If I’m standing in the kitchen…at first glance, one would assume I’m knowledgeable with all the herbs, seasonings, utensils and cookware that ornament my kitchen counters, cabinets and drawers. Unfortunately, I’m the one that has a favorite recipe that I want someone else to cook – especially holiday dishes. Of course my family and real friends know that I am farthest from the master or top chef. I didn’t spend my childhood in the midst of holiday planning alongside my great-grandmother, grandmother, mother or aunts assisting with rolling the dough, sprinkling salt over my shoulder or measuring the exact amount of flour or sugar for a baked surprise.
I was the ten-year old lil’ diva creating poems, short stories, place settings, menus and place cards for the holiday vision I dreamed. As I set the table and decorated the rooms, I waited patiently on the sideline to lick the spoon and tongue surf the bowls left with pie filling and cake batter remnants. Surprisingly enough, my sweet tooth has allowed me to carve out just enough space for my attention span to zoom in on the art and intrigue of baking cakes and cookies from scratch; but that is as close to an apron, mixer and stove where you’ll convince me to explore the idea of existing in the kitchen.
Twenty-five years later, creating a masterful themed designed room with glitter covered goblets and chargers with festive linens and silverware was my way of preparing for an intricately designed meal whipped naturally from the hands of the women in my family. Though I sometimes catch glimpses of noses turned upward as I zone out into my creative world, I just laugh and sing as I transform the living and dining rooms into a palace of colorful delight; while the growing appetites of the small children and strong men look outward into the kitchen for a signal to alert them that Thanksgiving dinner can begin. I laugh inwardly as I realize I’m exactly who I should be, because without my gift for fabulous room transformations, the delectable meal would be eaten on brown paper bags, paper plates and plastic forks. You see I’ve learned over the years, everyone has a role in creating a well designed Thanksgiving — and just as I knew when I was ten-years old that I should be the diva that stands behind the design of the Thanksgiving plan and not the apron.