To celebrate our local business community, I spend all year scouting for the perfect party venue. It was about a year ago that Hunter Charbonnet put the KITCHEN IN THE GARDEN on my radar.

Upon arrival to the New Orleans Botanical Garden, guests were greeted with a lemon honey tequila drink in a handblown shot glass. They were then escorted through the vegetable gardens to the Kitchen in the Garden where the woodfire pizza grill was warm and the grill was on. THE SCOUT GUIDE NEW ORLEANS VOLUME 8 made its debut alongside beautiful market lettuces and Louisiana citrus displayed with ALEXIS WALTER’S newly launched fabric line inspired by her garden, and the glow from JULIE SILVERS’ new ceramic candles.

Patti’s team created a divine menu which included three different grilled pizzas: lamb with peppers and feta, chorizo with artichoke and queso iberos, and olive oil, herbs, olives, and concassed tomatoes. Passed to the guests were prime beef tenderloin bites, fried eggplant with caesar salad, and shrimp kebabs. On display were avocado bites with jalapeño lime vinaigrette, cheeses and pickled vegetables.

Making his Scout Guide debut is Eli Gay of FRERET BEER ANNEX who designed the “beer garden” and “wine vineyard” offering guests an opportunity to sample a variety of libations available in his Freret Street store. The wine selection also included organic wines from Swick wines.

Elements of surprise are always important at a party, but its typically the host who thinks and knows of such things. Unbeknownst to me, Leigh Ann Kalman, Editor/Owner of TSG AUSTIN and Leigh Brown, Editor/Owner of TSG FORTH WORTH flew to town to celebrate this occasion. They joined Suzanne Dildy, TSG PARK CITY who extended her stay after a weekend wedding and Caroline King, TSG JACKSON who drove down for the evening.

Special thanks is also owed to Paul Soniat, Executive Director of NEW ORLEANS BOTANICAL GARDEN.

The details: Venue: KITCHEN IN THE GARDEN . Catering: PATTI CONSTANTIN. Fabric: ALEXIS WALTER’S. Ceramic candles: JULIE SILVERS. Beer and Wine: FRERET BEER ANNEX. Pralines and Pecans: AUNT SALLY’S PRALINES. Photography: SARAH BECKER PHOTOGRAPHY.

TELL THEM SCOUT SENT YOU!

—TAYLOR

This article was originally published on November 20th, 2019