From day one, I have been on the hunt for a good meal. From Skyline Chili in my hometown of Cincinnati to blackened shrimp and grits at Six Feet Under in the ATL to butternut squash enchiladas at Cactus in Tacoma, finding good food is a constant and invigorating hobby.

But it started in my grandma's kitchen. She grew up on a farm and maintained a large garden for the majority of her life. She knew how to feed a crowd with truly incredible food. She taught my mom and my mom passed down her love of food and hosting to her three kids. Throwing a party and serving good food is in my DNA.

<--- PHOTO: That's my grandma holding food in her lap. We look identical except that I'm like 7 feet taller than her.

We never had enough china in the same pattern for the hordes of people my grandma would feed: she was one of 11, my mom had 27 first cousins, and my generation had 53 - I'm pretty sure we stopped counting once the 53 got married and starting having kids. Who could ever have that much of one china pattern? And why would you want it?

We mixed and matched. It might have been good English bone china from my one wealthy aunt, Shirley, it might have been my great-grandma's pink transferware from Johnson Brothers, or it might have been my grandma's beloved and simple Old Town Blue Corelle. We loved it all jumbled together on the dinner tables, card tables, coffee tables, and sometimes just a lap.

---> PHOTO: Those are some of the good cooks in my family. My great-grandma Nickell is in the middle with the hat. Aunt Shirley is second from the left - I'm named after her daughter who died in a plane crash shortly before I was born.

I cannot wait to see the incredible food you are going to serve on our china. I hope you make lasting memories with the conversations you'll have across the table as you pass the butter plate. I hope these china patterns remind you and those around you of your own grandmas, aunts, uncles, cousins, family friends, chosen family, and even the occasional stranger your grandpa welcomed to your Thanksgiving table (which happened in my house every year).

<--- PHOTO: An actual wedding we decorated in 2024. It was prior to us launching Plated so we used a lot of the client's family china and then they donated some of that china to help us get our inventory going. 

We are wedding and event planners at heart, well, and also in career. I own another company called Grit City Weddings + Events. One day, a client of mine wanted to throw a wedding with 150 people and wanted mis-matched china: dinner, salad, and b+b plates with silver plated silverware. I looked and could only find one other company within a 30-mile radius and they were booked!

So, like the serial entrepreneur I am - and much to my husband's chagrin! - I bought the domain and registered The Plated Table with Washington State. Suddenly, we owned a rental company.

A few friends, family, and past clients (see above) contributed to our collection and I filled in the gaps with a solid month of antiquing. Turns out, I love it!

We love good parties and in order to have good parties you have to have good food. We think good food should have a good plate. We are partial to vintage china.

So, check out our inventory and if you are like "hey, this is great but I'd love to have [enter thing you'd love to have]", just ask us! We might have been wanting to get that thing, too, and we just needed the right catalyst!

---> PHOTO: Some of our incredible coordinators and place-setting experts: (from left to right) Tosha, Tirza, Ashley, Taylor