AUBREY ABOUT TOWN
The Yellow Social: A Southern Brunch
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
My affinity for party hosting started in childhood with the queen dame of cocktail parties, my late grandmother Ruth Ann Brewster. A true southern belle through-and-through, hailing from a bygone era of the 1950’s when she was a young bride through the late 1960’s – where debutante balls, charity and political fundraisers, dinner parties and “socials”, lunches at the Berry Hills Country Club in Charleston, cocktail parties and afternoon teas at her home on Morningside Drive (or even better), at The Greenbrier, an iconic and elegantly-posh hotel & resort (set among West Virginia’s majestic Allegheny Mountains) ruled late 1960’s social life. If you’ve never been to The Greenbrier then there’s your next mountain getaway!
I would spend occasional summer vacations with my grandparents, where my grandmother would value the importance of instilling in me grammar and etiquette through lessons at finishing school and evenings of handwritten correspondence before bedtime – and as a kid from San Francisco, I found the contrast in change of locales not as a culture shock, on the contrary; as childhood wonderment. I was fascinated. The beautiful mountains and their rich and vivid foliage (especially the autumnal hues of golden browns, deep reds, and orange during the late summers), the warm weather, and that cool and polite southern charm of the locals had me from the get. It was something new to a young west coast city boy, yet so familiar. And my grandmother made it seem so glamorous with her attention to detail.
Photographs of Mrs. Brewster: Brewster Family Archive
As often is the case with me, the spark of inspiration for a party’s theme and décor could be in any element, whether it’s an accent plate, tablecloth or gravy boat, any small item can set the tone in creativity…for example, my ‘Purely Paradise’ island-themed birthday luncheon back in 2017 was inspired by a pair of silver pineapple-shaped salt & pepper shakers (of which I own six sets). With the Yellow Social Southern brunch, it all began with a beautiful set of yellow & gold rimmed bone china dinnerware that I came across back in November of last year whilst shopping
for Thanksgiving table ideas. The summertime allure of its bright sunny saffron yellow called to me in an otherwise sea of autumn. It had crossed my mind that they’d be perfect for a bougie southern meal but could also be beautiful as a backdrop to an elegant Persian or even Indian meal. Whatever the event may be, I just knew that I had to have them, so I bought them out and
now have a service for 36!
With a set of dinnerware and a Southern theme in mind, it was now time to plan a chic southern brunch!
A couple months ago, and completely out of nowhere, a flock of 50 or so green parrots that would normally habitat the trees found under San Francisco’s infamous Coit Tower (bequeathed to the City of San Francisco by the eccentric socialite, Lillie Hitchcock Coit in honor of the heroic firefighters who lost their lives saving the city from the city’s 5 great fires following the 1906 earthquake – it is believed that Lillie Coit had an affinity for firemen (wink) and was affectionately nicknamed “Firebelle Lil”. And it is said that the tower was designed to phallically resemble the nozzle of a firehose – say what you will! ) in Pioneer Park on Telegraph Hill located several blocks away from our high rise had begun to perch on our railing out on the balcony of our northeast terrace (as well as on the windowsills of the iconic Transamerica building across the street from us. In all the 20-plus years living there, I’ve never (not once) seen a parrot on our balcony or in the wild for that matter, let alone a flock. Following the parrots’ arrival, it would seem that everywhere I’d look, I would see green parrots in various artworks, statuary, and other patterns and when the Universe speaks, I listen!
I found these charming green parrot candlesticks from Mrs. Alice in the United Kingdom, along with chic green enameled cast-aluminum pedestals & matching urns that would’ve been fabulous for the party, but every time I’d go to buy the green pedestals and urns, they’d sell out. When I was about to call it quits and move on, I found that both the parrot candlesticks and the pedestals & urns were also offered in French powder blue (my favorite color!). The blue and yellow color combination was so elegant, so Southern, that it was obvious that I found the foundation to the brunch’s aesthetic and the yellow with blue parrots cemented the event and branded everything from invites and menus & tabletop. With the theme of brunch set, silverware, serving dishes, flowers & props and everything I needed to consider in order to create a memorable afternoon, it was time to search for all of the elements to bring it all together, but I’ll get to that reveal in a bit. But first, the menu!
It was an absolute delight to once again work with Neiman Marcus’ The Rotunda general manager (affectionately referred to as “Ro”) Katrina Parlato and Ro’s executive chef Erik Harrelson on curating a genuine (well, nearly genuine) Southern menu. Guests warmed up to a teacup (from the new yellow china) of Neiman Marcus’ traditional chicken consommé and scrumptious cheddar & chive biscuits with peach butter. Followed by crisp cornmeal encrusted fried green tomatoes topped with blue nose crab & hearts of palm salad with remoulade and micro greens.
