The entrepreneur and cookbook author knows how to throw a party.
Tucked in the corner, youll find a small pool, its glassy exterior waiting to be disrupted.
Why would you ever leave?
Matt Armendariz
The couple worked with a landscape architect to make it a reality.
We wanted there to be different moments for different entertaining purposes, Gaby explains.
Minutes later she emerges to check in with us.Do we need water?
Matt Armendariz
Are we hungry?Even though shes the star, shes always a host.
Shes the Los Angeles Ina Garten.
You didnt have Instagram, you had TV stars.
Matt Armendariz
You didnt have blogs, you had magazines.
Gaby was one of the first to carve out something new for herself.
At the core of Gabys colorful, California-inspired recipes is this feeling of community.
Matt Armendariz
I got into food because I love feeding people, she says.
She answers every DM on Instagram herself.
I’m in the business of customer service and making people comfortable in the kitchen.
Matt Armendariz
If it’s not me answering DMs, that’s a total sham.
Its no wonder that shes a wizard at bringing people together and hosting parties.
But it wasnt always like this.
Matt Armendariz
My mom is one of these people who eats to live.
I live to eat, she says.
I started cooking when I was on the tennis team in college, Gaby says.
I’d have everyone over the night before a match for Chicken Parmesan and pasta.
I just loved bringing everyone together.
So what was her motivation?
I started it becausemy godmother had a food blog, Gaby explains.
So I started a blog.
I had no idea what I was doing.
After pastry school, with her site just under way, Gaby worked as a private chef around LA.
This, she explains, is where she really learned how to entertain.
I was a private chef for a big entertaining family in Malibu, she says.
There was no time to run to the grocery store; no way Gaby could pull off making carnitas.
The most important thing for these dinners wasnt the food, it was just having people over.
It doesn’t have to be fancy, homemade, everything from scratch, Gaby says.
That’s not the world we’re living in anymore.
I think people just really appreciate being together.
But while shes all about the easy, Gaby still knows how to throw a rager.
Its the highlight of my year, it’s my favorite night.
Shes hosted Friendsgiving 5 times, but took a break in 2020 due to the pandemic.
In 2021, she had everyone take a COVID test before they came over.
She spends three days prepping for the dinner, peeling carrots and brining turkey.
Every ounce of love you possibly have to give goes into this one meal, Gaby explains.
Having a table where you could literally see everyone you care about is incredible.
It’s like a little mini wedding.
So what makes Gabys parties feel so effortless and chic?
She has three things she swears by: good music, plenty of beverages, and snacks.
When you walk into someone’s house, you might not know everyone.
You wanna have a quick bite.
You don’t wanna be starving when dinner comes, she explains.
Gabys longtime photographer and best friend,Matt Armendariz, is blasting the perfect disco playlist.
Between bites of tomato and perfectly-cooked fish, everyone wiggles in their seats.
Gaby said she came up with the menu for our backyard bash almost immediately.
ThePanzanella saladmy personal favorite recipe of the nightwas something Gaby had wanted to make for a long time.
Its filled with the juiciest heirloom tomatoes, burrata, basil, and a mustard-y vinaigrette.
The polenta as croutons is genius, Gaby says.
This is a theme that runs through all of Gabys entertaining menus.
I wanna be part of the party, too.
Its high flavor, low effort, lots of color (and cheese).
We couldn’t do what we do without everybody involved, Gaby explains.
Shes the first to say shes definitelynota one-woman show.
Her fourth cookbook, Take it Easy, comes out at the end of September.
It’s just super flavor-forward food without any fuss, she explains.
When shes not focused on her readers or cooking, shes with her family.
The only thing that might be different is that Gaby has to focus even more on choosing fuss-free recipes.
She tries to involve Poppy in what shes cooking so that she can keep an eye on her.
She eats almost everything right now: broccoli, pizza, and even the fish from our backyard bash.
The only thing she doesnt like?
Poppy eats like a monster in the best possible way.
She’s her mom’s baby.
If thats true, its only a matter of time until she throws her own backyard bash.
