Welcome Sunshine
Page 1 / From Michelle
The Sun Cookery Founders Collection
Page 3 / Tabletop Elements
Page 7 / Food Inspiration
Page 9 / Lagniappe
Page 10 / Special Thanks
Founders Collection Look Book
Page 13 / Coastal Blues
Page 15 / Fiesta
Page 17 / Color Me Red
Page 19 / Holidays
a note from our Founder, Michelle Mize
Welcome! I'm so glad you are here! Whether you received our Founders Collection as a gift or you are exploring the journey towards hosting; we are so happy to "meet you". We look forward to inspiring you with a touch of southern hospitality each and every time you decide to "stop by"!
Sun Cookery is a culmination of warm places, friendly faces, and foods that emanate warmth and connection. Designing this first collection has taken me on a personal expedition through my 40+ years of living. An expedition that has taught me about true connections, enduring friendships, & diverse perspectives. All of which led me to start a business rooted in the humble & simple memories of my birthplace: Concord, North Carolina.
This collection is inspired by my Grandma Betty and the way she lived and connected with everyone with an open heart and generous cooking. Her day-to-day acts of southern hospitality, sharing, talking, and laughing with a neighbor, a co-worker, or church member, was the rhythm of the time I spent each summer with her. I loved it. To this very day, a memory from all those visitors at Grandma’s will spark an idea for hosting or inspire me to serve someone else in a way that is unexpected, kind, and authentic.
Our purpose at Sun Cookery is to inspire you to strengthen the connections with your favorite people and cultivate new relationships through hosted events in the most comfortable and authentic places you can share with others -- your home, your kitchen, your back patio, or your front porch.
It is my hope that after digging into our magazine and look book, you are inspired to host a friend, a neighbor, or maybe just carve out time for yourself to connect and live bright! Michelle
The Sun Cookery Founders Collection delivers a box of hosting essentials in a neutral palette and a variety of textures that allows you to create a tabletop incorporating your style, your dishes, and your linens. You can use some or all of these elements for any type of gathering and it provides you plenty of opportunities and inspiration to add your unique touch.
Building your tabletop to create a welcoming place to connect and settle in for a great meal with friends, family, or colleagues means having a foundation of items to build upon, so you don’t over-think or run around pulling things together every time you host. A critical piece of being a member of Sun Cookery’s Hosting Community, the Sun Crew, is bringing a touch of YOU to the table.
This is your time to shine!
You need a base. You need simplicity. You need neutrals. You need textures. And this linen tablecloth combined with a set of circular braided placemats gives you dimension and layers to work with when setting your table. With just these 2 elements — you can easily create 4-5 different tabletop looks. You can use the tablecloth with or without the placemats at each seat, for resting your serving pieces, or stacking the placemats down the center of the table to construct your own “runner”. The round placemats work great on round, square, or rectangular tables.
Cloth napkins are softer, more durable, more eco-friendly, and just feel better across your face versus a paper napkin. They also elevate your table and demonstates to your guests that you care about the experience they will have in your home and around your table.
The set in your box is a deep gray. The color hides food stains better, is a great neutral color for any time of the year, and complements the layers of neutral colors of the tablecloth and placemats.
The napkin holders are an essential element for tabletop design, the obvious use is to serve as a “carrier” for the napkins. We love them because they can serve as a place holder when you tie a hand written card around them or even a decorative element that you can easily tuck in a hint of the season between the napkin and the napkin ring: a small twig in the winter, a colorful leaf in fall, a fresh sprig of a spring flower, or a piece of a tropical leaf in summertime. So many combinations of décor are sitting right at your fingertips in this handsomely woven napkin ring.
hospitality
is a cheerful smile, a warm embrace, and making someone feel like your home is their home.
Michelle Mize
Perhaps there is a better word for these lovely essentials - but I’ve always called them vessels. I collect every left-over candle jar, vase, odd-sized condiment, and sauce jar for my “vessel” collection. This set of 6 vessels are made in Spain with recycled glass. The thickness of the glass makes them incredibly resilient to any random falls from the table and can be used for more than just the ordinary votive candle. They can serve as mini vases set at each place setting or scattered across the table or perfectly lined up and down the center of the table. They are also the perfect vessel for serving a 2-bite wonder of dessert at the end of the meal or for a shot of your favorite liquor to make a memorable toast! Finally, you will notice the light green-blue hue and how the Spanish recycled glass blends in beautifully with any tabletop palette.
