A beautiful, caring friend deserves a beautiful celebration in her honor on her birthday. My friend Joan is one of the most giving and considerate people and is so busy giving to others that she rarely gets spoiled herself. This year I asked if I could co-host her birthday dinner party with her husband and was thrilled when she accepted!

I went with a sort of dark and moody palette of grey, white, black, and purple. The colors went well with the beautiful wood table that her husband built. The floral arrangements were constructed from flowers from my local grocery stores. Beyond the floral arrangements the decor was a mix of simple white tableware, beautiful grey linens (affiliate link), and handmade watercolor penned menus.

While I’m always up for making food, I wanted this to be a more special occasion. With a loose idea of wanting a french-style meal with local flair I hired my friend Shannon Feltus (owner of Urban Farm Foods) to create a menu for my friend’s birthday. Shannon is my friend, but she is also an AMAZING personal chef.

Note: This post isn’t sponsored as I paid for Shannon’s services… but, I am gonna sing some serious praises. Just be prepared. 😉 

French-inspired Dinner with Pacific Northwest Local Flair

I asked Shannon to help create a French-inspired menu with a local-flair. I told her to take some liberties with the theme, but that it had to have an option for a pescetarian guest. She sent back a menu filled with wonderful options and allowed my guests to choose which entree that they would like making it super friendly for different tastes.

The Menu:

• Appetizer: Charcuterie Board (shared with cocktails)
• Salad: Wedge salad with toasted pumpkin seeds an creamy garlic Caesar dressing
• Entree: Spiced honey salmon or Sweet Glazed Chicken both served with asparagus and whipped garlic potatoes
• Dessert: Sweet cream pans cotta with fresh berries and balsamic reduction

 

Dinner Party Beverages:

For drinks I served a French 75 cocktail and both red and white wines. Each setting at the table also got a small bottle of San Pellegrino.

French 75 Cocktail (perfect for your next dinner party):

Never tried a French 75? It is a super simple (and delicious) cocktail to make!

Ingredients:

• Lemon twist (using a pairing knife or zester get a thin slice of peel trying not to get much of the bitter pith area). Twist the lemon rind around your finger to make a lemon twist. This will be used as garnish.
• 1 and 1/4 oz Gin
• 2 oz dry sparkling wine
• 3/4 oz lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• ice
• shaker

Directions:

1. In a shaker filled with ice put your gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Shake until throughly chilled.
2. Strain into a champagne flute.
3. Top with dry sparkling wine
4. Garnish with lemon twist & enjoy!

About the Chef

Shannon Feltus is a personal chef, garden guru, and freaking awesome friend. She is a TV personality, featured monthly on our local KGW show Portland Today as well as competing in Cooks vs. Cons on the Food Network channel. You don’t have to wait until you have a special occasion in need of a personal chef to experience Shannon’s meals. She is also a chef with Feastly so you can actually experience her meals in pop-up form as well!

Have you ever hired a personal chef or would you ever consider hiring one? Share your experience hosting dinner parties with or without a personal chef in the comments below!