CHEF`s KITCHEN TR Pescod serves up the meal

Gutter
CHEF’s KITCHEN
T.R. Pescod serves up the
meal in round marble bowls
given to him by Lisa
Bowles of Roark Modern.
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August 2013
The fact that model, actor, interior designer and
Southampton native T.R. Pescod is an expert host
should come as no surprise—after all, he counts Ina
Garten as a longtime friend. For Beach, Pescod
created a sublime Saturday luncheon at his North Sea
home for a Peconic Bay-front afternoon of friends,
food and, of course, rosé.
by Laura Euler
August 2013
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I
t’s a bright, warm afternoon
in Southampton. The scent
of lilac and lily of the valley
hangs heavily in the air. Inside
a spare gray house, a ruggedly
gorgeous male model is setting
out salads and tabbouleh in
chunky marble bowls on a thick
mahogany counter. Outside,
on a generous porch furnished
with black wicker overlooking
a lawn sloping down to the
water, chic men and glamorous
women holding glasses of cold
wine laugh at the exploits of a
tiny golden puppy gamboling
on the grass. Beyond, a vintage
wooden table is set for lunch,
dressed with old French linens
and casual garden bouquets.
And just when you think you’ve
stepped into a Ralph Lauren
pictorial, a beautiful child
with a mass of blonde curls
skips across the greensward.
But nature has a way of
bringing even the most heavenly
of scenes right back to earth.
Look down and you’ll
see bits of goose dung in
the grass. Earlier, one of the
glamorous women had come
out with a trowel and started
flicking turds down the lawn.
“I’m on poop duty,” she
explains. Even into a charmed
life, some goose poop must fall.
Whose charmed life is this?
It’s that of T.R. Pescod,
who grew up in the Hamptons
and started learning about
entertaining by managing Ina
Garten’s shop, the Barefoot
Contessa, when he was 15 years
old. Says Pescod, “I learned
a lot from Ina. Her party
philosophy—that you don’t
have to do absolutely everything
yourself, exhausting yourself
before your guests arrive—is one
I still follow. The most important
part of a party is for you to enjoy
it!” He loves to host lunches in
the summer around the pool or
at the beach; in most cases the
festivities go into early evening—
as long as the rosé is flowing.
(This writer can attest to that.)
After university, Pescod
lived in Paris for three years,
where he honed his cooking
skills and learned how to shop
for quality ingredients. He
also bought all the old French
linens he could find at flea
markets. “I now have tons of
old napkins embroidered with
family crests and initials,” he
says. “I’ll throw old linen sheets
or bedspreads over a table
outside to dress it up. In Prague,
I bought green stemware that
perfectly complements the maple
leaves in the backyard. I want
my table to have an elegant,
eclectic but not fussy look, and
my guests to feel they can put
their oversized French napkins
on their heads and be silly—
which has happened often.”
As a model and actor,
Pescod has traveled and lived
all over the world. “I’ve always
wanted to explore and learn
everything I can, and embrace
every new experience that
comes my way,” he says. “I’ve
been fortunate to meet so many
talented people—the people
whose business it is to shape the
modern day aesthetic. I’ve been
able to learn from tastemakers.”
His sophisticated taste
is evident in his home, which
he designed himself despite a
complete lack of architectural
training. The bedroom tower
resembles the lighthouses that
dot America’s East Coast; the
interior has a Swedish feel,
with painted wooden boards
everywhere. “I did a number of
shoots in beautiful lake houses
in the countryside of Sweden,”
Pescod says. “Those houses had
the most beautiful weathered
wood planking, milky colors and
not a stitch of plasterboard on the
walls. When I told my contractor
I didn’t want any sheetrock he
almost had a heart attack. On
Nantucket the previous summer,
I’d become obsessed with
watchtowers, widow’s walks and
lighthouses. I incorporated all
these things into my home in a
modern way, while maintaining
the Hamptons vernacular.”
