AUGUST 2020 93New York, where she owns Talbott & Arding Cheese and
Provisions—Des Jardins can always count on Arding to bring
everyone’s favorite fruit-and-nut loaf. Peter Martinelli, who
owns Fresh Run Farm in Bolinas, California, first came here
with Arding before he even met Des Jardins. Sallie Miller is a
longtime friend, part of the “mom’s group” that started coming
up when the kids were in third grade (Des Jardins’ son, Eli, is
now 20 and a junior in college). Jennifer Roy is here, too—she’s
Des Jardins’ partner and Dandelion Chocolate’s director of
marketing and PR.
As the group pours wine into tumblers and grabs handfuls
of limey pepitas, they talk over one another, sharing stories of
Shaver Lake.
“I remember one time Peter and I were here in the winter,
and the snow was halfway up [the house walls],” Miller says.
“We had to dig a tunnel to the door when we got here,” Mar-
tinelli recalls.
“We climbed out the window and up the ice,” Miller adds.
“We put a barbecue up there and had steaks.”
Whether reminiscing about boysenberry milkshakes at
Hungry Hut or arguing over who won the fried okra cook-off,
nearly every memory of this place is tied to eating great food.
For Des Jardins—who more than anything loves being here with
Eli—it’s most fun to have chef friends, like Milliken and Keller,
by her side, too.
“When I’m up here with non-chefs, it’s a heavy load, because
typically we have 10 to 15 people here,” Des Jardins says. “When
I have my friends to help me cook, it’s seamless.”
Earlier today, Des Jardins grilled peaches on the firepit while
Keller and Milliken cleaned squash blossoms for a dish with
epazote and poblano. After finishing the outdoor elements, the
chefs came inside and stationed themselves around the island
in the kitchen. Keller stirred a salad dressing in a stainless steel
mixing bowl while Milliken poured in olive oil and Des Jar-
dins cracked pepper. They moved quickly around one another,
pausing only to spoon each other tastes.
“We love each other’s taste buds,” Milliken says, back at the
table. “We have a really easy, fun way of cooking.”
“And for the non-chefs,” Arding teases, “it’s fantastic.”
“Well, there was the era of the rotten meat,” Des Jardins
recalls, half-joking. “Before I got the freezer.” She can barely
get the words out because she’s laughing so hard. “The most
rotten thing would be what I cooked every night.”
“And then we started eating mice, after a while,” Miller says,
cracking up along with everyone else at the table.
“And wolf spiders,” Keller adds, laughing.
Once corncobs have been gnawed, Des Jardins and her friends
relocate from the table to the firepit, where nights always end. A
tub of Mexican chocolate sorbet makes its way around the circle.
“Come and sit with us,” Des Jardins calls to Eli and the rest of
the guests inside the cabin—this weekend, her partner’s mother,
brother, and sister are all here, along with several teenage sons
and daughters. “We’re telling Shaver Lake stories.”
from top: Mary Sue Milliken (left) and Loretta Keller clean
squash blossoms; Jalepeño-Lime Pepitas (recipe p. 103).
opposite, clockwise from top left: Des Jardins (middle)
walks to the beach with Jennifer Roy (left), Sallie Miller
(right), and Linus; a variety of wines for the evening’s feast;
Verbena-Infused Tequila and Tonic (recipe p. 103); the
dinner table, set up on Des Jardins’ front porch.