Design Connection from Novità, featuring our favorite chefs!

Welcome to the November edition of Design Connection, Novità’s monthly LinkedIn newsletter. This issue features brief interviews with a few chefs we know and love about how they like to entertain. Please share this newsletter with your friends and subscribe to receive the next edition in your inbox or on your LinkedIn home page.

A Conversation About Entertaining, Between Novità Founder & CEO Chris Abbate and Chefs Katy Sparks, Natalia Vallejo, Hetal Vasavada, and Fisher & Paykel Chefs Anthony Marzuillo and Jenny Messing

With all the buzz of the design industry in New York and beyond this month, we’re also entering the holiday season, a time when many of us come together and celebrate with the ones we love. Entertaining is at the heart of the season, so I connected with a few of the chefs we know and love to get their tips and insights on the subject.?

First, I’d love to introduce you to our chefs:

Katy Sparks is the owner and chef of Katy Sparks Culinary Consulting, an award-winning chef and author of Sparks in the Kitchen in collaboration with the legendary editor, Judith Jones of Knopf. She is also host and producer of the regional YouTube video series, Edible Natural World, celebrating farmers and artisanal food makers.

Participating in issues of social justice in the food world is important to Katy, so she donates her time to various institutions when asked, such leading a knife skills training course at Hot Bread Kitchen in Harlem, leading a health-based cooking class for teen cancer survivors at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY and participating on panel discussions at The Steinhardt School of Food Studies at NYU. She is a professional member of The James Beard Foundation, Chefs Collaborative, Northeast Organic Farmers Association and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. She is also an active board member of a regional non-profit named Berkshire Grown that works to “keep farmers farming.”

Natalia Vallejo is an award-winning Puerto Rican Chef with experience working in kitchens all over Latin America and South America—from Chile to Argentina, Spain, and Puerto Rico. Vallejo has spent the better part of two decades developing and researching unique flavor profiles and the culinary arts through her work and travels. In 2019 Vallejo opened her own restaurant, Cocina al Fondo, (featuring seven commercial units from our client, True!) in the hip neighborhood of Santurce in Puerto Rico. Instantly a success, the restaurant offers a seasonal, ever-evolving menu that incorporates locally-sourced ingredients with integrity. Just one year after opening, Vallejo was nominated for “Best New Restaurant” and “Best Chef: South” by the James Beard Foundation. In 2023, Natalia was nominated and won the “Best Chef: South” award, becoming the first Puerto Rican to ever take home a James Beard Award.

Anthony Marzuillo is a dedicated, passionate, hard working, and highly motivated food and beverage professional with over 20 years of experience. He brings a thorough understanding and extensive experience in all facets of food, beverage, service, management, and business operations – from high volume institutional dining to high end Michelin fine dining to being an owner and managing partner. He has a proven track record of leadership, exceptional customer service, food and beverage excellence, and profitability. He learned under some of the most watchful and influential eyes in the culinary world, including Robert Rizzuto, Dante Boccuzzi, Charlie Palmer, Franklin Becker, and Michael Merida. As Fisher & Paykel’s current resident Chef at the brand’s New York Experience Center, he oversees all catering for private events as well as the Mastery of Temperature Experience, a curated, culinary experience for prospective customers, architects, designers and media.

Jenny Messing is a creative and ambitious culinary professional with a strong background in sales and marketing.

Hetal Vasavada is a freelance digital marketing manager, social media manager, food photographer, and recipe developer based in the Bay area. In 2015, Hetal participated in Fox’s Masterchef US. She was a top 6 finalist and has received praise for her command of spices and curating meat dishes without tasting them as a lifelong vegetarian. Hetal is the creator behind the blog Milk and Cardamom, a travel media platform. There, she publishes everything from recipes to her master list of kitchen appliances, to family vacation stories. Hetal has even published her own cookbook, also called Milk and Cardamom. Her stunning kitchen includes a Glass Door Side-by-Side unit from True Residential.

Chris Abbate (CA): What starters do you like to prepare when you have guests?

Katy Sparks (KS): I cook really seasonally so it depends but in the fall and winter months I love to start with an organic chicken liver mousse with a seasonal fruit compote and good crunchy Maldon sea salt on crostini. Even guests who say they don't like liver tell me they love this starter!

Natalia Vallejo (NV): A beet and goat cheese terrine. Freshly baked baguettes.?

Anthony Marzuillo (AM): I love to make a quick cheese plate and charcuterie platter with lots of different meats, assorted cheeses, crackers, and condiments.

Jenny Messing (JM): I build a large cheese and charcuterie spread to welcome my guests. I do this for just about every gathering. I love this because you can create a spread where there is a little something for everyone and it creates a little gathering space for everyone to socialize. I make sure to pair my favorite cheeses with seasonal fruits and include options like nut cheeses and grain free crackers.?

