A table, whether in a grand dining room, a cozy kitchen, on a hut floor or in the form of a blanket laid out in a July meadow, is the hub of human connection and community. It is the fundamental meeting place where we share sustenance and our stories. We discuss politics and philosophy, share the mundane of our daily lives, teach and learn, recall past feasts, close deals, plan our futures, maintain traditions, grieve, celebrate, wage peace, give thanks and fall in love around tables.
My earliest memories are of birthday parties and holidays around a table or in the kitchen helping to prepare for those celebrations. I’ve shared tables with family, friends, colleagues and strangers. I’ve made a career out of setting tables, serving them and creating the meals shared at them. Since 1998 I’ve owned a restaurant, The Harvest Vine, which began as barely a kitchen with a table. Here I’ve been honored to share my tables with thousands of strangers, many of whom have become friends.
Here you will find tales of the table- past and present, celebrations and events at The Harvest Vine and elsewhere, and stories and recipes of the food we enjoy at them. You are welcome at my table where there is always room for one more. There is nowhere I feel more at home than at A Table Shared.
A Table Shared 
What were the name of those chiles we had on July 5th, they were lightly deep fried and lightly salted.
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Padron peppers.
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Thanks so much for the follow. I’ll try not to disappoint.
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Rob, nothing I’ve read so far has, and I don’t expect any of your future stories will either.
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Thanks so much for taking the time to read.
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I changed “seen” to “saw”. Thanks so much. I had to teach myself grammar and usage. I spent two years studying that for two to three hours a day before I had the nerve to start writing. I still study for an hour every morning. I started sending my work to outdoor mags about a year ago. So far I’ve sold three and I’ve got two being held on spec. My original goal was to put all these stories into one book, but I thought that I might as well send some of them out to these mags while I was working on the book. Anyway, it was interesting to go from form-letter rejections to personally written rejections complementing my writing to getting the accepted notice and finally working with an editor back and forth through emails and phone calls. I appreciate you taking the time to comment and read. Thanks again. Rob.
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A friend (a very thin friend) once asked me why every occasion had to include food. I explained that someone who is hungry can hardly be expected to pay attention to anything but his or her rumbling stomach. Even Jesus didn’t preach until everyone had been fed. So happy to discover your celebration of the sharing of food.
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Agreed, about the hunger. It’s also about hospitality, treating a guest well, sharing a basic need of all human beings. And it’s pleasurable. Why would one not want to share pleasure with friends and family? Life is hard enough. We need to share the feasts not only the famines.
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The barley cake I had last night was fantastic! Would you be so kind as to share the recipe?
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The paella dinner was fantastic! Could not have been better. The last paella I had that was just the best ever was in a little village in southern France from a street vendor. But this outdid that by far. Thanks to everyone, cooks, servers and thank you Ben Woods, that added so much to the dinner.
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