How to Host: Art of the Plate

Plating 

We eat first with our eyes. Brilliant colors and compelling textures draw us in. We invited Chef Loma Xayalinh of Lomakase to work his plating magic. Every opulent bite of the chef’s nigiri sushi tastes as outstanding as it looks within the chef’s Jackson Pollock-like arrangements. As an affiliate of Inland Seafood, he has access to an extensive treasure trove of seafoods both familiar and exotic that spans the globe. Chef Loma Xayalinh is available for private events and in-home classes. Chef Loma Lomakase, 760-443-7227, lomakase.sushi@gmail.com, @lomakase

Platters & Appetizer Plates

Hand-built ceramic platters of various sizes by Tiffany Eyer of DesEyer Pottery of Gentilly. A horsewoman and a founding member of the Ladies Godiva Riding Club, Eyer corsets the edges of her fragile wet pieces in heavy equine lead lines and allows them to dry until they’re ready to be fired, glazed and then fired again. DesEyer Pottery by Tiffany Eyer, by appointment only, 504-388-5143, eyerfamily@gmail.com 

Hand-built ceramic appetizer plates/condiment dishes with bronze metallic finish by Monique Chauvin of Mitch’s Flowers. Mitch’s Flowers, 4843 Magazine St., 504-899-4843, MitchsFlowersNola.com

Sake 

What to serve with sushi? Chilled Wetlands Sake pairs perfectly and is available in filtered, unfiltered and sparkling varieties. The LSU Agriculture Center grows a specialty short grain rice specifically for use in this New Orleans-based sake brewery, which is owned by New Orleans natives, Nan Wallis and Lindsey Brower. Wetlands Sake, WetlandsSake.com