Origin Story

When I returned to San Fransisco from a bruising chapter in Baltimore, I wanted to reconnect with Bay Area friends and thought a party would be a good way to do it. But I needed a theme — something unexpected and provocative.

As I was searching for a party theme idea, my eyes lit upon the artichoke plates that my grandmother had given my mother after visiting and realizing how much we all loved artichokes. The plates were perfect - they had a place in the middle for the artichoke as well as a place for the leaves interrupted by an area for dip along the perimeter.

Now I had the plates - there were 8 of them.