Reflections from Australia: Being on the Receiving End of Hospitality
Plus, My Fennel Salad Recipe, Holiday Wine Picks, and Tips for Welcoming Newcomers
The past few months have been a blur of travel: seven countries in two months, crossing the international dateline (and back!), and cooking two 50-person long-table pop-ups for Renaissance. If you've ever been away for long periods, you know the comforts of home are stripped away, leaving you reliant on the hospitality of others. This might come from a yawning nightshift hotel receptionist, a car rental agent in Fiji offering his friend’s car to save you money (even though you don’t take him up on it), or a family graciously offering their teenager’s bedroom for you to crash in.
This year, I’ve been blessed to live on the receiving end of some insane hospitality:
A family in the Cotswolds saved a bottle of wine for me, wrote my name on it in 2023, and promised to share it when we meet again. We drank it together last week.
In San Francisco, a working mom carved out time to pick my co-event planner and me up from the airport, knowing it was our first visit to the city.
In Brisbane, a friend took an entire day off to introduce us to the koalas and kangaroos just outside the city.
Strangers in New Zealand paid for our bus fare before we could figure it out ourselves.
In Taipei, a woman shared her freshly purchased mochi with us after seeing us marvel at a street vendor artfully stretching and shaping them.
In Paris, my friend's mom treated me to lunch, then invited me to take a work call at her apartment while she ran errands.
In Australia, a conference coordinator paused her packed schedule to welcome me, thank me for coming, and give me a personal tour despite her workload.
On the final leg of our whirlwind trip, my friend Marisa and I sat in a café in Taipei, reflecting on how these small acts of kindness transformed our journey. Happy tears welled in our eyes—partly from sleep deprivation—as we considered how to carry this spirit back home to New York. We lamented times we let packed schedules leave no margin for small gestures of generosity.
When was the last time I paid for a tourist’s subway fare or left a handwritten note for a house guest? Took a break from working to be present in a conversation with a stranger? Gone out of my way to show gratitude to my team before diving into logistics?
If I’ve learned one thing from all my travels this year, it's this: the key to hospitality is being present. It's allowing yourself to be interruptible.
During one of these travel days, instead of rushing through a goodbye with a team member, I lingered in conversation. Within minutes, I learned he was feeling empty and depleted. That moment of presence allowed me to listen and encourage him, and I was grateful I hadn’t hurried off.
In our fast-paced world, small gestures—a shared meal, an attentive, non-anxious presence, or an unexpected favor—can be the greatest gifts we give.
So, tell me: what small acts of hospitality have left an impression on you? How can you pay that kindness forward in your city?
Ask Rachel: Your Hosting Questions Answered
Q: How do you successfully integrate new people into existing friend groups while hosting?
A: You know the feeling – you’ve stood near the snack table at a party or been on a weekend getaway feeling like you accidentally crashed a party where everyone already knows each other. We’ve all been in groups where nobody spoke to us and where we felt like outsiders. If the purpose of hospitality is to welcome the outsider, the key as a host is to get others on board to help accomplish that very mission. Chances are, there will be moments when your hands are full, or you’re caught up hearing about your friend’s latest job promotion, and you won’t be able to make sure your new friend isn’t standing all alone. Employing your trusted friends with a little context ahead of time can empower them to make meaningful connections with the newcomers and, in turn, help take the sole responsibility off of you to successfully integrate anyone new.
Before a Natty Wine party (the large-scale natural wine bashes I used to throw to help people meet others in NYC), my friends usually get a text from me that goes something like this: “SO grateful you’re coming!! You know the heart behind these events is for people to meet people, so please find a few strangers tonight and ask how they found out about the party. It’s so easy to stick with the friends we know, but there will be new people in the room, and I’d love it if you could be an extra set of eyes and ears to help them feel welcome!” This text has done wonders for those Natty Wine parties.
If it’s a smaller gathering, I might even text a friend to let them know I’ve invited X, share a little context about them, and ask my friend to help make X feel at home.
Remember to comment or send me your questions or hosting hurdles. I’ll answer more in future newsletters.
