Vol. 8, No. 5 | The Answer Will Come
Hey Ya’ll!
I’m three days back from Jamaica and as much as I miss staring at the ocean every morning, it’s good to be back in Atlanta. This trip gave me all the stillness that I needed. There is so much beauty in stillness. But now, I’m ready to work.
I spent most of the days before my birthday reading Rick Rubin’s new book The Creative Act. This book is incredible. I’m glad I bought a physical copy because it’s a book that I’ll read over and over again. For anyone that creates or anyone that wants to create, this book will guide you.
Reading this book also helped me realize that the role that I play in food and beverage is that of a producer. I like to understand all the little pieces and see how they fit together. This simple thought unlocked so much creativity within me.
This completely played out for me with this Holy Sip dinner. I’d decided that the chef at the villa would be the chef that I used for this dinner. I showed up and was met with a 21-year-old with lots of talent, but no appreciation for ingredients. Immediately, I knew that this dinner was more about him than it was about anything else.
The morning of the dinner was outrageously window. After year dinner #2, I knew that wind is a very underestimated element when putting together an outdoor event. Nothing would stay on the table. I knew that this wind existed to point me in a different direction. As I sat in my favorite spot on the estate waiting for an answer, I picked my head up and there was this little covered path that somehow I hadn’t noticed before. I walked down into it and it was magical and the best part, there was no wind. However, after many attempts, it turned out to be too narrow to fit a table and chairs. Somehow I couldn’t let go of this tunnel being the answer. It was too perfect. Twenty minutes later I found out that there was a wider tunnel that was just as dreamy and even closer to the kitchen. Perfection. If you allow space for it, the answer will come. I normally don’t add photos, but there’s a photo of the table below.
Despite this perfect setting, everything about this dinner felt wrong to me. A million things had gone wrong and I felt completely drained. However, after reading that Rick Rubin book I remembered that sometimes the creative act is enough. As the creator, your job is to put it into the world and let people receive it how they will.
I’m finkle and einhorning doing more dinners/experiences outside of February in Jamaica. The last time I said this was in February 2020. I was really excited about it and then the world shut down a few days later. So I’m very hesitant to say this again. Instead…we’ll see.
