit to the museum’s main building at 500 Sampsonia Way. The details of one particular exhibition room caught their attention. Narrow and rectangular, the space reminded them of a dance studio. That shape became the foundation for the work. After the visit, Lolo y Lauti returned to Argentina to produce the video component, and in recent weeks they have been back at the Mattress Factory installing the piece on site, where dancers on the monitors occasionally reach for the ballet barre mounted on the gallery wall.
A Deeper Look
The title Triple Threat refers to a familiar phrase from musical theater: someone who sings, dances, and acts. But here the number three carries additional weight. The choreography was designed for three performers, the video unfolds across three monitors, and even the rhythm of the dancers’ movements suggests a triangular dynamic, bodies shifting between formation and separation.
For Lolo y Lauti, musical theater has long been more than entertainment. Growing up in Argentina, both artists encountered American musical theater through television broadcasts. Those performances became an unexpected lifeline. “It was beyond inspiring,” they recalled during a tour of the exhibition. In a cultural landscape where queer representation was scarce, televised variety shows offered glimpses of flamboyant, unapologetic performers. For the artists, those broadcasts suggested a world where queer expression could be uplifted.
The costuming in the video draws directly from that history. The dancers wear pale blue sweaters inspired by the wardrobe of the 1960s American musical variety show Hullabaloo. For Lolo y Lauti, the aesthetics of mid-century television and stage design represent a moment when queer performers could occupy public space with a kind of joyful excess.
Reality vs Intentionality
Yet the installation itself is spare. The room contains only the screens, the barre, and a mirrored wall. The artists describe their approach as deliberately stripped down. After 16 years working together, they have developed a practice that embraces minimal means. “We have learned to work with very little,” they said, “and that’s the way we like it.”
That restraint opens the work to interpretation. The video plays without sound, a choice that immediately changes the viewer’s experience. Without music, the choreography becomes strangely suspended. Visitors instinctively imagine a soundtrack—perhaps a Broadway number, perhaps something entirely different. The silence invites viewers to mentally complete the performance.
The mirrored wall offers another shift in perspective. Turn away from the screens and the work doubles back on itself. The dancers appear again in reflection, their movements unfolding in a reversed orientation.
Windows at the far end of the gallery add another layer. For nearly a decade, these windows had been covered, but when Lolo y Lauti returned to install the piece, they encountered natural light flooding the room for the first time. Rather than treat the windows as background, they folded them into the work. The artists often think about mirrors and windows as “activated rectangles”—moving images contained within frames, much like video screens.
More Than Just a Screen
The result is an installation built from a series of activated rectangles: monitors, mirrors, windows, and the elongated architecture of the room itself. Within that framework, the dancers’ bodies become instruments for exploring how movement inhabits space. Lolo y Lauti say they love collaborating with dancers precisely because of this awareness. The artists themselves are not dancers, a distance that may explain the fascination. Watching the performers move, they seem to study the choreography as much as present it.
Standing in the gallery, viewers may find themselves doing something unusual for a museum space—imagining movement. The dancers on screen hold the barre, pivot, and shift their weight in silence. Without music to anchor the scene, the choreography feels open-ended.
For Lolo y Lauti, this sense of blankness represents possibility. In this room, that possibility unfolds somewhere between rehearsal and performance, between television memory and present space. The stage is set. The music, if there is any, exists only in your mind.
Lolo y Lauti: Triple Threat is on view now at the Mattress Factory’s 500 Sampsonia Way building.
Story by Shawn Simmons Photos Courtesy of Sean Carroll for the Mattress Factory
As Saint Patrick’s Day approaches, it’s time to embrace the spirit of the Emerald Isle with a feast of vibrant flavors and hearty fare. From traditional Irish fare like the Irish Soda Bread, to modern twists on classic dishes like the Reuben, our curated collection of Saint Patrick’s Day recipes promises to delight your taste buds and bring a touch of Irish charm to your table. Whether you’re hosting a festive gathering or simply looking to indulge in culinary exploration, join us as we uncover the delicious tastes of Irish cuisine, where each dish tells a story.
Our take on Irish Soda Bread has a crunchy, sweet Butter Pecan twist. It starts as your traditional, distinctive soda bread before adding rich butter and pecans for a flavorful combination. Make it for breakfast to start off your Saint Patrick’s Day, and have the leftovers to cure your hangover the next day.
If you’re looking for a cozy main dish to warm you up on a cold Saint Patrick’s Day, this Irish Stew is exactly what you need. It uses lamb for a fulfilling protein and curry powder to add a little extra kick. Not to mention, it goes well with our two soda bread options.
