Photography by Greg Rannells
For Bryan Schulte, owner and creative director of Exclusive Events (13633 Lakefront, 314-995-7282, exclusiveeventsinc.com), the key to a great party is making sure it’s never forgotten. And rest assured, he’s not talking about shenanigans by badly behaved guests.
“The biggest thing is that you create an experience for the guests that they are going to remember, that they are going to cherish and be able to recall easily,” he says. “That’s what I do: I create those environmental experiences.”
The way to do that, he says, is through texture, color, furniture, and what he calls “iconic pieces.”
“The coolest thing we had here was that distressed sign with the big barbecue letters,” he says. “It was just perfect—just having that one thing that everyone can relate to, but at the same time, no one thought about putting it up at their party.”
Schulte opted for a rustic feel for our Supper Club’s latest party. The invitations created by M. Haley Design (636-352-2102, mhaleydesign.com) have a look appropriate for a barn party. And the decor Schulte picked matches that vibe. “We decided to go with the raw look, with a distressed wood,” he says. The look starts with the table; while it appears vintage, it isn’t.
“It was a brand-new table, and we made it look old,” Schulte says. “We treated it scenically. We have a whole crew of painters and craftsmen here. They put on seven different layers of paint… We made it look old and rustic, but we kept it safe. If it was old, it would be full of splinters.”
And the color? “The food should be the color,” Schulte says. “The food is what is vibrant.” To complete that statement, we asked chef Bryan Young of Bryan Events (314-713-8708, bryanevents.com) to compile the menu, and Christy Augustin of Pint Size Bakery (3825 Watson, 314-645-7142, pintsizebakery.com) created a fabulous devil’s food–and–vanilla-bean buttercream layer cake.
To ensure that the evening is perfect, however, Schulte argues that the most essential element is the lighting. “Lighting done right is awesome,” he says. “The lighting is the easiest way to make or break an event… One light can do more than 40 lights. With something like this, the first thing you want is to have lights that people see, that make people feel comfortable and safe.”
So he melded the rustic with the citified by hanging three crystal chandeliers. But Schulte believes the lighting should go far beyond the perimeter of the party. He suggests starting at your front door.
“Make new lighting at the entrance to your house, something to say, ‘Come here,’” he says. “Take one tree and up-light it fire-red. Make it something that just says, ‘This is it.’”
Must-Dos:
• Two days before the party, spray your yard for bugs.
• Don’t cut your grass the morning of the party. All that crud gets on your feet.
• Power, power, power. Everything in America plugs in. You need an adequate power supply outside.
• Have a rain plan. You can’t control the weather.
• Know your audience. If they are OK with a hot, San Juan kind of night, cool. Some people love that. That’s the experience they want.
• Always have a fan out.
• Always have extra ice.
Party Tidbits:
• For a more casual look on the dining-room table, go to a paint or hardware store and buy masking paper for the runner and to use as individual place cards. It comes in a variety of widths.
• Use dish towels for napkins.
• Mix assorted white serving pieces.
• We found bandana-style place mats, but large bandanas could be used for square place mats or napkins.
Menu:
Gazpacho
Barbecue Baby Back Ribs
Grilled Asparagus
French Potato Salad
Cornbread
Cowboy Cocktails
Devil’s Food Layer Cake
Barbecue Baby Back Ribs
Serves 8.
4 racks of baby back ribs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground mace
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
pepper
1/2 cup paprika
2 tablespoons smoked Spanish
paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea
salt
Apple-wood chips
Hardwood charcoal
Mix the spices in a container and reserve. Soak 3 cups of the apple-wood chips in water for at least an hour before using. Thirty minutes before grilling, coat the ribs in the spice mix, but use it sparingly, so the rub isn’t overwhelming.
Fire up the grill using charcoal and some of the soaked apple-wood chips. When all the coals are red-hot, sear the ribs on both sides. Turn the ribs often, so they don’t burn.
After the ribs are seared, up to 30 minutes, take them off the grill and move all the coals to one side of the grill, to form a hot side and a cool side.
Place 2 cups of soaked apple-wood chips over the hot coals to start; you don’t want to oversmoke the ribs. Optionally, place a metal pie pan of water on top of the coals to help keep the ribs moist.
Smoke the ribs for 1 1/2 hours. You can use a gas grill, but make sure you will have enough room on the grill. Serve the barbecue sauce on the side.
Bryan’s Barbecue Sauce
Makes 2 quarts plus 1 cup.
1 quart water
1 quart vinegar
1 quart ketchup
1 quart chili sauce
8 ounces honey
3 tablespoons bitters
2 small onions
4 small Scotch bonnet peppers
4 jalapeños
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground mace
2 tablespoons ground ginger
5 tablespoons dry mustard
1 cup bourbon
1/4 cup brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, juiced
Mix the water, vinegar, ketchup, chili sauce, honey, and bitters in a large pot. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the onions, the Scotch bonnet and jalapeño peppers, garlic, and cloves. In a pan, sauté the purée in butter, then pour it into the large pot.
Season the mix with the cayenne pepper, cumin, thyme, mace, ginger, and dry mustard. Add the bourbon and brown sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer the barbecue sauce on low for 8 hours. Add lemon juice at the end to taste.
Gluten-Free Gazpacho
Serves 8.
4 pounds Roma tomatoes,
quartered
10 ounces sweet onions, diced
1 cucumber, seeds removed, diced
2 red bell peppers, seeds removed,
diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 tablespoons Spanish sherry
vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Ground pepper to taste
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 green onions, chopped medium
3 Roma tomatoes, diced fine
Make this a day in advance. Purée the tomatoes, onions, cucumber, peppers, garlic, and celery with the liquid ingredients and seasoning in a blender or food processor. Strain the mix through a fine mesh strainer.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Serve chilled. Garnish with the additional chopped pepper, green onions, and Roma tomatoes.
Grilled Asparagus
Serves 8.
3 bunches asparagus
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
Trim the asparagus. Mix together the vinegar, oil, and seasoning. Toss the asparagus in the mixture.
Let it drain, then grill it over a medium fire for 3 to 5 minutes.
Serve the asparagus with a garnish of grape tomatoes cut in half.
Cornbread
Serves 8.
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons melted shortening or bacon fat
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
Preheat the oven to 425. Butter an 8-inch square pan. Mix the cornmeal, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the milk, eggs, and shortening or bacon fat. Mix well.
Spoon the batter into the pan and bake it for 20 minutes. Let the cornbread cool, then slice it into squares.
French Potato Salad
Serves 8.
4 pounds new potatoes, quartered
1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon butter
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons shallots, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons French-style mustard
2 cloves of garlic, chopped very fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced
This is great to make a day ahead. Toss the potatoes in 1/2 cup olive oil and roast them at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Make sure the potatoes are browned.
Bring water in a pot to a boil; blanch the green beans for 3 minutes. Drain and place them in an ice bath.
Sauté the walnuts in 1 teaspoon of butter.
Make a dressing of the vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, shallots, thyme, mustard, salt, and garlic. When all of the cooked ingredients are cool, toss them with the dressing.
Chill the mix before serving.
Cowboy Cocktail
4 fresh mint leaves
Crushed ice
1/2 lime, juiced
1 shot tequila blanco
1 bottle Corona beer
Place the mint leaves in the bottom of a glass. Fill it with crushed ice. Add the lime juice, stir, then add the tequila and beer.
