A simple fall retreat

As a restaurateur and caterer, food is the center of my life, from black-tie dinners to towering hors d’oeuvres buffets with all of the glamour and glitz. The set-up for these events typically is complicated, with hours spent in the kitchen perfecting every aspect.

But the best dinner party I’ve attended involved surprisingly little. Simple sometimes is better, and on a cool, fall night, my good friends and I gathered around a campfire with good conversation, local food, and robust wines.

The menu was perfect: roasted rotisserie lamb with rosemary and garlic, a garden-grown arugula and heirloom tomato salad with herb honey vinaigrette, and an easy side dish of campfire-roasted potatoes. We set our cell phones and Blackberrys aside and spent a laid-back afternoon stoking the fire.

The sunshine felt good on our backs as we rubbed the lamb with oil, salt and pepper, and stuffed it with garlic and rosemary sprigs. Skewered lamb racks on long metal spits were stabbed into the ground around the fire and turned every so often to ensure slow, even cooking. The new potatoes, simply seasoned and mixed with sweet onions and shitake mushrooms, roasted in a cast-iron pot on the coals.

As the sun went down, we walked to the garden and picked vegetables for the salad. Crowded around the weathered picnic table, we ate under the stars as the fire roared and kept us warm. There were no placecards, no bustling waiters, no maitre’d. The only sounds were the crackling of the fire and the laughter that floated around the table.

Summer has gone, without question or choice, and has receded over the mountains of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It has taken with it the vibrant greens of summer and has left the yellows, oranges, and reds of fall. In response, people’s palettes have changed from fresh the coastal seafoods, light salads, and chilled fruits they enjoyed during the late dog days of July and August. The shift from cooled Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blancs to hearty Cabernets and Merlots brings to mind something heartier, something closer to home.

As we watch, area farmers markets make the shift as well. The berries and peaches of summer make way for the acorn squash, root vegetables, apples, and pumpkins of fall. The mind naturally turns to rosemary-roasted chickens, thick beef roasts, and comfort foods such as thick, bubbling stews and oven-baked pot pies as the days get shorter and the nights get cooler.

It’s time to play with the simple flavors of autumn. Have a real dinner party. Put on a sweater, light a campfire and enjoy a starry night with good friends. North Carolina is a beautiful place to be.

Renee Schroeder is owner of Sweet Basil’s Restaurant in Greensboro, a member of Slow Foods Piedmont and Local Harvest. To learn more, call (336) 632-3070 or visit www.sweetbasilsrestaurant.com.