Guest Blog: Reflections on Entertaining

Kemp Harper and his partner Kevin Boling live in a beautiful Colonial Revival home in Indiana. It has been featured in magazines, on social media and YouTube decor and interior design channels. Much of the home's renovation and redecoration was inspired by Martha's design aesthetic and philosophy. Below, Kemp reflects on how one book, Martha's first book, "Entertaining", influenced many of their design choices and their style of entertaining.

In celebration of the reissue of Martha Stewart's Entertaining, I wanted to share just how much this book has meant to us over the years. When we moved into our Colonial Revival home in 2016, Entertaining became a cherished guide that shaped the way we host and create beautiful moments with guests in our home.

Many of Kemp's table settings are influenced by Martha's aesthetic. Here he is posing in homage to the cover of the book, Entertaining. Notice the chairs?

It's a well-loved, well-worn book in our household, especially the Thanksgiving section, which we revisit  year after year for the pumpkin soup and the cranberry currant sauce. But beyond just the recipes, Martha was truly the inspiration for how we like to entertain. Thanks to her, we learned to embrace the idea of guiding our guests through different spaces, making each room a part of the experience. We start with hors d'oeuvres in the breakfast room, move on to cocktails in the library, and then serve the main course in the dining room. It's Martha's influence that taught us to make each corner of our home part of the celebration.

Kemp with his partner, Kevin, in their vegetable garden.

What makes our copy even more special is that we had the incredible privilege of having it signed by Martha Stewart herself at her Turkey Hill home, where the book was written, photographed and produced. It felt like bringing everything full circle - having this treasured book signed in the very place that shaped Martha's own journey was truly special to us. It's more than just a book to us; it's a piece of our home's story now.

During the warmer months, Kemp and Kevin frequently entertain outdoors, finding new spaces on their property to set up tables and dining areas, just as Martha does.

Be sure to follow Kemp on Instagram @thecolonial_on_park

"Entertaining" Revisited

Martha's iconic first book, Entertaining, is being reissued this fall in its exact original format. Below are some thoughts on the book and its legacy. 

I was six years old when “Entertaining” was first published. It was not a book in my parents’ library, and I didn’t get my first copy until I was in my early 20s – a first edition that was badly dogeared that had very clearly been enjoyed by someone else for years. I got a more pristine copy a few years later at a bookstore in Toronto. The woman who sold it to me smiled broadly when I paid for it, saying she too had the book at home and looked at it every year during the holidays. I still have both of my copies and I treasure them.

The book will be re-published on November 4th, 2025, in its exact original format. Order here.

Full disclosure: I have only made one recipe from this book (a pillowy, heart-shaped confection for Valentine’s Day called Coeur a la Crème) and yet it is very much a special part of my book collection. Entertaining is special because of its significance in the arc of Martha's career - her first book, the first time she put pen to paper to document a style of entertaining that was beloved by everyone she had worked with as a caterer but that had not yet reached the American reader. It is also special because of its uniqueness in the world of publishing. It was the first cookbook to use full-page colour photography and the first book that blended cookery with elements of lifestyle: inspiration for table settings, flower arrangements, gardening advice, and guidance for hosting a party at home, whether it was an intimate gathering for four to six or a special occasion for dozens of guests. 

What the book really represents to me, at its core, is imagination. Each page is filled with an inspiring display of Martha’s sense of wonder for the world around her; her curiosity about unusual ingredients, her ability to source inspiration for a dinner party from the pages of classic novels, her use of found objects and meaningful collectibles on her tables and place settings. To me, that’s what this book is about: wonderment, enthusiasm, curiosity and potential.

Martha’s critics always jibe that entertaining at home using Martha’s edicts is unattainable, unaffordable, impractical and not especially enjoyable. But they’re missing the point. I can’t count how many times Martha has said in her television specials or written in her books that her content is merely a guide, a presentation of ideas and possibilities meant to inspire the reader. In the introduction to the second edition of the book, printed in paperback in 1998 with an updated cover, she writes, “This book was planned as a guide – a reference, an inspiration, and a compilation of usable, delicious recipes for any size gathering.”

She has never assumed or expected that a reader will mimic every detail on every page, right down to the damask napkins and the pumpkin tureens - (but if they wanted to, they could!) She is presenting a concept of entertaining that requires effort and organization, yes, but also the specialness of individual expression and a certain level of thoughtfulness that any guest would appreciate.