From the Kitchen
Easy-Shaved Fennel Salad
It’s FENNEL season, and I’ve made this 5-ingredient salad multiple times in the past month – it’s the perfect crisp, acidic complement to heartier dishes like dhal, pork chops, tonkatsu, schnitzel, or a rich beef stew.
Serves 4-5
You need a mandolin for this! I’ve been told most people don’t have a mandolin lying around in their house! It will change your life!
Ingredients:
3 fennel bulbs
1 heart of celery
4 oz shaved (not shredded!) Parmesan (you can purchase shaved to skip a step)
1 lemon
Splash of White Balsamic Vinegar
Olive oil (to taste)
Finishing salt (like Maldon)
Freshly cracked black pepper
Steps:
Prepare the fennel: Cut off the stalks and fronds (save some fronds for garnish if you’d like). Remove any tough or damaged outer layers of the fennel bulb and cut it in half.
Slice the fennel and celery: Using a mandoline slicer (or a sharp knife if you don’t have one), shave each fennel half and celery stalk into thin slices. BE CAREFUL not to let your fingers get near the blade. Too many accidents have happened carelessly using a mandolin.
Assemble the salad: Place the shaved fennel and celery in a large bowl. Gently coat with the olive oil, and season with white balsamic, salt, and cracked pepper. Zest the lemon and squeeze the juice into the salad.
Add the Parmesan: Use a vegetable peeler to shave ribbons of Parmesan over the salad. Toss lightly again to distribute.
Taste and adjust: Taste the salad and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds.
Modify: Try adding dates for some sweetness or artichoke hearts to change up the texture.
Wine 101 – What Wine to Bring to Any Holiday Occasion
This week, I’m continuing our three-part holiday party wine guide. Today, I’m covering two essentials: The Winter Roast Wine and The Big Holiday Party Wine.
Before we get into this week’s picks, I want to give a shout-out to Cin Cin Vol. I, the first print magazine published by Create Dinners, where this content was originally featured.
The Winter Roast Wine
For those centerpiece-worthy holiday meals—whether it’s a Christmas roast, brisket for Hanukkah, or a rack of lamb—you need a bold red wine with depth and structure. Think rich blackberries, firm tannins, and enough complexity to match the indulgence of the season. And hey, it might even be the perfect pairing to take onto the rooftop with a cigar (just me?). My go-to is a Côtes du Rhône, made from Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache.
Now that we’ve talked about cozy, intimate meals, let’s shift gears to the kind of wine you’d bring to a festive holiday bash.
The Big Holiday Party Wine
It’s your friend’s annual holiday bash—the one in that great apartment in Brooklyn Heights. You know the one. Arriving with a fun bottle is a great way to make a new friend. Bring it chilled, crack it open, and find someone to ask if they’d like to try it with you. Then proceed to get locked into a conversation, pinky promising not to share the bottle with anyone else if they tell you about the time they hit on Ashley Graham’s husband at Butler Coffee before realizing he was married to a model. (He wasn’t wearing a ring.) A skin-contact wine made from Alsace offers an aromatic bouquet of white florals, dried apricot, walnut, and black tea, with enough tannins to slow you down, savor, and enjoy the moment.
Table Questions
What environment is most conducive to inspiring your creativity?
What do you do when you get creative block?
What is an act of generous hospitality you’ve been on the receiving end of?
Do you have any practices to help mark significant milestones in your life?
What special places do you like to show people when they visit you?
Need Help Planning Your Holiday Party?
Let Rachel Snyder Hospitality bring creativity and ease to your upcoming celebrations! Whether you’re planning a New Year’s Eve party, a vision-planning brunch to kick off 2025, or a more intimate gathering, we specialize in creating unforgettable moments of connection. From stunning food styling and expertly crafted menus to personalized wine pairings, we’ll handle every detail so you can focus on your guests. Limited dates are still available, so don’t wait—contact us today.
A Little Housekeeping
Can’t find the newsletter? It might be hiding out in your spam folder, so be sure to mark this address as "not spam." If it's still playing hard to get, check your Promotions tab. And don’t worry—you can always catch up on everything over on the website!