Yesterday marked a huge family milestone — it was my father’s 50th birthday. In order to celebrate the crazy, fun-loving man that he is, my mom decided to throw a surprise party to cheer on the big day.
This being our family, we made sure to pull out all of the stops in order to make the day as special as possible. And one of the largest surprises packed into the weekend was that my grandparents, who live in Kansas, and my uncle Joe, who lives in California, trekked out to North Carolina for the party. My uncle has never visited Asheville before, and we all loved getting to show him all of the sights of the mountains.
Yet it wouldn’t be a celebration without food, and looking back over the last few days, the moments that stand out are the ones associated with a meal. Furthermore, the majority of these meals took place outside of our home, proving that a restaurant can have equal importance to a home-cooked meal.
The weekend kicked off with the “big reveal” of my uncle and grandparents, who had stayed overnight in a hotel in order to be kept secret. We decided to tell my dad that we were going out to dinner together as a family, and so the four of us drove to Marco’s Pizzeria for a bite to eat. Right after we sat down, my grandparents walked in, and sneaked up behind my dad before jumping out and welcoming him with hugs. The reveal of Uncle Joe came next — he dressed up as a waiter, and walked over to the table to take our drink orders. My dad ordered his beverage before he recognized that the man he thought was a waiter was in actuality his brother, and was completely speechless in surprise. As we ate pizza, they kept laughing and re-hashing the fine details that went into bringing the whole family together, transforming the meal into a time of fond memories and good times.
The next night was the “official” surprise party. My uncle and grandpa managed to get my dad out of the house for the day, while my mom, grandma, sister, and I frantically set up decorations, food, and drinks for over 50 people. Several hours later, my dad arrived home to see all of his friends, neighbors, and colleagues in our living room to celebrate his milestone.
To feed all of the guests, we ordered massive pans of Baked Ziti to be catered to our house, which may be cheating on the family-recipe aspect of cooking, but was enjoyed by all. As friends of my father’s from all different walks of life sat together and shared a meal, it truly demonstrated the power of food, regardless of where it was from. Looking around our crowded house, I saw people who hadn’t known one another just hours before conversing and laughing, and growing closer over a meal. While it wasn’t homemade, the feelings of family and connection were present. My family was reunited, our friends were close by, and everyone was having a great time, just as a celebration should be.
This being our family, we made sure to pull out all of the stops in order to make the day as special as possible. And one of the largest surprises packed into the weekend was that my grandparents, who live in Kansas, and my uncle Joe, who lives in California, trekked out to North Carolina for the party. My uncle has never visited Asheville before, and we all loved getting to show him all of the sights of the mountains.
Yet it wouldn’t be a celebration without food, and looking back over the last few days, the moments that stand out are the ones associated with a meal. Furthermore, the majority of these meals took place outside of our home, proving that a restaurant can have equal importance to a home-cooked meal.
The weekend kicked off with the “big reveal” of my uncle and grandparents, who had stayed overnight in a hotel in order to be kept secret. We decided to tell my dad that we were going out to dinner together as a family, and so the four of us drove to Marco’s Pizzeria for a bite to eat. Right after we sat down, my grandparents walked in, and sneaked up behind my dad before jumping out and welcoming him with hugs. The reveal of Uncle Joe came next — he dressed up as a waiter, and walked over to the table to take our drink orders. My dad ordered his beverage before he recognized that the man he thought was a waiter was in actuality his brother, and was completely speechless in surprise. As we ate pizza, they kept laughing and re-hashing the fine details that went into bringing the whole family together, transforming the meal into a time of fond memories and good times.
The next night was the “official” surprise party. My uncle and grandpa managed to get my dad out of the house for the day, while my mom, grandma, sister, and I frantically set up decorations, food, and drinks for over 50 people. Several hours later, my dad arrived home to see all of his friends, neighbors, and colleagues in our living room to celebrate his milestone.
To feed all of the guests, we ordered massive pans of Baked Ziti to be catered to our house, which may be cheating on the family-recipe aspect of cooking, but was enjoyed by all. As friends of my father’s from all different walks of life sat together and shared a meal, it truly demonstrated the power of food, regardless of where it was from. Looking around our crowded house, I saw people who hadn’t known one another just hours before conversing and laughing, and growing closer over a meal. While it wasn’t homemade, the feelings of family and connection were present. My family was reunited, our friends were close by, and everyone was having a great time, just as a celebration should be.
Throughout the rest of my uncle’s visit and my father’s birthday weekend, we continued to show Joe some of our favorite Asheville restaurants, including Tupelo Honey Cafe, 12 Bones, and Papa’s and Beer. Each of the establishments is one of our favorite places to go, and over the years countless memories have been made at each, cementing them all into the restaurants that we will pass down to our families in the years to come. These places are where we mark momentous occasions and celebrate successes, and in doing so, we are stamping our approval and the restaurant’s importance into family history. I will always remember the mariachi band singing and shoving ice cream into my dad’s face at Papa’s and Beer, or the look of shock and excitement that crossed my dad’s face as he saw his brother emerge at Marco’s. These restaurants are now synonymous with our family, and I know that the next time we have a milestone to mark, the memories will keep on being made at the places we consider home