It all started with a cheese plate...

As a little girl, I remember watching my mother artfully assemble a cheese plate while friends breezed in, smiling and sporting bottles of wine.

Chanel No. 5 hung in the air as I spied on my mom while she moved around the kitchen...slicing up salami, stacking cheeses, spreading mustards, and shooing my father away.

From my favorite spot on the staircase, I'd watch as my mom and dad's friends gathered around the hors d'oeuvres - cheeses, fruits, olives, dips, crackers - the possibilities were endless, and they were all dished up on a beautiful platter or tray.

Years later, when my friends and I burned out on the New York City bar scene and started gathering and entertaining on our own as adults - with real food, and grown-up beverages - nine times out of ten I was assigned (or, enthusiastically volunteered for) the prized cheese plate.

A self-proclaimed homebody, I have used any excuse I can to entertain at home: from “fall fêtes” in my tiny New York City apartment as a twenty-something to a backyard New Year’s Eve celebration at my home in Hoboken, NJ where I live with my husband Gerard and our dog, Rue (short for Rutabaga).

With my experience in the home & lifestyle market, I truly appreciate the pieces you keep in your home and use to entertain your friends and family. I hope you'll find that I have an eye for material, color schemes, and craftsmanship, along with a keen understanding that these aren't just things to display in your home.

They're tools to bring those closest to you even closer.