After building this beautiful
house, Pescod realized how
much he enjoyed the process
of design. His new design
company, TRP Design, shares
his inspirations and his many
years observing and learning
from the best and experiencing
different cultures with clients.
This early summer afternoon,
Pescod serves a casual weekend
lunch inspired by his recent
travels to Morocco and Turkey.
Chicken from the grill with a
Moroccan spice rub is paired
with quinoa tabbouleh, cold
spiced carrots and arugula salad
with pumpkin seeds and orange
segments soaked in rosewater,
with a lemon-honey vinaigrette.
For dessert, figs with honey
are accompanied by almond
and chocolate macaroons.
Everything is washed down
with plenty of chilled rosé.
“I learned in Paris that
it’s what you put into a recipe
that shows in the end. It truly
is about the quality of food,
not the quantity,” Pescod says.
“I always get my chicken from
Kings Farm, around the corner
from my house. And the produce
at Halsey Farm Stand in Water
Mill is the best on the eastern end
of Long Island. They have the
most amazing variety of greens,
and the sweetest and best corn
anywhere. They also offer cheeses
from Mecox Dairy, which I love
to serve with local honeycomb
and fresh bread from Blue Duck.”
The guest list is a mixture:
some heavy hitters in the design
world, like Steven Gambrel, the
well-known designer; portrait
artist Beth Rundquist; Quinn
Pofahl, vice president of creative
presentation at Ralph Lauren;
and Lisa Bowles, owner of East
Hampton’s Roark. There are old
friends like Bethelle Desmond,
a life coach, and neighbor Mats
Carlston with his daughter, Alva,
the child model. From the world
of real estate come brokers Fiona
Dorst and Oliver Brown, as well
as James Anderson, founder of
The Anderson Group real estate
marketing firm. The financial
realm was represented by wealth
management consultant Bruce
Holley, and Chris Connors, who
spent the past five years working
for the Obama Administration
and is now developing a new
business. Last but not least are
Sailor the Labradoodle puppy
and James the Jack Russell. James
particularly enjoys the tidbits of
leftover chicken I sneak him.
Good design, good food,
good friends: It all adds up to the
charmed life of T.R. Pescod. B
AN ENCHANTED AFTERNOON Opposite page, clockwise from top left: The
crew toasts to a beautiful afternoon in the backyard; a tablescape combining
antique French linens and hand-blown wine glasses from Prague mixed with
pieces from CB2 and the flowers of the moment: lilacs; (left to right) Chris
Connor, T.R. Pescod, Lisa Bowles and James Anderson gather on the porch;
Pescod poses with Alva Carlston and sailor; chocolate and coconut
macaroons, fresh figs and lily of the valley freshly picked from the front yard;
grilled chicken, spiced Moroccan carrots and quinoa tabbouleh are some of
the delicious dishes inspired by Pescod’s travels.
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ARTFuLLy CuRATED Clockwise from top left: Pescod welcomes guests to the home he designed and decorated with
architect sandy Peabody; details in the master bedroom include a steel-and-leather chest from Jayson Home, art by Jean
Cocteau, a French Audoux-Minet Bentwood Vibo armchair and sconce by Thomas O’Brien for Circa Lighting; the master
bath’s signature Hardware tub is illuminated by light fixtures by Thomas O’Brien for Circa Lighting; the entryway sets the
eclectic scene with a table and driftwood lamp from Laurin Copen Antiques, spears and a drum purchased on a trip to
south Africa, a swan decoy from Pescod’s mother, a found-glass mirror from Pescod’s first apartment and pottery from
OK in LA; the soothing master bedroom features art by Reed Danzinger, sidetables from Brimfield Antiques show, a
West Elm headboard, Restoration Hardware sconces, a carpet from One Kings Lane and linens by Area.
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HOusE PARTy
Pescod pauses on the dock
behind his home—as his
stylish afternoon fête
carries on behind him.
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