The simplicity of Irish Soda Bread makes it a must for the holiday. But, this year, try something a little different by using buttermilk and fennel pollen. The buttermilk adds moistness to the bread while the fennel pollen pushes in a subtle anise taste. This herbaceous recipe is great on its own or with one of our main dish recipes.
We couldn’t forget the corned beef for a proper celebration. Our Reuben Salad takes the beloved sandwich and turns it into a healthier alternative. Slices of corned beef lay on a bed of greens and sauerkraut, coated in a thousand island dressing. Plus, the recipe includes homemade Grilled Cheese Croutons, made from rye bread for an added texture.
This is not your grandmother’s Shepherd’s Pie but we promise it’s just as tasty (if not better). Instead of lamb, we use bold, robust venison as the protein of this recipe. Then, rather than mashed potatoes, we top the venison, veggies, and gravy with roasted potatoes for another textual and flavorful element.
Get the kids in on the holiday fun with an edible craft that’s easy to make and easier to eat. Just use mini pretzels, melting chocolate, and your sprinkles of choice to create these chocolatey Shamrocks. With a little help, the kiddos can take charge of making this treat for the whole family.
Even if you’re not a Guinness fan, adding the beer to your brownie recipe makes them fudgey and extra-thick in size. Our Guinness Brownies recipe includes chopped walnuts for a earthy touch to this sweet heaven. Finish it off with a homemade Baileys Buttercream Icing that brings out the chocolate-coffee flavors of Baileys Irish Cream without the burning of the alcohol.
How do you know when you’ve met the right person? That special someone with whom you want to spend the rest of your life? Shared interests would be high on the list. Or that sense that – pardon the movie reference – you complete each other, in a wonderfully ying and yang way. All of that was true for Amanda Alexander and Justin Quintana but perhaps the clincher was the four-paw test.
Mexico Wedding in Todos Santos Makes a Couple’s Dreams Come True
Not only did Amanda fall in love with Peach – Justin’s just-turned four-year old pooch – but he reciprocated the feeling for her 10-year old dog Blue. And in a “this must be it” moment, the dogs have fallen madly in love with each other and are inseparable.
Perhaps it’s not surprising, because when you meet Amanda and Justin the powerful connection between them is clear. Not only are they now life partners but they also work together at Peyote Bird, the Santa Fe, New Mexico-based business started by Amanda’s father Mark Alexander in 1974 and home to an unrivalled collection of both artisan-crafted jewelry and one-of-a-kind vintage pieces.
Sun, Color and Happiness
For their early December wedding, a location filled with sun and color was a must. The couple chose Villa Santa Cruz, an idyllic spot located squarely between the Baja desert and the Pacific Ocean in 20 acres of jaw dropping landscape. Like Amanda and Justin, this spot in Todos Santos Mexico is relaxed with a vibe that that’s equal parts bohemian and tranquil.
Working with Gemini Event Planning, Amanda and Justin wanted a destination wedding that worked with the stunning landscape rather than against it. Color was key whether in floral arrangements of vibrant pinks, reds, yellows, and orange for the actual day or a Full Moon Fiesta the night before where guests dressed in celestial whites and shimmering silver to echo the super full moon that night. The lightness and brightness was balanced with a floral palette of deep purples, burgundies, and also crimson hues in orchids and poppies.
A Nod to Fashion
The bridesmaids chose their own dresses for the wedding, opting for elegant and simple silk sheaths in tones of pinks, umber, burnt orange, and olive green and wearing block heels, wedges, or even boots in a stylish nod to practicality and the grass and gravel paths that awaited them. Hair was simple in loose waves as well as halfway up and makeup was what Amanda called ‘light beautiful.’
Elegant simplicity was the rule for the men as well. They wore light blue suits paired with classic white shirts as well as cognac brown boots or loafers and color-corresponding belts. To complete the look the groom provided his six groomsmen with ties and boutonnieres.
For Love of Food and Wine
Both Justin and Amanda share a love for food and wine which Villa Santa Cruz delivers with a farm to table approach. With its own garden, the resort creates curated menus that lean into the produce they grow themselves as well as an abundance of fresh fish and seafood.
The rehearsal dinner was family-style at the beachfront Green Room (the name comes from a surfing term of riding inside the ‘barrel’ of a breaking wave) where the food is inspired by Baja surf culture. Guests helped themselves to platters of Salsipuedes Temaris – thinly sliced salmon, tuna, and yellowtail served sashimi-style on rice with wasabi guacamole, chipotle mayo and microgreens – tacos, and tostadas including tempura-fried shrimp and sliced fresh tuna and shrimp, followed by Pescadero Beach Skewers – flank steak, salmon, and shrimp skewers marinated in a spicy Thai glaze.
