Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch: ‘We never want people to feel like they have to leave’
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One person’s cocktail party is another person’s feast. This is certainly the case at Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch’s home in Montauk, Long Island, where the holidays begin with “Friendsgiving” in late October, followed by a harvest celebration in November, and culminate in festive gatherings throughout December. “The holidays challenge the status quo of entertaining; you have to make it more glamorous and bountiful,” says Alesch of the rustic yet refined tableau that he and Standefer create outside, regardless of the season.
The group assembled represents the duo’s wide creative world: Alex Crowder, a florist, made a garland of pillow, bayberry and clematis foraged from the Montauk property, while Alison Attenborough and Colin King – both stylists – bring their creative sensibilities to the presentation. Speciality cocktails, including a Calvados and champagne coupe garnished with lemon verbena, and hibiscus rosehip spritzes with rosemary, pomegranate and cranberry-infused ice cubes, get the party started in unexpected ways.
A spectacular slab of white oak, designed by Standefer and Alesch, serves as a centrepiece – one that’s “an artistic installation piled high with apples, hydrangeas and sedge – all from our land”, says Standefer of the “green room” she oversees. Offerings include sharp cheeses from Vermont, a honeycomb from a local beekeeper, figs stuffed with mascarpone and drizzled with honey, bountiful shellfish towers served on an RW Guild platter designed by Heami Lee, and pistachio-garnished rose-vanilla poached pears.
An open fire pit is not only atmospheric – with the scent of juniper logs permeating the air – but is also functional for Alesch, who is a fan of open-flame cooking. “We want any party to be immersive,” says Standefer. “And we never want people to feel like they have to leave, so even if it’s billed as a cocktail party we’ll have the makings of a four-course dinner, right down to the tarte tatin flambée that Stephen cooks on a tile,” she says.
Nothing goes to waste at the end of the evening. “We divvy up everything that’s left over – especially the cheeses, which we wrap in parcel paper – and send our friends on their way,” says Standefer. “We’re sustainable from the food to the setting and that’s important to us. For example, the magnificent garland… I’ll keep that until the squirrels devour it!”
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