Let’s rock at Yacht Rock! With lockdown restrictions easing, parties are roaring back in the Hamptons this summer, and a new coterie of female entrepreneurs can help you throw a memorable bash. Actress Alison Chace recently featured these women at Yacht Rock, a soiree at her historical Quogue home Old Trees, on a Saturday evening in June.

“I love supporting and championing creative entrepreneurial women,” says Chace, who recently led a three-woman team to create Under The Same Sky, a documentary featuring women from around the world sharing their thoughts on love and resilience that will be featured at The Hamptons International Film Festival. “I also love purposeful gatherings that aren’t cookie cutter, as well as live music, dancing and good food.”

Both were present at “Yacht Rock,” a theme dreamed up by Chace and comedian Kate Robards who MC’d the evening. Sisters Caroline O’Brien and Kate O’Brien set the tone; Caroline, a Savannah-based wedding and event designer, created a fun, nautical-themed invitation instructing guests to “think yacht captain meets hot hippie” when selecting their party attire, while Kate, a Manhattan-based writer, curated gorgeous centerpieces from Flowers by Rori in Quogue.

Kate says they bring a love for interior design to party planning in hopes of recreating the feel of home at events, summing up their ultimate goal as “partying for a living.” Singer and actress Lucie Fleming provided entertainment, singing acoustic renditions of classic hits such as Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide and The Rolling Stones’ Wild Horses. Live music was provided by The Como Brothers, Matt and Andrew Como, who played pop and easy rock with their signature blues vibe. 

Cocktails started at 6PM, and then guests were treated to fancy eats from natural food chef Jaclyn Shuman, who says she blends her Texas roots with years in New York City to bring together the warmth of the South and the vivaciousness of NYC in her cooking. With a background in wellness and modeling, she says she creates bright flavors with herbs and spices to please the palate as well as the eye. 

At Yacht Rock, Shuman served whipped ricotta with mint-infused honey and roasted hazelnuts, as well as proscuitto and cantaloupe with basil-infused oil to start the event off right. After these appetizers, guests enjoyed a salad of arugula, peaches, fennel, goat cheese, and pine nuts with lemon vinaigrette and a main course of steak in chimichurri sauce with prawns or shrimp. Sides included herb mashed potatoes and roasted cumin spicy carrots with zesty lemon yogurt. To finish off the delectable dinner, Shuman served chocolate pistachio bundt cake sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.

In addition to catering for summer parties in the Hamptons, Shuman is working toward creating a cooking show with guests. She says, “I want there to be laughter, vulnerability, dating discussions, and of course, delicious food that anyone is capable of creating.”

The event was effortlessly hosted by Chace, who’s held many intimate salon parties at her New York City apartment and at Old Trees. 30 guests attended, including a mix of actresses from Chace’s online theater company that performed play readings every Sunday during the pandemic on Zoom, and some local Quogue friends kicking off the summer party season.