The Life of the Parties

As we celebrate 30 years of Nfocus, we have asked our friends in the community — many of whom have been with us since the beginning — to tell their story in their own words. Throughout the year, readers will hear from those who have graced our pages and supported our stories.

This month, we reached out to a dear friend of Nfocus, Nan Parrish, a hostess who reigns supreme, to tell us about the all-female (and Herbert Fox, Nfocus founding editor) birthday party she threw for Neil, which was covered by Nfocus in September 1996.

Oh my, the parties back in the day!

Private parties outnumbered the pay-to-attend charity fundraising events, if one can imagine, and Neil Parrish and I hosted our share. We once held a parade down Belle Meade Boulevard, complete with a permit from City Hall. We hosted the first All Things Chocolate party, which became a popular way to entertain, as champagne and ice cream cones accompanied midnight fireworks that thrilled our guests. Another night, with the help of Terry Nelson Seabrook and John Watson, we turned Belle Meade Country Club into NYC. As guests entered, they walked through a replica of a first-class cabin of an American Airlines jet, where they were met by a flight attendant and given their guidebook to the city.

Our last big party was All Things Champagne. Bubble machines lined the roof of Belle Meade Country Club, providing our guests a sea of bubbles to walk through as they entered. By that time, several of the women were widows or the men were no longer dancing, so I hired six ballroom dance instructors to pose as guests — complete with black tie attire — to entice all the women longing to dance out onto the floor. It was one of the best things I have ever done for my guests.

I had the honor of planning Neil’s favorite party — his 60th birthday. Our vision for Belle Meade Country Club was to recreate the grand luncheons at department stores like Cain-Sloan and Castner Knott where ladies would lunch as graceful models floated through the room in the latest styles. As he and I worked on the guest list, the attendees quickly doubled from 60 to 120 women — all our dearest friends. The invite was a double-breasted blazer that opened to reveal my good-natured ribbing at his expense: "Neil loves the ladies, loves to gossip, loves to flirt, loves to flatter, loves to tease. Lunch with Neil. Dress to impress." These women delivered. All guests who were in town made themselves available — no matter the conflict — and some even cut their vacations short for this occasion.

Day of, Neil's monogram floated in cream on top of cold asparagus soup, and Leland Riggins of Dessert Designs created a tiered, golf-themed cake, topped with papier-mâché figures of Neil and his caddie, Ronnie. Models from Zelda walked among the tables dazzling in vintage clothing, including some beautiful circa-1920s pieces from Neil's mother's trousseau. Neil addressed the large crowd of birthday well-wishers jovially, saying, "I never knew there were so many different shades of lipstick, and I love them all!"

As I told Herbert in 1996, “I always knew there would be women in Neil’s life. I just didn't know there would be so many!” Fantastic friends to us both, each and every one.

BY NAN PARRISH PHOTOGRAPHS BY SUSAN ADCOCK

Themission

1Hotel Nashville is a LEED certified, carbon-neutral hotel. Its goal is sustainability, from the 16th-century dining table in the lobby laden with slightly “imperfect” fruits and vegetables that are free to guests, to the “waste-not” practices in the restaurants. For example, citrus peels and coffee grounds are repurposed to garnish glasses and infuse liquors, so nothing goes unused. Harriet’s continues that mission. In addition to items being marked vegan or glutenfree, some are also marked SC: Sustainable Choice.

Harriet's Plants Sustainability

1Hotel's rooftop bar with a view and a vision

For Harrison Deakin, beverage manager for Harriet’s Rooftop at 1Hotel Nashville, creating craft cocktails is an art form — albeit one requiring some left-brained math skills.

“I use scales to make sure everything is precise down to the 1/100th of an ounce because it’s so easy to make a drink unbalanced with too much citrus, too much sweetener, too spiritforward, etc.,” says Harrison. “I liken it to when I play music. Music is a beautiful art form but when you get down to the sheet music, it’s math.”

Curated craft cocktails feature locally inspired libations such as Cade’s Cove (Uncle Nearest 1856 Tennessee Whiskey, lemon, Italicus bergamot, Nashville Jam Co’s blackberry jam, Peychaud’s Bitters and Fever-Tree Ginger Beer); the drinks are accompanied by an Asianinspired shareable plate menu created by 1Hotel Nashville Culinary Director Chris Crary and Chef de Cuisine Togi Chuluunbaatar. Menu highlights include truffle tuna tartare, shrimp tempura, hot chicken bao and an assortment of specialty sushi rolls such as a truffle scallop roll and a baked crab roll.

“We have a great view, and we have great ambiance, but what we take the most pride in is the quality of the products that we use and that we create," says Chris. "You can have a great view anywhere in the city, but what’s going to bring you back is the service, the attentiveness of our team and the quality of the cuisine.”

The recently opened Harriet’s, a 7,255-square-foot indoor/outdoor lounge on the 19th floor of 1Hotel Nashville, blends a downtown feel with an intimate vibe. Architectural details include wood beams and exposed brick, warmed by 1Hotel’s signature plant walls. Banquettes, plush sofas and club chairs with neutral tones and textured throw pillows surround dark wood cocktail tables. A dramatically lit bar has shelves that extend to the ceiling, displaying luxury spirits and — of course — plants.

Another focal point is the outside area, complete with breathtaking views of downtown, strings of white lights and two large fire pits. The outdoor bar promises to draw a crowd come spring: A DJ will spin tunes on weekends, and there will periodically be live music. There is ample seating with sofas in neutral tones that echo the interior alongside rustic coffee tables.

BY WHITNEY CLAY PHOTOGRAPHS BY SAM FRAWLEY

THEA-TEAM

Harriet’s at 1Hotel Nashville is the fourth Harriet’s for the 1Hotel brand, with other locations in West Hollywood, Brooklyn and Toronto. In addition to Top Chef alum Chris Crary overseeing 1Hotel Nashville’s culinary operations, Chef Togi Chuluunbaatar — who has been with the 1Hotel group for six years — was the logical choice to helm Harriet’s Rooftop. “We wanted to make sure that we have someone in place like Chef Togi. He really upholds the standards and quality of the food and drives the mission forward,” says Chris.

Merrymocktails

Harrison, who hasn’t had an alcoholic drink in four years, has created an extensive nonalcoholic drink menu which includes mocktails, alcohol-free wines and sparkling wines, and a NA beer option. The refreshing lime-infused Botonical is a play on a Spanish gin & tonic; another, the Strawberry Cloud, is made with NA pink gin, strawberries and vegan egg whites. He and Chris are working on pairing suggestions so guests can choose a drink that will best complement the menu item they’re ordering.