Tastemaker and nationally-acclaimed event planner Tara Guérard celebrated the opening of her “Life is a Party” pop-up shoppe last night with, what else, a party. Guests sipped on champagne out of elegant flutes as they browsed the collection of host supplies like glasswares, bar accessories and a line of custom textiles created by Guérard. The crowd of local bloggers and stylistas buzzed as they compared notes on their favorite products; the gold leaf tumblers and cocktail components notepads were among the most popular. We suspect plenty of festival-goers will be popping in to grab Guérard’s packaged snacks, which include varieties like benne seed snaps, beef jerky and cheddar craque biscuits.
The shoppe is located at 420 King Street in an old restaurant space that most recently housed Massi’s Wine Bar and Osteria, just a stone’s throw away from the festival’s Culinary Village and Grand Tasting Tent.
The soirée featured small bites by Cru Catering, like crostinis topped with basil ricotta, blistered tomato and balsamic reduction and a chilled salad of lobster with dill and avocado on a crispy wonton. But nothing could top the oysters on the half shell carefully arranged on a bed of ice in a wooden serving tray. Someone get that cater waiter a glass of bubbly, that thing looked heavy!
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