12/06/2025
Last night reminded me
that connection doesn’t announce itself.
It slips in quietly
the moment people gather around a meal made with intention.
It’s in the pause before the first bite.
The softening of shoulders.
The way laughter fills a room before the plates are even warm.
For eight years now,
I’ve driven to Fredericksburg on the first Friday of December
to create a dinner that is more than a dinner—
it is a ritual,
a return,
a gathering of people who choose to slow down
and share their lives for an evening.
And every year,
as I plate each dish with care,
I’m reminded that food is not just nourishment—
it is an invitation.
An invitation to connect.
To breathe.
To be present with the people who matter.
To remember that life feels different
when we come back to the table.
This is why I cook.
This is why I coach.
Because the table is where stories live,
where joy resurfaces,
where we find ourselves again
in the simple act of sharing a meal.
It all starts at the table.
Real food.
Real connection.
Real joy.