Hetal Vasavada (HV): A quick marinated cheese and roasted garlic crostini! Grab some garlic and lop off the top half of the garlic so the cloves are exposed. Drizzle some olive oil on top with some salt and wrap it in foil and bake it at 350°F for an hour or so. Brush some thin slices of baguette with olive oil and toast until crispy. Spread a little marinated goat or sheep milk cheese (I love Meredith Dairy's marinated cheese!) on top of the crostini? add a clove of roasted garlic and some red chili flakes on top and that's it! Another easy one is little brie and jam puff pastry bites. Grab store-bought puff pastry and cut into tiny squares and pop them in a mini cupcake pan. Bake them per package directions and 5 minutes before they’re done I pop a little cube of brie on top. Take them out and add a dollop of a favorite jam. Savory jams work really well here!?

CA: How do you like to set the table when you have guests??

KS: Because of my restaurant background I go all out when setting the table- so candles, place settings, polished flatware, and glasses so everything sparkles. I don't go in for place names as I like to invite guests to sit where they feel comfortable. The center piece is usually something seasonal like pinecones I gathered in our woods, colorful leaves, and mini gourds.

NV: We like the 'family style' format. In terms of decor we love to place pretty, mismatched individual plates along with complementing water glasses, wine glasses, cloth napkins, cutlery, eye-catching flower arrangements, and candles. To start, we like to set the table with dipping sauces, hot sauces, and the appetizers that will accompany dinner, along with fresh breads, oils, butters, aromatic leaves, and beautiful tablecloths.

AM: Less is more for us since we have a lot of younger children in the family.? My wife always loves fresh flowers as the centerpiece with a runner down the center of the table and plenty of room for all the food.?

JM: I like to keep it pretty simple. I typically always serve meals family style because I love the energy and movement of passing plates and dishes. When you serve this way, though, you need to make sure that you have minimal clutter and plenty of space on your table for serving dishes.?

HV: I hate having high centerpieces—and having to bob and weave around them to talk to the person on the other side of the table. I also hate having to move flowers or candles around to make room for food on the table. I like to use my food as a centerpiece! I'm a big fan of family-style eating but to make it a little more upgraded I always try and keep an eye out for beautiful ceramics and serveware that could double as a centerpiece.

CA: Do you invite guests into your kitchen while you cook?

KS: I don't even need to invite them—they just gravitate to where the fun is! I love guests in my kitchen and only kick them out when Tim (my husband) is ready to pour the wine and I'm ready to plate the main dish.

NV: Yeah! I love how kitchen islands allow one to share the cooking experience while enjoying a good wine and snacking/taste-testing while the food is cooking. One of my greatest pleasures is to have people visit me and share the experience of cooking and breaking bread together.

AM: Everyone is welcome in the kitchen. Most of the time guests come in to chat or ask questions, but usually they leave the cooking to me!

JM: Absolutely! My kitchen is the heart of my home and everyone is always welcome there. I love sharing cooking tips and tricks with friends as I prepare our meal.

HV: YES! I built my kitchen with a cooktop on my island for this exact reason. I always want to make sure my guests have a hot and fresh meal, which means most of the time I'm still cooking when people arrive. By having my cooktop on the island I can chat with my guests rather than having my back facing them while I cook!

CA: What are your essentials for dinner parties?

KS: The must have is a convivial group of guests. I think about which people will enjoy each other the most when sending out the invites. I also think 8 people total is the sweet spot. That way everyone feels part of the same conversation. I've seen great new friendships blossom around the table and that is my favorite part of hosting dinner parties.

NV: Good wine, good cheese, good products.?

AM: Two or three hors d'oeuvres are a must-have to start a dinner party for me.? I love to platter them and allow everyone to grab and mingle.? Also, really good red wine is an absolute must!

JM: A welcome cocktail! It sets the tone and gets the party started… An espresso martini with a little orange zest has been my go to lately.?

HV: A good drink! I always make sure to have a cocktail and non-alcoholic option for my guests from the moment they walk into my door! I look at what's in season and throw together quick and easy drinks like sangrias, spritzers, or margaritas!

From the Team: Novità Digital Content & Community Manager Alex Inciardi on the Opening Day for Design Pavilion and the Architecture & Design Film Festival in NYC

"It was so wonderful attending the opening of the Design Pavilion on behalf of Novità last month. Growing up in NYC, I loved experiencing public exhibitions around the city. Given how huge the city is, any moment to slow down and observe how people choose to interact with the space we all live in is a special moment to be a part of. Design Pavilion is a perfect example of that! And as a member of the digital team at Novità, I had the pleasure of capturing photographs and videos of the opening to share with those who couldn't be there in person.

I was also able to attend and capture content at the opening night of the Architecture and Design Film Festival the same day, which was an absolute blast! The Village East by Angelika was packed with eager filmgoers ready to watch the opening night film, Modernism, Inc., participate in a Q&A with the director Jason Cohn and producer Camille Servan-Schreiber, and then head over to a festive after party at the Moxy Hotel." –Alex Inciardi