It’s been clear to me for a while that we have lost touch with the simplest act of connecting with others: which is hosting at home! Tell me, when was the last time you hosted at home and created a genuine, in-person connection with someone? And not for a special occasion either . . . I’m talking about a basic gathering where you were relaxed and focused on catching up with a friend or friends to simply enjoy each other’s company?
It’s been a while . . . right?
Can we bring back the lost art of hosting at home?
Of course we can!
Why Haven’t We Been Hosting At Home?
Let’s start with WHY we haven’t been hosting at home . . . well, besides the challenges the world has been facing since 2020, at-home-hosting has been declining for well over a decade. This shift away from hosting at home has been in a slow spiral downward since the early 2000’s. We spend more time scrolling through social feeds, observing others’ lives, instead of using our time and the technology at our fingertips to arrange simple get-togethers. Sadly, we’ve allowed the digital world to take over and replace the authentic form of human connection. It has become the default method of staying connected, but it’s a half-hearted way of engaging with the people we care about the most.
I have been living this disconnection for over 10 years. It began in 2012, after moving from Florida to Wisconsin, my daughter, Maggie, was born. And after a few years of no sleep, my husband and I were ready to socialize and build a community in our new home. Despite the challenges of having two young children and living far from my Southern roots and my Southern family, we embraced the opportunity to make new friends and connect with a new community. We hosted countless dinners, steak and wine nights, cocktail hours on our front porch, and margarita parties on our back patio. Over the course of a decade however, we hosted with little reciprocation. So, after a decade of 90% hosting and 10% “guesting”, I went on a mission to find out WHY wasn’t anyone hosting anymore?
Here’s what I learned:
Why Sun Cookery Exists
All of the reasons above, is exactly why Sun Cookery exists. At Sun Cookery, we are here to take the hassle out of hosting and give you the “sunspiration” needed to throw together a simple soiree for two people or more! Through quarterly hosting boxes, we will teach you how to combine your style and what you have at home, to create hosting experiences that represent the best parts of you and to build inspired food and cocktail menus with simplified recipes, to share music across all genres, and to show you and your guests why hosting at home is the best way to connect with each other!
In 3 Steps You Can Be Hosting Tonight!
Even if you don’t have a Sun Cookery hosting box (yet!) . . . we want to give you 3 steps so you can be hosting a friend or friends, loved ones, maybe a colleague or two OR your neighbor who you only wave to from time to time!
- Invite 1 person to stop by for an hour or so. Go ahead–send the text or make the call!
- Grab whatever you have in your pantry or fridge: a jar of olives, a box of crackers, a bag of tortilla chips, some fruit, and a bottle of wine or make some iced tea.
- Welcome your guest with open arms, a smile, and some music in the background.
That’s it! That’s all it takes to host someone tonight in your home.
If you made it all the way to the end of this blog, then you are ready and willing to channel your inner Martha Stewart (yes, the GOAT of at-home-hosting). We’re glad you found your way to Sun Cookery and we are looking forward to connecting with you, sharing with you, collaborating with great people in hospitality and food who share the same values as us so that we can all find our way to hosting at home again.
