The Keren Lifrak Blog

I discovered a sweet new cafe last week, a real girly haven. The Garden Room at Shoogie Boogie's is a quaint, California style little cafe with an adorable outdoor patio. It's all about the details and Kathryn Kittinger, the owner of this cute joint understands that well. From the tiny designer flower holders, to the antique furniture, the white umbrellas that make you want to sit there in the sunshine for hours and the soaps and chocolates for sale. AND you must try the cucumber and Geranium sparkling water! It's so refreshing. Shoogie Boogie's is a perfect spot for a small intimate dinner party, a wedding, rehearsal wedding -- or romantic escape for two...

Other than great food, you don't need much to plan on making your Thanksgiving dinner party a smashing success. Some beautiful flowers and simple table accessories should do the trick. For Mary Miele (whose equally fabulous kitchen will be featured on HGTV soon), we created some large scale Sunflower and orange Rananculus arrangement in rustic brown urns for the kitchen and buffet tables. For the dinner tables we collected some beautiful drift wood which was placed on the long tables along with a series of low arrangements that included orange Roses, Rananculus, ornamental Kale, Hydrangeas and touches of Salal (we do live in Florida after all). Simple, elegant events. Happy Thanksgiving!

- Keren Lifrak Weddings & Special Events, Sarasota, FL

I don't usually feature burger joints on my blog but this past weekend I was in Delray Beach, Florida and had lunch at "The Office." As a wedding planner and a designer -- what can I tell you, it was design at its finest and all about the DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS! A great dining experience is not just about the food or the service -- it's about all the elements combined and this restaurant knew how to do it just right. The napkins were folded to look like a man's shirt with the place for a cufflink, the menus and placemats had awesome jokes about office work (or not working...), the background to the banquettes looked like an office library with books and shelf art, the hostess stand looked like a stylish desk with built-in P.O. boxes, straight from "Ugly Betty," and the bathrooms could host the entire staff's coffee break "partee." Most importantly the burgers were cooked to perfection and were branded with "The Office" cattle stamp (is that what it's called?) alongside the best thin fries I've had in a long time. If you are ever on Atlantic Ave. in Delray, make sure you stop by for a bite or a drink. Now, I need to find an opportunity to throw an office party.

Angela and Robert Smithson are masters of the art of living! I met Robert, owner of Trinity Printing at the Sarasota Film Festival. He asked me to help him plan his wife's 50th birthday party at their gorgeous Tuscan home.

After I finished setting up the table, floral designs and got the staff ready, I had the pleasure of spending a good portion of the evening in my favorite spot of the house -- the kitchen, right next to the chef... and the dogs who were as excited as I was, I'm sure.

After dinner, the guests got to share what is called a "friendship drink." A beautiful, wood-carved container with multiple spigots which served a carefully mixed concoction of Grappa, coffee, and sugar and finished with a citrus rind -- all lit up passed around the table. This "friendship drink" was invented in the cold, mountainous part of Italy to keep everyone warm. I just love learning new things in my life journeys. I will quote Mr. Armstrong on this one: "What a wonderful world!"