B Y G I N A TO L L E S O N P H OTO G R A P H S B Y M I C H A E L G A R D N E R 145

F O O D + W I N E

Champagne Countdown to 2011

Newlywed Eileen Barrack

(center) gets the party

started with friend Lauren

Dahl (left) and sister-in-law

Jodi Barrack Pitts (right).

Toast Events & Design Studio brings a bevy of friends together for a New Year’s Eve bash at Piocho Ranch

S A N T A B A R B A R A 147

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Toast Events & De-

sign Studio’s Kim Curtis and Ashley Alle-

man; Barrack family monogrammed glasses;

the 2007 Piocho—a blend of Cabernet

Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit

Verdot, and Malbec—has a heady aroma

of flowers with a fruity figlike finish; cigars

and cocktails continue the Rat Pack vibe

of the early soiree; friends Wes Brown

and Anahit Minaysan clink to good health;

Perrier-Jouët champagne kept the festivi-

ties bubbly (champagne flutes from Mai-

son K); (center) host T.J. Barrack raises his

glass to family and friends for a prosperous

New Year. OPPOSITE: Chef Luca Cristinelli

prepares the three-course meal of lobster

salad, lamb chops, and chocolate custard.

Menu

LOBSTER SALAD OvER CELERY ROOT,

MARINATED MuSHROOMS, AND

GREEN APPLE, wITH POMEGRANATE SEEDS

AND A CITRuS DRESSING

LAMB CHOPS wITH POTATO TART AND

RED CABBAGE TOPPED wITH AN HERB SAuCE

CHOCOLATE CuSTARD wITH

AMARETTI AND CARAMEL

F O O D + W I N E

ThE BARRACK FAMILY has good reason to celebrate the closing of 2010—their vines were plentiful and their Santa Ynez haven, Piocho Ranch, set the scene for the wedding of T.J. and Eileen Barrack in September. Since that glorious occasion went so well, why not bring together a small group of close friends to toast those sweet days gone by and to the golden ones ahead?

When fabulous functions are in order on the Barrack agenda, they turn to Toast Events & Design Studio’s Kim Curtis and Ashley Alleman. The dynamic duo joined forces in 2007 and quickly gained a reputation for their floral fantasies and decor for everything from dinner parties for four to weddings for 400. (T.J. and Eileen’s wedding was a smaller affair with 220 guests.) Curtis and Alleman are involved in every aspect of a party: invitations, flower arrangements, food, and each imaginative detail in between. “Our style does not try to compete with the purpose of the event, instead it enhances it,” says Curtis.

For this New Year’s Eve gathering, the team curated a Rat Pack vibe for the Barracks’ pals—high balls and cigars for the gents and champagne with little black dresses for the ladies at sunset. Soft effervescent shades of metallics and peach, gold, and pink were mixed with geodes and crystals down the center of the table to reflect the light. Silver chiseled bud vases and bronze hammered vases from Maison K held the abundance of roses and hydrangeas as accents. T.J. and Eileen’s guests—Jodi Barrack Pitts, Sean Pitts, Brett Barrack, Wes Brown, Anahit Minaysan, Lauren Dahl, and Matt Ladin—sat down to the culinary creations of up-and-coming valley chef Luca Cristinelli and local epicurean Giorgio Curti of Trattoria Grappolo. A Mediterranean feast of lobster salad, herbed lamb chops, and a rich chocolate finish was, of course, paired with Piocho wines—particularly the 2007 Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Petit Verdot/Malbec blend.

As the clock ticks closer to 2011, Curtis savors another successful soiree. “We absolutely love what we do,” she says. “Nothing makes us happier than being able to take a client’s idea, let our creativity flourish, and see all of the individual details and designs culminate into a fabulous event.”

ToasT EvEnTs & DEsign sTuDio 1324 State St., Ste. M, Santa Barbara, 805-960-2330,

toastsantabarbara.com.

START SIPPING in

HAPPY CANYON,

an up-and-coming

Cabernet Sauvignon-

producing region in the

Santa Ynez valley. Located

on the southeast side of

the valley, north of Lake

Cachuma, these vineyards

and surrounding mountains

are some of the most

picturesque in the area.

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