This Southern Dinner Party Begins With Sheep’s Cheeses and Chartreuse

Hosting a dinner party is infinitely more enjoyable with a partner in crime to help curate the playlist and the guest list, keep the conversation and the drinks flowing, and take a load off the planning. Who better than a dear friend to serve as your cohost and cleanup accomplice as the night winds down? That’s the spirit behind Table Mates, where we’ve invited a stellar group of creatives to plan and execute their dream soirees…and let us in on how they do it!

Mary Celeste Beall, owner of Blackberry Farm, knows how to curate an abundant cheese board—and for her, the star ingredients are also notably easy to source. The family farm in Walland, Tennessee, dates back 50 years and produces small-batch, artisanal sheep’s milk cheeses. Now, overflowing charcuterie boards are foundational to parties she hosts, including a recent dinner she put on with her friend and Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jessie Baylin.

Beall and Baylin met over 10 years ago at a dinner party at the farm, where they connected over music, family, and style. Last month, the two co-hosted a farmhouse-style meal at the estate’s Grain Bin, where the farm regularly holds whiskey tastings. At the center of the table is a large round charcuterie board, with no fewer than four cheeses, prosciutto, figs, jam, and crackers. Gilded tea lights illuminate the table, a blue floral tablecloth creates a base for pewter chargers and porcelain dinnerware, and coupes of Chartreuse are passed around on a golden tray.

The aesthetic is undeniably “pretty and elegant,” but Beall tries to “keep the rest relaxed and let the night evolve.” The makeup of a perfect party features different ingredients, depending on which host you ask. For Beall, it usually means a lasagna, a big salad, and great wine; Baylin typically goes for a private chef and batched martinis. But they’re aligned on one detail: always serve food family style.

We asked the Tennessee duo to walk us through their ideal dinner, including toasting tips and the trick to the perfect after-party.

What’s on the menu?

Mary Celeste Beall: I’m a lasagna and a big salad kind of girl. I like to have great appetizers, enjoy my guests, and then easily heat and serve instead of juggling all the cooking while my guests are here.
Jessie Baylin: If it’s more casual, with my dearest friends, I’m cooking. If it’s a celebration, [like] a big birthday, or friends are visiting from out of town, I might want to bring in a chef so I can relax and enjoy the evening a little more—and have someone else clean the kitchen!

What’s the most important element of a dinner table?

MCB: I love cozy seating where everyone can hear each other and feel included. Lighting helps set the mood, so a lot of candles are a must.

JB: The people around it, of course. I’m a big believer in assigned seating. I think when you arrive at someone’s home for dinner, you shouldn’t have to think too much. You should [be able to] just relax, settle in, and enjoy the pleasures of the evening.

Name your ideal hosting gift.

MCB: If you’re a good cook, bring something like a good appetizer that is different and fun. If not, cheese, nuts, or chocolates are always welcome. These can be a treat for later or enjoyed that night.

JB: A little culinary treasure from somewhere someone has just recently traveled: seaweed salt from Ireland, tahini from a Middle Eastern market in London, balsamic ketchup from Modena—something delicious that I didn’t find on my own.

How do you open up conversation?

MCB: I typically give a quick seated toast welcoming everyone to the table. I’m not afraid of a group question, if needed. But by the time we sit, everyone is typically already chatty.

JB: I mostly just let it flow and try to stay curious. Most of the time, though, we end up talking about food—and music, of course.

Family style or pre-plated?

MCB: Family style, 100%.
JB: Family style. Every time.

How do you balance hosting and mingling?

MCB: I’m good at pre-planning, and I love to have my friends involved, so I might ask someone to pour the water or light the candles as I am doing the finishing touches in the kitchen. My dinner parties are typically very casual. The table may look pretty and elegant, but I try to keep the rest relaxed and let the night evolve.
JB: I do my best to get as much done [as I can] early in the day so I can really enjoy the evening. If I’m cooking, I clean as I go, which makes the end of the night a lot less daunting. I usually have a friend or two at the table who isn't afraid to lend a hand.

What are you drinking?

MCB: Champagne! It is so celebratory and fun. Plus, it pairs perfectly with a generous bowl of caviar with crème fraiche and potato chips, which is a go-to.
JB: There’s usually a batch or two of vodka or gin martinis waiting in the freezer, and big ice cubes ready for Negronis. I like being able to get a really good cocktail in someone’s hand as quickly as possible.

What’s going on at your ideal after-party? Is there one?

MCB: Toward the end of dinner, there is typically another trip down to our wine cellar for more red wine or a dessert wine. I’m a fan of digestifs like Chartreuse and port, too. Some of my favorite moments are when everyone lingers at the table, passing around my grandmother's silver bowl full of almond dragées, still chatting with their new best friend.
JB: Lounging by the pool on a beautiful night, feet in the water or stretched out on the loungers, looking up at the sky, listening to Dark Side of the Moon from start to finish.

Dishes that night or save the mess until the morning?

MCB: Plates are cleared from the table and at least rinsed that night. But I leave the table as is—wine glasses and all. The next morning it is kind of fun to get a peek back to the night before, seeing the drips of candle tapers, napkins strewn, and wine glasses galore.
JB: I could never leave them until the morning. Even if I tried, I'd probably get back out of bed to clean up. One of my greatest pleasures in life is walking into a clean kitchen the morning after a night [when] it was properly used.