The Special Touches
The wedding ceremony was officiated by Amanda’s brother Jackson Alexander and also took place on the main villa lawn, followed by cocktail hour by the pool with guests sipping a Brisa del Mar – an intoxicating blend of tequila, lemongrass infusion, lemon juice, agave syrup and fresh basil and nibbling on teriyaki shrimp bao and fresh catch ceviche served on homemade tortilla chips as they were serenaded by a Mariachi band. Lotería cards –from a popular Mexican board game of chance – directed guests to their tables for dinner where they were greeted with a handcrafted Talavera tile place cards bearing their name. A two-course plated dinner was followed by dancing under the stars.
A casual pool party the next day was the perfect way to wrap up the festivities. The couple exchanged stories and photos as guests helped themselves to a taco bar, swam, or simply soaked up the sun. A perfect piece of paradise to celebrate a marriage – literally – made in heaven.
Amanda’s Tops Tips for Planning a Dream Destination Wedding…
Work with a wedding planner. Amanda calls this “the saving grace for us through all of the planning process.” She says a planner – like Meridith Lowe at Gemini Event Planning – has a specialized knowledge of what needs to happen, and when, to keep your vision on track and on time.
Visit the location. Amanda says she’s “a little bit of a death by details type of person” but is still surprised when she hears about couples who haven’t visited the location prior to the big day. Visits make it possible to meet the on-ground team, troubleshoot, and create the perfect day.
Choose your team well. Communication and trust are the two keys, Amanda says, when it comes to choosing your team of vendors. With a good team you can relax, “because at that final day, you just want to be able to be present and let go…”
Plan, but don’t over plan. Yes, schedule lots of fun events for your guests but don’t over plan. Allow downtime for guests to rest, sit by the pool, or go shopping. They’ll thank you.
Nurture connection. Amanda and Justin invited some of their best friends for a combined bachelor/bachelorette party prior to the big day. It’s an opportunity for old friends to reconnect and new friendships to form. “And it was really magical, because now they’re all so close,” she says.
City of Asylum has named its new executive director — and he already knows his way around the office. Andrés Franco, nonprofit leader as well as orchestral conductor, will return to the role he held from 2020-2023.
Andrés Franco Named New Executive Director of City of Asylum
Currently the executive director of dance-theater company Attack Theatre, Andrés Franco will step into the executive director role at City of Asylum beginning May 1. It’s a position he held previously. Franco served as the nonprofit’s executive director from 2020-2023, before taking leadership roles at Attack Theatre and New York-based arts organization DNAWORKS.
“As an artist and an immigrant, City of Asylum’s mission resonates with me profoundly,” Franco said in a statement released Tuesday. “I am honored to return to help steward it at a moment when this work feels especially urgent.”
The organization also hosts a number of public-facing programs — including the enduring Jazz Poetry Month series and its annual LitFest — and operates the Alphabet City performance space and bookstore.
Hannah East, City of Asylum’s acting executive director, will remain with the organization as chief operating officer.
Hosting an Oscar party doesn’t require days of prep or a catering budget. With a bottle or two of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut and five of our standout hors d’oeuvres recipes, you can create an evening that feels both elegant and relaxed—letting you and your guests focus on the glamour on screen, not the stress in the kitchen.
Host a Luxury Party for the Oscars
Why Veuve Clicquot?
Veuve Clicquot’s crowd-pleasing versatility makes it the perfect anchor for an Oscar spread. Its crisp acidity and brioche undertones pair seamlessly with both savory and rich foods, cutting through indulgence while enhancing delicate flavors. Whether you’re serving caviar or popcorn, this champagne elevates without demanding attention—much like a great supporting actor.
The Menu: Five Recipes That Set a Glamourous Tone
Deviled Eggs with Caviar start the evening with elegance. The creamy yolk and briny caviar create a sophisticated bite that Veuve Clicquot’s classic flavor notes complement beautifully. Prepare these ahead of time; they’re one-bite perfection during award announcements.
Brown Butter Crab Toast brings coastal luxury without fuss. Crab’s delicate sweetness is a textbook champagne pairing and serving it on crisp toast means guests can eat standing up while debating Best Picture frontrunners. Or an award whose winner seems surprising.
Roasted Oysters with Cornbread Leek Banana Pepper Crumble add drama, flavor, and substance. Oysters and champagne are inseparable partners, and the cornbread crumble adds unexpected texture and warmth—ideal for a long evening of conversation about the best red carpet looks and your favorite films.
Edamame and Kale Hummusoffers a lighter, verdant hors d’oeuvre option. It’s vegetable-forward, easy to make ahead, and provides textural contrast to richer bites. Serve with crackers and vegetable crudites.
