Event: CPA Member Appreciation Party

June is California Grown Flowers Month and the California Protea Association (CPA) kicked off the month-long celebration on June 1st by throwing a Member Appreciation party. The event was held at a beautiful estate in Hidden Meadows owned by the renowned local Visual Artist Pako Pablos. Pako’s artistic commentary on pop culture through the use of digital art, painting with acrylics and the creation of images in pastels has gained widespread exposure and popularity. Members had the opportunity to enjoy the estate’s panoramic views, tour the grounds and visit Pako's studio.

A delicious dinner was prepared by award winning chef Flor Franco. Garnering acclaim and a reputation for excellence, Flor has served as the Executive Chef for several award winning venues and restaurants, two Sundance Film Festivals, one Conde Nast dinner, hundreds of the world's best events, and has had the honor of designing and executing menus for Hollywood elite, dignitaries and national political figures.

It was a terrific event at a fabulous venue with scrumptious food and lots of great conversations with friends who love protea farming as much as we do!

Many thanks to Pako and Flor for their gracious hospitality!

Seasonal Gatherings

Have you ever watched a chef shop at the farmer's market, getting excited while gathering an array of locally grown herbs and produce that will later be used to transform the evening's menu? That's me with flowers. I'm most in my realm when I'm surrounded by seasonal blooms and foliage, visualizing the myriad of bouquets and arrangements I could create. Usually, I start by considering elements like size, shape, height, color, and texture when I choose flowers, and I never know what I’ll end up with until it’s finished!

In the case of this arrangement, I was immediately drawn to the jewel tone hue of the roses contrasted with the cheerful pop of the peach pincushions. Since the protea and pincushions were similar in texture, I added a few stems of foxglove to create a delicate, country type feel. The spiky foxglove also brings a new shape to the mix without veering to far from my chosen palette. Finally, the Grevillea Ivanhoe’s serrated green foliage complements both the protea and pincushion’s texture injecting an organic looseness to the design. I'm enchanted with how it turned out, and even more importantly I had a wonderful time creating it!