When we sit at the farm tables in the garden just outside The Flower House we will be treated to tabletop floral decor designed by Susan McLeary of Passionflower.

Susan’s design studio is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she specializes in flowers for weddings and events, floral jewelry commissions and floral workshops. She is one of the first florists to join Lisa Waud’s dream of The Flower House. Attendees will tour the entire house, including Susan’s botanically-transformed kitchen on the first floor of The Flower House.

F2V: Tell us how you plan to create more than 100 linear feet of floral tablescape for the Field to Vase Dinner guests to enjoy! 

SM: We are designing an American Grown garland down the center of the table, something simple and beautiful representing foliages and ferns. Into that garland we plan on inserting vases donated by Syndicate Sales. The vases will provide color and texture and they will be filled with all local, seasonal flowers grown by Cornman Farms of Dexter, Michigan. Cornman Farms is owned by the famous Zingerman’s specialty food company and their latest venture is a food and flower farm and event venue. We’re excited to highlight a local farm with the American grown greenery and garlands.

Blake Reetz, a partner in Ann Arbor-based  EAT, a catering and carryout restaurant that focuses on local and seasonal fare, is our featured chef at the Detroit Field to Vase Dinner. Get ready for a classic fall-inspired menu. "Fall is my favorite season," Blake explains. "I love the produce of the fall. I love the feel in the air. It's the time when we can incorporate root vegetables, winter squashes, apple cider and all that's available from local farms. We may live in a time where everything is available to us, but food is never as good as when that vegetable is supposed to be here." 

Along with partner Helen Harding, Blake feeds a loyal customer base motivated by this philosophy:

Our goal is to provide the best tasting food and the most personal service we can offer. We want the food to not only be approachable, but flavorful and exciting. Food is inherently beautiful. We strive to allow carefully-sourced ingredients full expression within authentic food traditions. 

Locally sourced, traditionally-made food, prepared and served with attention to detail creates a sense of abundance and well-being that will make every eat event truly special and uniquely yours. This business is a natural extension of our commitment to the community, to each other and to you. 

Here's a little more about the EAT team:

Blake Reetz was raised on the Reetz family centennial dairy farm in West Branch, Michigan, where eating seasonally and locally was a daily way of life and hard work built healthy appetites. Community events large and small centered around family and food, the harvest, the preparation and, of course, the eating. At eat, Blake brings a sense of place back to the table, coupled with a creative energy that finds its natural expression in food. Every meal becomes a feast.

Helen Harding was raised in Ann Arbor by parents with deep roots in the community. Helen has traveled and studied abroad, and found the experience only deepened her commitment to her home town. In Ann Arbor, with its heartland heart and global sensibility, Helen has found many lessons can be learned by just staying put. With eat, she would like to return the favor to the community that formed her, using everything she has learned to provide grounded, thoughtful and inspiring food and service.