The Valley Line: PSHA’s annual Empty House Party spotlights local property
Nearly 600 people emerged from their January hibernation last Friday night to preview the 2016 Showcase House, which this year puts the spotlight on a grand La Cañada Flintridge estate property built in 1918.
Presented by the women and men of the Pasadena Showcase for the Arts (PSHA), the annual Empty House Party introduced the designers that will transform the Mission Revival style mansion, which was also a Showcase House in 1987. Each design space included sketches and fabric swatches to clue guests in to what they’ll see when the work is all done and the property open to the public in mid-April for a month-long show.
Greeting guests in the grand entryway of this magnificent house Friday were PSHA President Gretchen McNally; Marilyn Campbell Anderson, benefit chair; Susie Aguirre and Suzette Cummings, interior chairs; and Suzanne Hart, designer liaison. Also welcoming the visitors were exterior chairs Elsa Balding and Holly Shearer.
Dana Marevich and Karen Butcher chaired the party. They did a fabulous job of overseeing the many details that made this such a successful event. The menu was expertly prepared and served by the Kitchen for Exploring Food, based in Pasadena.
The party was an absolute dream event for “foodies” that indulged in tasting divine food stations set up in different rooms of the house.
In the living room, guests sampled a braised beef red wine and onion stew with wild mushrooms. It was served along with roasted fingerling potatoes, roasted parsnips and carrots.
An amazing seafood station was set up in the dining room. It included fresh oysters with Zinfandel mignonette, crispy fried oysters with lemon-caper aioli, sides of smoked salmon crostini, herb Chevre cheese, lemon zest and steamed big shrimp with lemon aioli, accompanied by bloody Mary sauce.
The soup station was set up on the kitchen’s island counter. Here guests could choose from hearty Tuscan white bean soup or traditional split pea soup. The salad station was nearby, in the breakfast room.
There was a cheese and fruit display in what will be the “grandparents” room. The dessert and coffee station was placed in the master sitting room. It was laden with an elaborate selection of truffles — chocolate cherry, bourbon sugar and pretzel, white chocolate candy cane and cocoa-dusted truffles. There was also New York cheesecake bar cookie, miniature lemon meringue pies and bowls of huge stemmed strawberries with Romanoff sauce.
The Pasadena Showcase House of Design is one of the oldest, largest and most successful house and garden tours in the country. Now in its 52nd year, the Showcase is visited by approximately 30,000 guests annually.
In every way, this Showcase House is magnificent. It features six bedrooms, five bathrooms and is complemented by a 2,032 square foot two bed/two bath guest house. The two-acre property in the Flintridge area also includes mature trees, a horse corral, an outdoor barbecue area, pool and spa.
Last Friday’s party was so much fun and an opportunity for me to chat with old friends and to meet new ones.
The Showcase House for the Arts is a nonprofit organization bringing music enrichment programs to Southern California. Its 2016 Showcase House opens April 17 and runs through May 15. Tickets range from $35 to $45 and can be ordered by mail, online at PasadenaShowcase.org or by calling (714) 442-3872. Tickets go on sale Feb. 3.
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JANE NAPIER NEELY covers the La Cañada Flintridge social scene. Email her at jnvalleysun@aol.com with news of your special event.