The world presented in the pages of Entertaining is entirely Martha’s, and that is very much the point. If harnessing one’s individuality and personal expression in the art of entertaining is the lesson she wants to impart to the reader then, of course, Martha must demonstrate it herself. This is her way of entertaining.

In Martha’s case, the eggs used in the oeuffs-en-gelee were laid by her own hens. The apples in her homemade pies were grown in her orchard – an orchard she had planted herself years prior, after careful research about orchard plantation. The dishes on her tables are mismatched but perfectly curated – some expensive and rare, some more common, some inherited, some found at tag sales and flea markets. Martha took every lesson she had learned about the art of making a gathering of friends and family feel special (lessons she learned mostly through osmosis during her years as a caterer) and then documented them in this book so that others could take part in this dream.

In Entertaining, she made real the imagery she saw in her mind of crowded dessert buffets set upon layers of antique quilts draped over long oak tables. She executed the French-influenced menus she had developed as a caterer, narrowing and expanding them to include a few guests, a dozen - or several dozen. She found new spaces in her gardens and the rooms of her home to set up small dining tables, inspired by what was blooming that season, or how the view from a window in a particular room at a particular time of year seemed to be a little extra special. 

The grandeur and scale of the parties presented in the book is not meant to seem daunting, nor is it meant to be perfectly replicated by the host or hostess; the book is spectacle for the sake of inspiration, a warming fire to ignite one’s own spark to imagine beyond the ordinary – whatever that may look like to you.

The book will no doubt continue to inspire countless readers as they embark upon hosting their first gathering at home. Remember that the main lesson here is not about doing everything on a grand scale, it is about expressing yourself with imagination, thoughtfulness and individuality.

Martha's Special "Fall Recipes" Magazine

Fall is here - at least unofficially - and what better way to welcome the season than with some of Martha Stewart Living's best fall recipes, all collected into one special issue magazine. This special issue is called, quite simply, "Fall Recipes" and is on newsstands now. It is also available to order on Amazon while quantities last. 

This is the third special issue that has been published so far this year by People Inc.: Martha Stewart Fresh came out in the spring, and a reprint of last year's Halloween magazine is currently on stands with an updated cover. There will also be a reprint of last year's Holidays issue with a new cover. 

The magazine includes everything from a grilled cheese and tomato soup pairing, easy one-pan dinners, vegetable roasts, potpies, baked breakfast treats, fruit-laden desserts, cookies, cakes and more! I'll be adding it to my collection of Martha's special issue magazines!

Martha Launches Elm Biosciences

The day after Martha's 84th birthday this year, she announced the launch of her new skincare line called Elm Biosciences, co-founded with her dermatologist, Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali. (The name of the brand was inspired by the name of the street, Elm Place, where Martha's childhood home was located in Nutley, New Jersey).

Preordering for the new skincare line is now live; shoppers can preorder two new products that will ship out on September 17th - the A30 Elemental Serum ($135), an antioxidant serum with the A30 complex at its base, which targets visible signs of aging such as dehydration, irritation and UV damage, and the Inner Dose Daily Skin Supplement ($50), a capsule that addresses hormonal imbalance, inflammation and oxidative stress. All items preordered will be shipped on September 17th.

According to a press release, the new skincare brand consists of "a dual-pathway system designed to treat the internal and external drivers of aging, simplifying daily beauty routines while delivering powerful, clinically-tested results." 

Martha says: "This brand is targeted to a very broad audience. Cells die. Skin ages. We're aging the minute we're born. So we have opportunities here to halt that, or at least prolong the health of our skin. And that's what we're trying to do here."

These clinical tests have been ongoing since 2020 when Martha began developing the line with Dr. Bhanusali. The line has the backing of 350 dermatologist advisors who worked on testing the products. 

Click here to order and explore the brand!

A Special Edition of Martha's Hundredth Book

Earlier this year, an American leather goods company in New York called Graphic Image co-published a very special edition of Martha's 100th book: "Martha: The Cookbook." This limited edition is bound entirely in leather with a special embossed artichoke design (chosen by Martha) on the cover.

My good friend Brian Utz gifted me this copy recently and it has become a treasured addition to my Martha Stewart library. 

The leather-bound edition of the book is printed exactly as the original, filled with Martha's timeless recipes paired with full-colour photography. When ordered, the book is presented in a sturdy yellow box for safe keeping and comes with a genuine leather imprint on the back cover. 

I feel this is such an elegant edition of Martha's milestone publication and a must-have for collectors of Martha's books.

