Setting the Table — and Building Your Network of Connections
#network #networking #community #friends #dinner #dinnerparty #entertaining #inspirationalquote #quoteoftheday #bookrecs #keithferrazzi #orlandopita #masterofcraft #craft #art #creativity
Setting a table is cool — even for pizza night. My mom? Total pro. Fresh flowers appear, glasses hit their marks, and silverware lines up perfectly. I used to trail behind her, guessing where everything went.
Whether it’s a five-course feast or spaghetti straight from the pot, a well-set table can flip the mood from everyday dinner to excellent mini-celebration.
The Invitation: Throw a Dinner Party
It doesn’t have to be fancy. Set a theme. Invite friends you know well — and a few you don’t know as well. Make it a night to learn something new about each other.
A few years back, I read Keith Ferrazzi’s Never Eat Alone. At 25, he worried his apartment wasn’t “nice enough” for coworkers and friends. So he improvised:
Chips & salsa for an appetizer
A big, fresh salad
Good bread
Inexpensive but tasty wine
Roasted chicken
Ice cream with champagne for dessert
And it worked.
His other timeless hosting advice:
Send invitations at least a month in advance so guests can commit
Create atmosphere — candles, flowers, dim lighting, and a great playlist
Don’t seat couples together at a seated dinner
Forget the formality (but, imo don’t underestimate a well-set table’s impact)
Relax (people are here for the company, not perfection)
An idea I love: host a virtual after-party. Send a follow-up email (BCC everyone) with a thank-you note, a few photos, and highlights from the evening. It helps guests connect after the fact — and keeps the momentum going.
Why Dinner Parties Are More Than Dinner
Keith’s philosophy isn’t just about hosting. It’s about creating a network, not in the “LinkedIn request” sense, but in the “sharing your life” sense.
“Over time, I came to see reaching out to people as a way to make a difference in people’s lives… It became the conscious construction of my life’s path… Being a connector is not about managing transactions, but about managing relationships.” — Keith Ferrazzi
We are shaped by the people and networks around us. Who you know influences how you think, what you do, and even what you believe is possible.
The more specific you are about where you want to go in life, the easier it is to develop a strategy to get there — and part of that strategy is building real, genuine relationships.
Practical Ways to Grow Your Circle
Take on projects at work that force you to meet new people and learn new skills
Join groups related to hobbies or causes you care about
Get involved with your alumni club and connect with people in roles you admire
Enroll in a class that excites you, personally or professionally
And don’t forget to care for the connections you already have. Your cousins, neighbors, and even your mailman could know someone who changes your trajectory.
Build it before you need it — as Mitch Albom says, “Build a little community of those you love and those who love you.”
The Big Picture
A well-set table and a full room aren’t just about food and décor — they’re about building a life of meaningful connections. As Keith stated, ambitions, like Japanese carp, grow in proportion to the size of their environment. So expand your environment. Host, share, reach out, and keep setting the table — literally and figuratively.
Here’s my challenge for myself: commit to meeting one new person regularly — weekly, monthly, whenever works. It could be at a coffee shop, on a commute, or at a casual gathering. Because the community you build can inspire, support, and even open doors you might have never imagined. That in and of itself is inspiring :)
Photos from IG:
And for a bit of a non sequitur: On the subject of invitations, when I was in my twenties (a full story for another time), I letterpressed invitations for one of Orlando Pita’s New York Fashion Week shows. It was a great experience. Beautiful settings and creativity brought me back to this memory. Orlando is a master of his craft, serious and lovely all at once. He got his start assisting his brother on photo shoots.
A little history on Orlando:
Early Interest & Self-Taught Skills: Orlando developed an interest in hairstyling because he disliked the haircuts he received as a kid and started cutting hair for his brothers and grandmother. He is largely self-taught and didn't attend a traditional beauty school.
The "Big Break": His significant opportunity arrived at age 21 when his brother, who was working as a fashion photographer's assistant, called him in as an emergency replacement for a hairstylist who cancelled last minute.
From his website:
I always admired Orlando’s work ethic, focus, and craftsmanship. This blog post took me down to that memory. I’m glad it did. I haven’t thought about it for awhile now. I remember that when I shared the invitations with Orlando, he was surprised and happy at how they’d turned out. (I wish I’d saved an image of the artwork! Grey and pink letterpress). It was a moment of connection inspired through a shared love of artistry.
