Product Description

Packed with advice and inspiration from three of Los Angeles' most popular party providers. "Fabulous Parties" reveals their professional secrets and enables you to create your own sensational celebration for any occasion. Drawing on many years of hands-on-experience as floral designers and caterers to Los Angeles' A-listers, Mark Held and Richard David of Mark's Garden and Peggy Dark of the Kitchen has adapted the principles of putting together a large, lavish event to a more intimate scale and lower budget. The harmonious relationship between food and flowers is clearly shown in beautiful, specially commissioned photographs, which showcase twenty themed events inspired by those created for their celebrity clients. All of the events included have a theme, decor, and menu. Choose from a Rustic Italian Party, a colorful Caribbean Dinner, a lavish New Year's Eve Celebration, an elegant Wine Tasting, or a glamorous Pink Ladies' Luncheon, plus many more. Useful practical instruction on how to achieve professional results at home is given in a section on Floristy Tips and Techniques. *Celebrity clients who enjoy parties created by Mark's Garden and The Kitchen include Oprah Winfrey, Cher, Diane Keaton, George Clooney, Teri Hatcher, Tommy Hilfiger, Donatella Versace, and many more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #73092 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 191 pages

Review
"I have used Mark's Garden for flowers arrangements for over a decade, and they never get old or predictable. They absolutely raised the bar and started a new revolution in their field." (Lisa Marie Presley )

About the Author
Mark Held and Richard David began Mark's Garden in Los Angeles in 1993. The Financial Times has recognized them as one of the most outstanding florists in the world. Their ground-breaking events decor has included celebrity weddings and private parties including, for the past 14 years, The Academy Awards Governor's Ball.

Peggy Dark grew up in a family of devoted cooks of the "'old school"' variety. She worked as a food stylist and spent many years offering cooking classes in Pasadena before founding The Kitchen in 1984. The shop on Colorado Boulevard opened for business in 1984, and it has since emerged as one of the premier catering firms in Los Angeles.

Richard David and Mark Held began Mark's Garden in Los Angeles in 1993. The Financial Times has recognized them as one of the most outstanding florists in the world. Their ground-breaking events decor has included celebrity weddings and private parties including, for the past 14 years, The Academy Awards Governor's Ball.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
At the height of summer and with outdoor enthusiasm at its peak, what better way to pay tribute to the wonderfully warm weather than by hosting an alfresco fête? Outdoor entertaining is what Canadian summers are all about. Whether intimate in nature, or a big bash for the party animals on the block, a trio of experts off er their top tips for hosting the event of the season. Choosing your theme with caterer Peggy Dark Th e party planning starts with a theme. Getting inspired by environment and experience is a great starting point. Peggy Dark – a caterer, founder of Th e Kitchen (www.thekitchen.net) and one of the authors of Fabulous Parties: Food and Flowers for Elegant Entertaining – transformed her own backyard into an authentic Italian countryside feast. “One reason I chose Italy [as the theme] is that I go there constantly,” says Peggy, who travelled to Sicily once last year, twice the year before, and is heading there again this summer. Travels are a great source for inspiration. Th ey bring an exotic element to everyday spaces and give you a chance to revisit your favourite vacation and take your guests with you, without ever leaving the yard. Building on your theme is all about the details, says Peggy. From her lush setting to the rich red, orange and green colour scheme, topped off with fresh and fanciful food choices, every element of this fête is a flawless fit. Peggy’s table features a deep-red tablecloth accented with bright-orange linen runners, adding a festive fl air to this fresh setting. Peggy drew from surrounding nature to dress up the space, using moss, fresh fl owers, sculptural topiaries and leaf-motif dinner plates, all surrounding a stunning kumquat platter as the centerpiece. Candles dot the table, warming up the setting after the sun has set and well into the night. Peggy’s ideas are simple and sweet, and most importantly, easy to achieve, inviting guests to linger long after the dinner plates have been cleared. “THE MENTION OF AN ITALIAN DINNER CONJURES IMAGES OF A WARM, CONVIVIAL GROUP GATHERED FOR A GOOD TIME AND THAT WAS EXACTLY THE SENSE WE HAD GOING INTO THIS.” Excerpted from Fabulous Parties by Mark Held, Richard David and Peggy Dark. Ryland Peters and Small, Hardcover, $35, 2008. Home and Décor | August 2008 (Home and Decor Magazine, August 2008 )

Customer Reviews

A Work of Art
Fabulous Parties is indeed fabulous. The entire book is a work of art. I just love leafing through the pages and looking at the many beautiful images. This book is pretty enough to sit on my coffee table, yet practical enough to use as a reference guide for elegant entertaining. It shows how to create the appropriate theme for that special occasion. The creative and artfully done floral displays and table settings are inspiring. The floral and food combinations can each stand alone as a work of art; when put together, they are magnificent. The colorful images are presented alongside the appropriate menus to create the whole picture. I look forward to trying the many delectable, yet easy to follow, recipes. I can't wait to show my friends how special THEY are when they come to one of MY fabulous parties.

Color explosion with casualties.
The authors may indeed be well-known and their talents well-loved, but for me I ended up returning the book. I found their table settings way too over the top and way too difficult for the average person (even an above average person) to replicate. And one-third of the table settings were too tall (some rather ridiculously so) for seated guests to see each other around. And as far as inspiring I wasn't happy with the photography, it seemed off somehow. The enjoyment of their style or lack thereof in my case, is just a matter of taste, and mine happens to run the other direction. It reminds me of scrapbooks and photographs- while they may be beautiful the people/photos can get lost amid too much artwork and the same for this book, the flowers, food and place settings get lost among all the clors, glamour and abundance.It does include a lot of delicious sounding recipes.

Fabulous Parties
I dont get to buy many Party Books, but this one caught my eye immediately so I "went for it". Oh, I was so NOT disappointed. It is so, so beautiful. I am going to buy a couple more for my friends who love parties and flowers. I am also going to do some of those recipes which I feel will be great hits. While I might aspire to some of those fabulous flower arrangements, if I can't do them, that's okay.....the spirit is there and I am excited by the ideas. In short, it's a beautiful, helpful book.....I love it....and that luscious cover even makes my coffee table look very oooh la la.!!!! Thanks Peggy, Richard, Mark....whoever you are! signed sylvia dunbeck ps...can you do my next party for me???????