Popcorn Panna Cotta, served in individual glasses, closes the evening on a playful note. This dessert-snack hybrid feels whimsical yet refined—perfect for the post-ceremony wind-down or during commercial breaks. Its creamy texture and subtle sweetness pair gorgeously with champagne’s acidity. Plus: a night spent celebrating movies should include some popcorn!
How to Get Ready for Your Party
Make sure you have enough champagne glasses (and champagne!) for everyone on the guest list. Buy some black or white cocktail napkins, perhaps edged in gold.Collect your favorite small plates and forks. Have some candles ready to light when guests arrive. Maybe a bouquet of flowers too.
The popcorn panna cotta can be made a day ahead. So can the deviled eggs and hummus. Toast the bread for the crab thirty minutes before guests arrive. Roast the oysters and sautée the crab as people settle in. This staggered approach means you’re never trapped in the kitchen during crucial moments—like when the Best Supporting Actor or Actress award sneaks up on you.
Set the Vibe on Awards Night
The beauty of this menu is its restraint. Each dish is memorable but not fussy. Veuve Clicquot’s approachability and familiarity means everyone can relax. You’re not serving a wine that steals the scene; you’re serving one that enhances the night. Your guests will only look back to remember the champagne’s elegance and the food’s deliciousness, not a sense of fussiness or effort.
An Oscar party should celebrate cinema, not stress. These five recipes and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot deliver exactly that: luxury that feels effortless, food that tastes like you tried, and an evening where everyone leaves satisfied—whether their favorite film wins or not.
Swimsuit season will be here before we know it. While every body (no matter its size or shape) is a swimsuit body, we completely understand wanting to feel your best by adding nutrient-dense salads to your diet. Stuffed with fresh citrus, vegetables, and drizzled in delicious dressings, these salad recipes are great to keep in your back-pocket for lunches, on-the-go dinners, picnics, and much more. Plus, each will give you a little snake-peak of the summer flavors we all cannot wait to indulge in. While you’re here, mix up a low calorie cocktail recipe that makes relaxing easy and healthier too.
The perfect salad delivers a strong combination of textures and flavors. In the case of our Fennel Orange Salad, we use creamy whipped ricotta cheese, olive croutons, and citrus. It’s a great balance to the fennel base with lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper, and parsley as the dressing.
It’s time to start bringing fresh flavors from the farmers market into your meals. Start simple with Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples in our Apple and Rutabaga Salad. Feel free to add in a protein such as chicken breast or serve as listed with a homemade Date Vinaigrette.
If you’re looking for a nutrient-dense salad that leaves you feeling energized and confident, this Citrus and Kale Salad is the one for you. Bright orange and grapefruit citrus pack a punch of flavor within the bed of kale. Plus, start feeling the flavors of summer with the Honey Vinaigrette that’s useful for other dishes and salads as well.
Peaches easily remind us of summer thanks to their sweet taste and even sweeter blend of orange tones. This zesty Biscuit and Peach Panzanella Salad uses biscuits as a crouton replacement. It’s also paired with a simple red wine vinaigrette to not overwhelm the juicy fruit.
Salads don’t have to be filled with toppings in order for them to be delicious. In fact, the greens in this Wilted Lettuce Salad make the dish. It’s also recommended to serve hot or at room temperature so while it may not be best for a super hot day, the addition of bacon fat makes it addicting.
You can’t go wrong with strawberries in a salad. Our Strawberry Kale Salad uses kale, green onions, strawberries, avocado, roasted almonds, BBQ chickpeas, and a homemade dressing. It’ll bring your favorite elements of summer into your kitchen a little early and get your body prepared for swimsuit season at the same time.
You’ll want to stock up on farmers market fresh zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes for our Summer Salad. It’s a natural, healthy meal featuring olives as one of the key components. Mix it all up with an olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard dressing and you have your lunch for the next day ready to go.
Salad made with a cucumber base is crunchy, juicy, and refreshing in ways a lettuce based salad cannot be. Just cucumbers and radishes make up the bulk of Nana’s Cucumber Salad but here, simple is better. One bite with an apple cider vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil dressing is all it takes to hook you.
As the seasons head into spring and you start preparing for that swimsuit body, peas are one ingredient that’s abundant. This Pea Salad layers pickled sugar snap peas, cucumbers, and sweet onion along with butter lettuce, fresh strawberries, and a Dijon vinaigrette.
Panzanella is the alternative to croutons that makes use of stale bread without the whole loaf going to waste. These small chunks of charred bread meet a hearty mix of cherry tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and mango. Then, finish it all with a chili pepper balsamic dressing.
