I love hosting. A quick stop in for tea, enough food the fridge to make a last minute supper for a friend or a family pizza night, I am here for it. In early 2020 a good friend and I had decided that we were going to start hosting “Family Dinners”. Living in LA as a young adult it was becoming more and more apparent how lonely this city can be. People come from all over the world to Los Angeles to try and make it in one industry or another, and big cities have a corner on the market for loneliness. We thought that it would be a sweet opportunity to provide a space where people could feel that air of home, the presence of family. And I definitely thought it would be a good excuse to invite that guy over — you know an opportunity to show interest without initiating an actual date. Our first dinner was set to launch on a random Tuesday in March, March 2020. We all remember what happened next, and the thought of gathering strangers into a home for supper became unthinkable.

4 years have since passed, that guy is now my husband and we have a six month old son, and my friend has moved a county away. During my maternity leave I was able to experience some of that loneliness that I’d seen others experience. While I might still live in my hometown, surrounded by family, being somewhat homebound with a newborn brought a new understanding of the awkwardness of isolation. And from that place of loneliness I decided it was finally time to start opening up our home and get back into intentionally having a stake in building a community for my family.

An amazing Middle Eastern chef in our neighborhood was making the most amazing hummus, tahini and the fluffiest, almost holy, pita for local pickup and I built the menu around that. A copycat salad dressing from my husband’s favorite restaurant, Greek inspired lemon chicken, falafel, Lebanese lemonade and an olive oil cake. I sent out invites to my loved ones and borrowed an extra table and chairs. I set the tables with remnants of wedding decor — gauzy table runners and little flickering tea lights. Tulips in recycled bottles and vases. My favorite thrifted platters and my husband ironed napkins (we use cloth napkins in our day-to-day but they are wrinkled and rarely see an iron).

And you know what, it was such a fun experience! Food is an excuse, a vehicle, a tangible way to fill up souls with the intangible. Nothing was extravagant or expensive. I loved watching cousins interact, the grandparents share stories, passing my son around and being taken aback by the unique richness of the people I love most.

I’m not sure yet what the menu will be for June’s First Sunday Supper will be, but I do know that there will be a few more chairs around our table.