Birthday Feast For A Bon Vivant: A Legendary Dinner at the Liechtenstein's -

It’s a known fact that the Liechtensteins can throw a party. The trademark of their popular dinners has always been that “everything is made by someone in the family, whether it’s the cocktails or the food or the entertainment,” daughter Lauren discloses. But for matron Maymay Liechtenstein’s 56th birthday, they took it a notch higher by making the program a complete family affair. The pink-and-green themed dinner began with Segura Viudas brut reserve cava served in vintage Grace Home Manila glasses, before proceeding to a seven-course dinner prepared by the celebrant and her daughter, Lauren—interspersed with entertainment courtesy of every member of the family. Son Philippe performed a saxophone number, before being joined by Lauren, who did several song numbers—including an outfit change and a descent from the second floor staircase—with her personal rendition of Britney Spears’ Oops I Did It Again relating it to shopping and swapping lyrics to her favorite shopping brands Gucci, Chanel and Prada. Husband-and-wife Lior and Maymay then took the microphones, and performed a Filipino love song duet together, Dahil Sa Iyo.

With photos of this event and other previous ones circulating on social media under the hashtag #CasaLiechtenstein, people are curious to know how do they create unique dinners that guests talk about even years after. “We have dinners once or twice a month, but sometimes as many as three times a week if it’s the holidays or friends are visiting, almost always at the party house,” shares Lauren. “There’s always something fun about the dinner, whether it is a quirky theme or moving dishes or playing with the senses. Every dinner is unique and that’s what makes it special!”


Her favorite part is the planning—from conceptualizing to the making of the menu, physically drawing each dish and playing them out. “A good mix of people makes for the best kind of dinners. They don’t necessarily have to be one big group of friends, and personally I like to mix friend groups. It’s always nice to sit at the table and hear conversations range from the hottest art piece to foreign exchange rates.” True to the adage, the apple certainly hasn’t fallen far from the tree. Lauren is taking after her mother’s entertaining prowess even adding her own brand of fun through a mini concert dedicated to a bon vivant.

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Lauren performing at the party
Beetroot gelée with micro arugula
Beetroot gelée with micro arugula
Potted plants, flowers and berries for a DIY salad
Potted plants, flowers and berries for a DIY salad

SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE DINNER AT THE LIECHTENSTEIN’S… 

Lauren Liechtenstein’s Tips

  1. “Whether you’re celebrating or fundraising, a dinner party should be about enjoying the company and the food. There should always be something special that will make people want to come, whether it’s a beautiful tablescape or hard-to-find ingredients.” The Liechtensteins travel all over the world to bring back rare salts, chocolates and other ingredients that they use for their fetes.
  2. “Don’t be afraid to experiment on your guests! The best dishes have come out from rounds of trial and error (and many hurt taste buds).” At one dinner, rocks from a construction site were molded and used as soup bowls.
  3. “Of course things will go wrong over the course of the evening but take it all in stride like a gracious host.”
  4. “Most of all, have a good time!”

Text by Cheryl Tiu
Photography by Hubert Pacheco 

READ MORE STORIES ON ENTERTAINING…

  1. Celebrating a Culinary Heritage: How Jerika Ejercito Throws the Perfect Dinner Party 
  2. Baby Cruz Likes Old World Elegance During Tea Time 
  3. The Art of Simplicity: Chu Chu Madrigal Eduque Spreads Her Table with Love
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