I was aware of the importance of the ingredient’s authenticity for the sake of the menu being genuine, starting with pickled spicy okra & buttery cheese straws (that I ordered from South Carolina just for the occasion) and chic pressed glass fleur de lis patterned bottles of Louisiana hot sauce for the table that I was eager to top over our first course, a crisp cornmeal encrusted fried green tomato over remoulade, roasted red peppers, and hearts of palm topped with sweet bluenose crab and micro greens.
For the second course, I had stoneground speckled heirloom hominy grits flown in from Charleston for chef to create cheesy grits with Old Bay poached lobster and white cheddar moray, a take on the Southern staple, shrimp ‘n grits (but elevated). For the main course, Erik made fried chicken & buttermilk Belgium waffle napoleons with peach honey syrup with a slice of decadent country ham (flown in from Dillard’s Country Hams in Dillard, GA) to gild the lily; granted, fried chicken & waffles are known to have originated from Wells Supper Club in Harlem, NYC back in the 1930’s but the combo has origins dating back to the Pennsylvania Dutch in the 1600’s – hence my earlier “Well, nearly genuine” statement. And that sentiment of keeping it authentic carried on to the table setting gift favor that guests would take home to
commemorate the afternoon – a chic blue crystal glass apothecary jar (adorned with a yellow satin ribbon) filled with Aunt Sally’s creole pecan pralines from New Orleans, Louisiana and pecan ‘Divinity’ candies from Divinity by Dave in Lampasas, TX.
Some of y’all may know that I love a pie and cake cart. There’s something about the childlike wonderment in guests’ faces when they are presented with whatever they wish – welcome to their favorites or free to try something new. And there’s something a bit naughty about having a sliver of this or a slice of that…can’t decide? Why not have both? Or all! Want whipped cream on that pie…a little or a lot? To tantalize guests, the cart’s Southern confectionary offerings were
sweet potato pies from ‘It’s All Good Bakery’ located on Martin Luther King boulevard in Oakland, CA. The bakery’s building was the original headquarters for the Black Panther Party. The cart also featured apple pies, mixed berry pies served from a graceful antique wrought iron 3-tier pie stand. Red velvet cake, coconut-pineapple cake, strawberry chiffon cake, lemon-passionfruit chiffon cake, carrot cake, and a raspberry-almond frangipane tart served from hôtel silver cake stands on goldenrod gingham linen to allure guests – all from San Francisco’s iconic Noe Valley Bakery on 24th street, a tradition for many of us San Franciscans.
With the menu ready, and Neiman Marcus’ chef Erik at the helm of the kitchen, it was time to celebrate our guests! And what better way to honor my grandmother Ruth, a strong elegant woman than an afternoon for the San Francisco Bay Area’s top women in power. Bringing these queens (and some kings) together for a genteel afternoon over good food, ideas, laughter, and most of all, camaraderie for some of my favorite ladies that make my hometown the magical place
it is.
In high Southern fashion, guests entered the party under a charming yellow & white striped awning, through two elegant towering powder blue enameled pedestals & matching urns from the United Kingdom’s Mrs. Alice (MrsAlice.com) filled with bright yellow roses, golden freesia, white tea rose sprays, kumquat & blueberry branches, blue butterflies & yellow finches, ‘dancing lady’ oncidium and green grape clusters into the ‘Garden Lounge” where they snapped shots for social media while sitting on a morning glory vine adorned wrought iron fleur de lis arbor bench
with plush goldenrod cushions and sipped on a full bar and passed champagne and brunchtime Bloody Marys garnished with pickled okra and nibbled on Southern pecan divinity candy sat at the blue wrought iron peacock bistro tables and chairs in the Garden Lounge.
As brunch was announced, guests made their way to the 24-foot table set with the elegant yellow & gold rimmed bone china that inspired the theme, accompanied by floral embossed silverware, and ornamented with white ceramic artichoke statuary, hôtel silver service ware, and adorable antique powder blue jewelry boxes filled with scrumptious spiced pecans to amuse partygoers.
The blue parrot motif menu cards were accompanied by thoughtful magnifying glass domes so guests can easily read them, that guests took home. French embossed white ceramic vases overflowing with white chamelaucium (wax flower), white tea rose, yellow freesia, golden ranunculus, white & yellow anemone. Elegant tall blue parrot candlesticks (MrsAlice.com) outfitted with yellow taper candles accompanied by yellow crystal glass tea lamps atop white and yellow hemstitch linens illuminated guests’ cheerful faces and the table. Mineola, Texas-born former mayor of San Francisco, mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. filled with Southern nostalgia, said of the event that The Yellow Social was his favorite party to date. For an inside look of the Yellow Social’s décor, check out the Instagram reel at @aubreybrewster
In pure Southern decadence, the fashionable ladies (and gents) took the afternoon’s theme to heart and arrived in their Sunday finest. San Francisco mayor London Breed coordinated with the color scheme in a stunning bright powder blue tweed skirt suit and Chanel broach and SF District Attorney Brooke Jenkins was iconic in her signature pink. Socialite, Jennifer Walske displayed Southern-inspired elegance in her champagne tweed sleeveless button-up dress by Schiaparelli she ordered for the occasion. And the dapper former mayor of SF, mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. represented the afternoon’s kings in a blue and yellow outfit by Isaia (WB’s favorite designer) topped with a blue fedora (his signature).