Graphic Image was founded in New York in 1977 by Bennett Glazer. All of their products are made in the United States using leathers imported from Italy, France, Brazil, Turkey and India. They have an ongoing partnership with Tiffany and Co. to handle the production of their leather goods. They manufacture their own line of handbags, wallets and apparel, and have recently branched out into books and home goods.

Click here to order a copy!

Garden Tour Series: A Martha Moments Road Trip

The day after our experience on Martha's farm, a group of us decided to spend the day on the road visiting some of Martha's favourite vendors and artists. After a delicious breakfast at the Airbnb, we all piled into three vehicles, which were loaded with homemade snacks (of course) and began our excursion early so that we would be able to see everything on our list. 

Our first stop of the day was Orangerie, a fabulous home-goods store and nursery in Millbrook, New York. We all posed in front of the entrance with proprietor Anthony Bellomo (far left in the green shirt) who was just leaving for the day. 

Anthony's store has a large greenhouse attached to it, filled with all manner of potted topiaries and plants for the garden. It was a serene and beautiful place.

Inside the shop there are all kinds of beautiful and interesting finds for the home. I loved this collection of ostrich eggs, which had been mounted on stands and decorated with finials. They looked so beautiful in a grouping like this in the center of a large round table. 

I also admired these hand-carved moose antlers. They were extremely costly, but they were works of art. I was enchanted.

A mirror selfie in front of a stand of beautiful scented candles, as well as many ceramic pieces by acclaimed ceramicist Christopher Spitzmiller, Anthony's husband. 

We then drove to Bantam, Connecticut, to visit the ceramic studio and shop of Guy Wolff, one of Martha's favourite potters. Many of the pots in Martha's greenhouse were made by Guy and his son Ben. This is the exterior of his shop and studio. 

The store is rustic but so beautifully-appointed with a variety of Guy's ceramic vessels. Everything was also beautifully lit. 

A collection of white ceramic vessels with decorative edges.

We were lucky to find Guy Wolff himself in the shop! He gave us a lesson on the history of his studio and all the different kinds of ceramics on offer. Nathan Schmidt purchased this large red ceramic pot.

This one was Bernie's favourite.

During our visit, Guy was kind enough to give us a demonstration of how he makes his beautiful pots and vessels. 

It all begins with good clay!

We all posed for a photo outside the studio. Guy's daughter snapped the picture for us. 

We then headed over to Westport where we had a late lunch at Terrain, a garden and housewares store that is part of the Anthropologie brand.

We had lunch at their charming cafe, which has a delicious menu.

The bread comes baked in ceramic flower pots. So charming!

The store itself was lovely with all manner of potted flowers and plants, as well as many home goods, such as scented candles, dinnerware, beauty products and textiles. 

Motoring along to our next stop! Bernie and Dennis are expert navigators. 

While in Westport, we HAD to stop in front of Turkey Hill, perhaps Martha's most famous home. It was lovely to see it in person.

Here I am posing in front of the main gate with my friends Kevin Link and Kristina Closs.

And here I am being silly, pretending to emerge from the side gate to welcome visitors. 

After Turkey Hill, we drove around the corner to the Adams House, which Martha restored in the early 1990s and used it as inspiration for her book, "Martha Stewart's New Old House." She completely renovated it with her late brother, George, and made several videos of the restoration process. The videos were sold at Kmart and the house was used as the logo on the early Martha Stewart Home products that were sold at the retailer. Kmart helped fund the restoration of the home.

Here's the whole group posting in front of the house. From left: Rachel, me, Justin, Jennifer, Kevin, Nathan, Kristina, Dennis, Bernie and Hayden. 

One last stop in Westport: Goodwill! We scoured it for anything Martha, but only Nathan scored with a Martha Stewart Everyday glass pie dish. But, we all found something we loved!

Just before we headed back to the Airbnb, Bernie wanted to stop at Westfair Fish and Chips for some lobster rolls. It is one of Martha's favourite little spots in Westport. It was a full and eventful day!

The following day we all went our separate ways and headed back to our homes, filled with feelings of gratitude and so many memories of our experiences with Martha at her farm. It was truly a dream come true for all of us. 

So many thanks to Martha, Ryan McCallister, Matt Krack, Heather Kirkland, Dorian Arrich, Kevin Sharkey, Lisa Wagner, Allyn Magrino, The Bedford Post Inn, Martha's entire farm staff, and every single person who came from miles away to attended this remarkable event together with me, Bernie and Dennis. We are eternally grateful.