LAURA'S guide
to HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
NEST New York founder Laura Slatkin shares her secrets for setting the perfect table, serving a delicious meal, and creating the perfect ambiance.
LAURA'S guide
to HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
NEST New York founder Laura Slatkin shares her secrets for setting the perfect table, serving a delicious meal, and creating the perfect ambiance.
my FAVORITE
HOLIDAY MEMORY
“Oddly enough, 2020 was my favorite holiday season. It was just me, my husband, my daughter, and her boyfriend, and it gave me the opportunity to get back into the kitchen and cook and try new recipes! Each night we thoughtfully planned our menu and even though it was just us four, we set the table, did the flowers, selected the linens—we indulged ourselves and it was very special!”
my FAVORITE
FESTIVE FRAGRANCE
“People always say to me ‘It’s not the holiday season without NEST’s Holiday fragrance.’ But my personal favorite right now is Blue Cypress & Snow. I love the warmth and coziness of gourmand fragrances, so the goal was to combine the festive aromas we all know and love with the essence of smoked vanilla bean. For me, Blue Cypress & Snow is the best of all worlds.”
my FAVORITE MOMENT
when HOSTING
“After every single detail has been attended to and we are about 30 minutes away from our guests’ arrival time, my husband and I go downstairs to the living room for a cocktail—just the two of us. That’s the moment I love the most—the anticipation of everyone coming over, knowing we have every single detail under control and a beautiful evening has been planned. It’s time to relax and get ready to enjoy the evening.”
the SECRETto an
IMPECCABLE TABLE
“When entertaining and preparing my table, I love to go to the flower market and select my own flowers. During the holiday season, I still follow my golden rule: When it comes to flowers, if you have a gorgeous one—you can’t screw up the rest. So, for me, it’s about scouring the market for that one flower that is absolutely stunning. And once I find that one flower, it dictates everything—the other flowers I choose to complement it, which vases I will use, what plates I will use, the linens—it’s all about that one flower!”
my CROWD-PLEASING
RECIPE
“My favorite go-to for a casual dinner is chicken pot pie—but my chicken pot pie. It’s one of my favorite inventions. One Thanksgiving I was in the kitchen making turkey gravy, and I just sensed it needed something unusual to take it to another level, so I got a little test pot, put some gravy in the pot, and added scotch. The result was—let me just say—off the charts. So, I thought if scotch works for turkey gravy, I bet it would work with chicken pot pie. Yes, scotch is my secret ingredient.”
EXPLORE THE FESTIVE COLLECTION