Amongst the brunch’s guests were the afternoon’s hosts Aubrey Brewster and Edward Winger, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, District Attorney of San Francisco Brooke Jenkins, assistant secretary of Homeland Security, Annemarie Conroy, socialite and style influencer Sonya Molodetskaya and her partner former SF Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., socialite Farah Makras and her husband Victor Makras, author/socialite Jennifer Walske, comedian Stephanie Block, anchor person KTVU/Fox 2 Betty Yu, anchor person ABC7 Carolyn Tyler (retired) and her partner Gary Love, president Union Square Alliance Marisa Rodriguez, Jorge Maumer, Nob Hill Gazette’s Jill Pietrowiak, socialite Navid Armstrong, director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Danielle Gordon St Germain, vice president/general market manager of Neiman Marcus SF Lin Huber, founder Liberté Press Teresa Rodriguez, Harvard Law professor Hon. Karen Clopton, Roman Gronkowski, Daru Kawalkowski and her partner Alton Fernando Irby, Lillian Phan Pickering, and Table+Teaspoon founder the gorgeous Liz Curtis.
With the Yellow Social’s success, Mayor Brown urged me to make it an annual event, and guests agreed. Y’all come back now!
HAUTE RECIPE
Aubrey’s Hummingbird Cake: A Southern Original
If the legendary Ms. Mae West was a cake, she’d be this one right here! It’s indomitable, sultry & sweet. You may find yourself saying at first, “I’ll just have a little sliver”, but it could very well have you saying: “May I have another slice?”.
Weighing in at nearly 8 pounds, my rendition of this beyond-decadent 3-layer cake is a force to be reckoned with, it easily serves sixteen, so it’s ideal for a party and will quickly become a favorite.
I’m so delighted to share this cherished recipe with you, and I hope you come to love it as I do, making it your tradition for special occasions, entertaining, or just when you crave a good cake. This one is from my heart.
Packed with banana, pineapple, and toasted pecans, this quintessential Southern classic is boss and an absolute favorite.
Ingredients:
Hummingbird Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pans
2 cups baker’s sugar, (superfine)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large beaten eggs
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz canned crushed pineapple, with juice, undrained
2 cups ripe bananas, chopped (about 3 bananas)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
You’ll also need:
Vegetable shortening for greasing pans
3-9 inch round cake pans
3-9 inch parchment rounds (or parchment cut to size)
9 inch cardboard cake round
Piping bag outfitted with a #356 star tip
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting:
24 oz cream cheese, softened (3-8oz packs)
12 oz salted butter softened (1-1/2 cups) I use that popular Irish Butter that’s widely available.
48 oz confectioner’s sugar (3-16oz boxes)
1-1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/3 cup dehydrated cream cheese powder, optional. Heightens the cream cheese flavor (Amazon or bakery supply)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, lightly toasted
16 perfect pecan halves, lightly toasted
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit (176 celsius).
Grease bottom & sides of three 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable shortening. Line bottoms with parchment rounds, dust sides with flour.
To Prepare Cake Batter:
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Add beaten eggs and vegetable oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Stir in vanilla extract, pineapple, chopped bananas, and toasted chopped pecans.
Divide batter into three 9-inch greased & floured cake pans.
Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes.
Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely, about 2 hours.
To Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, cream cheese powder (if using) and butter on medium-low speed until smooth.
Gradually add confectioner’s sugar, beating at low speed until blended after each addition and occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Stir in vanilla bean paste. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes (scraping the sides of the bowl once again).
Assemble Cake:
Place 1 Cake Layer top down on a 9-inch cardboard cake round; gently peel off parchment paper, spread top with 1-1/2 cups of the frosting. Repeat with second layer. Repeat and top with third layer, spreading frosting over top and sides of cake.
Sprinkle finely chopped toasted pecans on top, 1-inch from the edge.
Fill piping bag fitted with a star tip and fill with remaining frosting.
Pipe a scallop border around the edge of the chopped pecans.
Place the 16 toasted pecan halves on top of the scalloped border, denoting each slice.
Alternatively (as pictured above: Press the chopped pecans into the sides of the cake, leaving the top of the cake clean. This is especially favorable if writing a message for birthdays & anniversaries, etcetera.
