By Danielle Davey
Whether you love hosting or dread the preparation, a memorable dinner party relies on connection over complexity. Mary Tresize-Brown has spent her career bringing people together. As an expert facilitator, she effortlessly transfers those professional skills to the dining room table, making every guest feel at home.
Driven by her passion for the culinary arts and social networking, Mary founded the event hosting group Happy Places & Co. in 2019. Her mission was simple: to unite people through food, storytelling and friendship. Today, her initiative features a range of offerings that prove gatherings don’t have to be exhausting to be a success.
The Good Things & Food Club is a registration-based program hosting six events a year around tables at various venues across the Peninsula and beyond. Members participate in activities such as the Recipe and Ritual Swap, where they are invited to share anything that holds personal meaning. In the past, guests have brought along everything from their favourite poems to cherished family recipes.
For those seeking a more immersive experience, the Saturday Supper Club elevates the traditional dinner party. These curated evenings put the focus on food, wine and structured conversations. For an Italian-inspired evening, Mary served magnificent pizzas fresh from her wood-fired oven, while a French-themed evening treated guests to a bespoke menu by French chef Maison By Patrice.
The Cookbook Club is also held six times a year at Mary’s Tyabb home. The concept is stress-free, centring around long lunches where guests bring a dish from a pre-selected cookbook. Removing the burden of cooking a multi-course meal from a single host, the club turns preparation into a shared adventure. Mary’s husband contributes too, highly regarded by the group for his expert breadmaking.
Mary advises anyone planning to host their own dinner party against being overambitious, recommending they restrict the menu to one or two dishes. She encourages the same simplicity when creating tablescapes. Good quality napkins are crucial; folded beautifully or tied with string and a sprig of greenery, they look fabulous on a plain white tablecloth.
An excellent way to keep the conversation flowing is to add interesting elements. The inclusion of an activity always boosts guest engagement. To date, Happy Places & Co. events have included post-lunch trail walks, high teas and creative pursuits such as flower arranging. A crowd favourite was The Big Blue Bake Off, raising money for Beyond Blue. Guests baked treats judged by Hannah Ward, founder of Mother Mary Bakes.
At every table, Mary utilises pre-planned prompts, sending out discussion topics beforehand so guests can settle in fast without any awkward icebreakers. “You get to know not just the people on either side of you, but everyone around the table,” she says.
As a testament to their popularity, the gatherings Mary creates through Happy Places & Co. have a 100 per cent guest attendance rate, proving that dinner parties can succeed without being polished to perfection, requiring only good food and a willingness to have fun.
To learn more, visit www.happyplacesandco.com or @happyplacesandco on Instagram.
