Bring Them to the Table

By Stacy Moser | Photography by Nan Dickson

In 2012, Sarah Harmeyer, a fundraising event planner for a nationally recognized hospital, was transferred from Houston to Dallas for her work. She says she felt isolated in the unfamiliar city at first and knew the best solution was to connect with her neighbors somehow.

Sarah had heard about a social app for neighborhoods called Nextdoor.com that allows users to interact with others to discuss local community news. She decided to issue an open invitation to her neighbors to dine at her house one evening, sending her invitation via the app. Her hope was that communing over a meal would be the best way to approach them. “When I thought about the best moments of my life, they all revolved around the table,” Sarah explains. Much to her surprise, over 90 people showed up for dinner that night. “Something ignited in me that day,” she says. “I realized people just want to be invited.”

She went to her father with an idea, asking if he could build a table big enough to accommodate a large group of her newfound friends in her back yard. He created a huge red western cedar table for her, which served as the gathering spot for many happy meals with neighbors and family. She became inspired to bring residents in other neighborhoods together, enticing them with “neighbor’s tables” of their own.

In 2013, Sarah turned her inspiration into a business, Neighbor’s Table, selling her dad’s handmade tables to other would-be hosts, encouraging them to gather their own communities for a meal. In an effort to connect with her customers, she personally delivers every Neighbor’s Table that she sells in a rental truck. Now, there are over 200 of her tables spread across the country, and she says she constantly hears stories from her customers about how they’ve reached out to meet new people, gathering at their own Neighbor’s Table.

“I feel like they’re my family,” she says. “People think I’m in the table business, but I’m really in the people business. Good things happen when you lean in and share a meal.”

* * * * *

“I’m a gatherer,” says Brittany Norman as she hefts a platter of delicious-looking chicken onto a large cedar table in the screened-in porch of her historic home in Temple. She is preparing to host a dinner party for friends and family, making last-minute adjustments to the dinnerware and dishes she brings from the kitchen.

“My dad was a pastor in San Antonio,” she says. “I grew up in a house where we brought people to our table all the time. It was like we had a revolving door. My parents held big gatherings for the symphony, church, friends and neighbors. It’s very much who I am. It’s part of my fabric.”

Brittany recognizes that such a small thing as a meal shared at home can have a big impact on a family. “At our house, we love to share stories around the table, encourage each other, eat together and slow down. It’s very important to me. Our family sits down together every night, whether I’ve cooked or we’ve picked up take-out. We adapt our schedule to the kids’ activities, like football, piano and cheer. So that means we may eat at weird times,” she laughs. “But family discussions and just asking ‘How was your day?’ don’t happen on the fly very easily, so it’s important to do it at dinner.”

She explains that she has a no-phones policy during meals, gathering times they often share with her mother and grandmother, who live close by. “I feel like our world is so fast-paced and so digital. People don’t look each other in the eye and ask how things are going. We make it a practice at our house.”

As her family grew, so did the size of Brittany’s gatherings. It soon became apparent that she needed to create a space in her home dedicated to entertaining, no matter what size group showed up. She and Michael screened in their porch and Brittany went in search of a proper table for the space.

“I read a story about Sarah Harmeyer and the tables she and her dad make,” Brittany says. “Last fall, I contacted Sarah and immediately connected with her. We emailed back and forth and really related about being people gatherers—the heart swell you get when guests come to your table. For some people that’s really stressful. But for me, it’s not about the food, it’s about the community. So my decision to buy one of her tables wasn’t just about the table, it was about her story.”

On the day the table was delivered, Sarah showed up in a rental truck, backing it into Brittany’s driveway and unloading the massive cedar table and benches into Brittany’s newly screened-in porch. The two women hugged each other, already good friends even though they were meeting face-to-face for the first time.

“Part of my goal in gathering people at this table is to let them relax and have the gift of being together,” Brittany says. “Food and drinks are secondary. This table is where we can hold hands, be close—we can look at each other. The table is that solid piece around which you can make real, intimate communication happen.”

Brittany’s People-Pleaser Recipes

Aunt Melanie’s Famous Baked Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs. chicken tenders
1½ cups mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 cups crushed Ritz crackers or almond meal (for a healthier option)
1 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded or shaved)
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
Sea salt

In a large bowl, mix together mayonnaise, mustard and garlic. Dredge chicken in mixture until coated. Combine crushed crackers (or almond meal) and cheese. Bread the chicken in this mixture. Spread tenders evenly on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle melted butter over chicken, salt to taste and bake 30 minutes at 425° F (or until breading is golden brown).

Roasted Veggies
“I sprinkle chopped veggies with sea salt and minced garlic before cooking—my family loves garlic. I drizzle them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then sauté them until they are still slightly crisp. My kids take them warmed in their lunch boxes.” Brittany serves the veggies with her sister-in-law’s “famous chicken,” a favorite family go-to recipe.

Championing Global Causes

Brittany explains that she is passionate about studying languages and cultures, the global issues of poverty, women’s and children’s health, adoption and education—channeling her parents’ compassion for welcoming and empowering anyone in need.

She co-founded Academic Programs International, working to support students studying abroad—a natural fit for someone who is compelled to bring people from all walks of life together. She also serves on the board of All God’s Children International (based in Portland, Oregon), working to promote orphan care and family preservation around the world.

Both Brittany and Michael are active local volunteers, championing causes that empower people to be successful members of their families and community. Now, she’s a stay-at-home mom of five children, her two oldest are in college and her youngest is in second grade.

Brittany and Michael, the CEO of bio-medical company Livful Inc., invest in emerging companies around the world, with the purpose of supporting enterprises that affect change on all scales. One of Livful’s latest innovations, for instance, is a highly effective mosquito repellant that is currently sold in several countries around the world. One of the goals for the product is to contribute to the decline of mosquito-borne disease in developing nations.

NeighborsTable.com
APIAbroad.com
AllGodsChildren.org
Livful.com