The Curious Palate

Article by Jon Hite

A couple of months back, a PR and marketing firm reached out to ask if I would open my studio and gallery to their private group of influencers for an evening they were planning. I said yes, and invited Jon Hite of Haus of Hite to come document it. Jon helped stage both the studio and gallery, joined us for dinner, and photographed and wrote about the whole night.

It was an honor to be selected out of 70 galleries and artists in town, and the evening itself was truly special. I’m so glad we got it on record. Jon has generously given permission to share an excerpt of his article here.

Originally published at hausofhite.com. Reprinted with permission.

The car pulled up beneath the towering white walls of Kimpton Mirador Pacific Grove, their Spanish Revival forms rising above Fountain Avenue beneath a terracotta roofline. The architecture felt distinctly Californian, with arched openings, pale stucco and the geometry of the building catching the final light of the day.

As the valet opened the door, the Pacific announced itself first. Cool salt air drifted in from the coast, followed by the warmth of the late August sun washing the hotel’s white facade in a shade somewhere between apricot and dusty rose.

Beyond the doors came another sensory layer: the soft collision of voices, glassware and introductions. Writers, chefs, editors and creators from around the world had gathered over wine, cocktails and small bites for the beginning of an evening called The Curious Palate.

The name would prove particularly apt.

This was an evening built around curiosity, but also around the idea that culture is rarely experienced through a single sense. We look at a painting. We taste a dish. We touch a textile. We listen to someone explain why they made something. Yet the most memorable experiences happen when those boundaries begin to disappear.