Twelve At The Table
The idea for the Coates family’s new Nashville venture, Twelve at the Table, grew from a realization that couldn’t be further from the idea of work: They like to party, and they’re good at it.
“If there’s anything to celebrate,” Angela Coates Prichard said, “our family will celebrate it with, first of all, style.”
The Coates family recognizes the value of slowing down, getting offline and engaging over fine drinks and delicious food. Lucky for us, they want everyone else to enjoy the same experience — without lifting a finger.
“Something we think is important but has faded is the significance of getting people back face-to-face,” Evie Coates said. “Engagement, connection, goodness – they all happen around a table.”
Twelve at the Table is not easily categorized, but imagine an amalgam of a catering business, pop-up restaurant and event-planning firm, and you’ll be close. Strip yourself of any expectations that you’ll have control over the menu, and you’ll be closer. “We don’t want people to tell us what they want. We want them to tell us what they like,” said Marty Coates. “We’re trying to give people an opportunity to enjoy what we do well. To come away from life and just linger together for five hours.”
The Twelve at the Table team is made up of Marty, her musician/producer husband John Coates, their daughters Evie and Angela, and Angela’s husband Joshua Prichard. You can hire them to throw you a dinner party for 12 to 20 people (customized to your budget), or you can sign up to join one of their monthly “community tables” ($75 a person).
“Dinner party,” however, doesn’t do justice to an event that begins with at least a solid hour of Joshua’s artisan cocktails and ends several hours later with candlelit conversation. Everything from music and decorations, to dishes and the handcrafted table itself, is taken care of by the Coates family.
“This is more of a comprehensive experience. It’s luxury, but it’s very rustic luxury,” said Evie, who loves sharing her family’s penchant for artful living and the process of interviewing clients prior to an event to discover their tastes and tailor the evening accordingly. “I want it to be a more organic experience. There needs to be trust. We’re doing this because it’s something we love to do. It’s a creative outlet for all five of us.”
Photo by Mandy Mann
