Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1203909
42 SALTED BUTTER AND SAGE ADVICE AT WISTERIA ALEX HITZ BY ANNE LEE PHILLIPS. PHOTOGRAPHY JOHNNY THAN. A lex Hitz knows how to entertain. Not only is he a master at setting a table, curating a guest list, and crafting a masterful menu, but he's also quite witty, and as an award-winning chef, best-selling author, television person- ality, event designer, contributing editor at Town & Country and former food editor at House Beautiful, he knows how to work a crowd. He did exactly that at the global design store Wisteria, at a signing of his latest Rizzoli book, The Art of the Host: Recipes and Rules for Flawless Entertaining. Wisteria president Caryn Lerner was in from Dallas HQ for the PaperCity-sponsored fête, where Culinaire crafted hors d'oeuvres from Hitz's hit list — curried chicken salad, spinach and artichoke gratin in phyllo cups, petite velvet egg salad open-faced sandwiches, marinated shrimp salad on endive petals, and Best Ever Blondies. One guest confessed to Hitz that the curried chicken salad is on her last-meal list. Hitz's top tips for hosts: Anything you do, do it with style and confidence … and salted butter. Always salted butter. SEEN: Ann Wolf, Ruth and Neill Davis, Suzanne Duin Stewart, Devin Babbitt, Don Mafrige Jr., Suzy Simons, Franny Koelsch Jeffries and John Jeffries, Jack Ralston, Natalie Ariz, Ben Koush and Luis de las Cuevas, Phil Hudson and Boomer Galindo, Brenda Atkins, Mary Bertram, Stuart Williams; and Wisteria's Tracey Vigano, store director Kathy Frietsch, and Arlen Miller. Tracey Vigano, Alex Hitz, Caryn Lerner Monica Bickers, Neill & Ruth Davis Virginia Reynolds Suzanne Duin Stewart, Natalie Ariz, Devin Babbitt, Chris Duin Boomer Galindo & Phil Hudson Ben Koush & Luis de las Cuevas Mary Bertram Picture-perfect hors d'oeuvres at Wisteria Brenda Atkins, Stuart Williams, Ann Wolf Franny Koelsch Jeffries, Kathy Frietsch Suzy Simons, Don Mafrige Jr. Anne Lee Phillips, Alex Hitz SERVES UP BON MOTS