Highlighting the deep heritage of southern cooking
It wasn't until recently that I took the time to dig into the history of Southern cuisine--which stemmed from a trip to the Bahamas where a little pea called Pigeon Peas showed up on a rice dish and I yelled--"Those are the peas my Grandma would cook!" How did this humble pea from the southern U.S. make it to the Bahamas and why was it a staple in this tropical paradise? My curiosity sent me on a journey of researching and learning more about the slave trade and the seeds that Africans brought with them on their tumultuous journey to the US mainland. Benne seeds, field peas, okra, and countless additional foods that so many believe are indigenous to the southern U.S. were truly born in Africa.
To capture this important story, I wanted to include one of Edna Lewis’ cookbooks in this box. Her legacy and way of life, her cooking style of simplicity & soulfulness, combined with the multi-functional use of ingredients is why I enjoy reading her cookbooks. This book in particular highlights so many of the foods I grew up eating in North Carolina, and I often read the recipes, which serve as a peek into the past – taking me back in time to a place where people still connected by sharing food, ingredients, and even recipes. Her foundation recipes allow you to add your own spin, element or ingredient that is regional to your "neck of the woods". And if you aren’t into cooking or food I promise it’s a great read if you just want to hear the voice and stories of someone who loved to make people happy by cooking good food.
Over the years since I left home, I have kept thinking about the people I grew up with and about our way of life. I realize how much the bond that held us had to do with food. edna lewis
It's a Louisiana French term that means: a little something extra and it has been a mainstay in my vocabulary since I lived in New Orleans in the mid 80's. It is always top of mind and it's always my favorite part of a gathering . . . What’s a little something extra I could throw into a recipe? Or a little something extra that I could add to this dinner table to make the guest of honor feel special? Or a little something extra I could hand guests when they walk in the door or when they leave at the end of the night? I absolutely LOVE coming up with that little bit of extra!
The lagniappe for this collection hails from Charleston, S.C. As I wandered into this gem of a store, Grit & Grace, I was mesmerized by the array of hand painted oysters peeking out from simple boxes at the front of this store. These beautiful shells surround a southern delicacy that is the essence of low country gatherings along the coasts of North & South Carolina.
I knew that this was my little something extra . . . it connects back to Grandma Betty. Grandma would occasionally make oyster stew & I just loved it. She didn’t have access to fresh oysters (since Concord, N.C. is nowhere near a coastline). In fact, the oysters she used most likely were from a jar. But let me tell you - the love she put into creating that stew with the oysters, cream, butter, salt, & pepper is unmatched when it comes to cooking with love. I can still taste that perfect mix of salt, brine, & creamy broth that she ladled over my bowl, half-filled with crushed saltine crackers.
Thank you to Main Street Bookstore in Davidson, North Carolina for working with us to bring the Edna Lewis book to you. We love local bookstores and how they serve our communities. When you walk into Main Street Books, you can be guaranteed that each book was selected carefully and with purpose, before putting it on the shelves. If you find yourself in the quaint and charming town of Davidson—take the time to shop and connect with their gracious and fun staff. And don’t forget about your local bookstores—they exist to share books that are worth your time and they want to connect with book lovers, not just drop the book on your front porch. mainstreetbooksdavidson.com
Thank you to Grit and Grace, a woman owned & female led business that recently celebrated their 1 year anniversary. The store is filled with beautiful, unique, and artistic gifts. We chose to source this product from them for two reasons: the artistry and intention on their work and the oyster recycling program which you can read about here: gritandgracestudio.com/oyster-recycling-charleston
When you find yourself in the Charleston area—make sure this is on your list to visit. You will be transported by all the beauty.
This is where the fun really begins . . . this neutral palette of tabletop elements provides countless decorative options for you, regardless of your personal style, theme of your event, size of your table, etc. In this lookbook we are sharing 4 different layouts to spark your inner creativity and get you started on your sunspired journey. Grab a cocktail, mocktail or refreshing beverage, turn on your favorite playlist, and start hosting!
Let’s get this party started!
by Sun Cookery
"The sun is up. The sky is blue. It's beautiful, and so are you."
~John Lennon.
That every day should be a fiesta seemed to me a wonderful discovery.
Ernest Hemingwayby Sun Cookery
“Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.” John Boswell
