Spring may seem like an impossible concept right now, but all good Midwesterners know the battle is downhill from here. Better weather days are coming.
And with an exceptionally early Easter this year, it’s not too soon to start imagining lighter, brighter tables and dining experiences.
We talked to Edmond Kassapian, chief executive officer of Genevieve Lethu, an upscale, France-based tableware company. Known for its big colors and bold-patterned dishes, GL opened its first U.S. store in Chicago in December. We asked Kassapian, in a phone interview from his office in western France, to share some ideas on how the French do spring.
1. Green it up. Add a bright green table runner or place mats or other bright green accessories. Green is the color of new life, Kassapian says. Use it to “lighten up the table and celebrate the change in seasons.”
2. Herbs for everyone. “Place fresh pots of herbs around the table — little individual pots of herbs,” says Kassapian, noting chives, mint and basil as possibilities, depending on what you’re serving (a cold soup, a salad). “Guests can then garnish their dishes with the herbs and the table becomes a small garden.”
3. Taste treat. “This year in Europe and France, we’re using a lot of little individual glasses to serve little tastes of spring — for starters [e.g., a shrimp mousse] or desserts [perhaps a strawberry coulis].” They’re in between a tea glass and a tumbler in size and, most important, they’re transparent so you can see the colorful food or liquid inside.
4. A chorus of vases. For a more whimsical garden effect, do a grouping of odd-numbered vases (generally three or five will do the trick) on your table instead of just one placed dead center. Vary the shapes and sizes, transparent and frosted. Use fresh flowers or mix in some artificial blooms as well, to extend the life of the arrangement. Consider adding butterflies. (Genevieve Lethu sells a set of six clip-on butterflies made of multicolored fabric for $12.)
5. Oh natural. Use (disposable) bamboo plates and even bamboo cutlery instead of plastic dinnerware to evoke an earthiness on a spring table that may be outdoors or on a porch. Write guests’ names in marker pens on the bamboo cutlery, which serves as a place card as well. Bamboo is sustainable and biodegradable. (Sur La Table and Genevieve Lethu are two stores that sell — or will sell come springtime — disposable bamboo dinnerware and/or cutlery. Cost: $8.95 to $15 for a set of 8 to 10 plates.)
———-