If you've been following along at home you know that one of my favorite jobs EVER was at Churchview Farm where, among other things, I helped run the Summer Farm Dinner Series for three years. We worked with some of Pittsburgh's best chefs to create a magical dining experience on the farm. I loved every minute of getting to know the chefs and their staffs and learning about foods I'd never imagine. And the sweet, lovely time of sharing food with one another was pure joy for me. So when it came time to decide what sort of event I should put on for FULLTIME it seemed a natural fit to emulate - on a much smaller scale - what we had done on the farm. (Also: Dan Rugh of Commonwealth Press basically - but thankfully - bullied me into it).

Let me back up a bit - FULLTIME is a multi-day, city-wide collection of individually planned events created by separate hosts and promoted unilaterally as a single unit - with the goal of highlighting the wide array of creative culture and entrepreneurial spirit modern Pittsburgh has to offer.

Serendipitously I am currently working with Trevett Hooper on his upcoming restaurant, Pie for Breakfast. So it made perfect sense to ask him to host the dinner with me and we'd tie it in with the official launch of PFB. Fortunately he agreed. While he and his sous chef, Tom Lonardo, worked out the menu and drinks I collected everything I'd need to turn our home into a makeshift-but-intimate restaurant.

Pick up all supplies for a sweet dinner from sweet Tara and Churchview Farm.

I spent three days gathering tables, linens, dishes and glassware, folding chairs, a fire pit, and various other supplies; also mowed the grass, cleaned up after winter, tidied up the house, and washed the baseboards (!) - who does that on the regular?

Make a ton of buttons out of the new PFB mascot.

Remove all furniture. vacuum all dog hair.

Send up a bat signal letting everyone know a FULLTIME event is happening.

Appetizers and Full Stop cocktails for all.

Matt, and Chefs Tom and Trevett in the kitchen.

Trevett's menu. I had no idea I love einkorn so much.

Fill a table with a great group of people and give them delicious food and drink.

Serve rose, red, and amaro and give people pens and paper.

For over four hours on that Wednesday my house was filled with so much love, laughter, food, drink, more laughter, music, and more love. I'll take that FULLTIME.

Thanks go to:

Steven Foxbury - for his inexhaustible patience with - and support of - me

Trevett Hooper - for giving space to my ideas and for feeding our bellies and souls

Dan Rugh - for your good ideas, your bullying, and your folding tables

Shannon Rugh, Kelly Sanders, Heather Damron - for your folding chairs (and your friendships)

Tara Rockacy - for your dinner supplies and ever-loving support

Lisa Krowinski - for taking the shorties so we (I) could misbehave with abandon

Sam Ginsburg - for your sweet texts and photos

Sonja Van Dijk - for your cute water bottles and your patience with us as neighbors

FULLTIME crew - for being the best around

- onward.