A Night of Sweet Intentions and Good Hot Fish
East Fork is a vessel for many things, one of the most important: connection. Collectors connect over shared glaze admiration and reminisce on the forms that got away. Friends and loved ones tell stories while passing serving bowls around the table. Children sip from their juice cups, admiring the matching mug in the adult hand.
As we continue weaving connections through our pots, we are honored to introduce a new, limited time vessel steeped in tradition and filled to the brim with human connection, a Chai Kulhad in collaboration with Diaspora Co., on April 28th.
Founder Sana Jeveri Kadri launched Diaspora Co. in 2017 with one spice, Pragati Turmeric. Today, they source 30 single origin spices from 150 farms across India and Sri Lanka. Diaspora Co. has been an East Fork partner and pantry staple since we began carrying spices in the shop in 2019. Much like our CEO, Connie Matisse, Sana is a courageous and impassioned woman advocating for transformative work, proving intentional business can be successful while also reimagining the ways we can navigate through capitalism with compassion.
To celebrate the launch of this special vessel, Connie hosted an intimate dinner with Sana and some friends to her home for a dinner and evening of celebration. Following promises of chai and camaraderie, a group of Ashevillians drove south to Flat Rock, where Connie and Alex reside in a cabin by the Hungry River.
It was the kind of night that rekindles your love of dinner parties. Good drinks, great food, and even better conversations. Friends were greeted at the door with saffron margaritas, country music blaring through the speakers. Connie and Sana filled the kitchen with laughter and warmth while Vita and Lucia ran around chasing Kitty, the family cat.
Sana prepped the chai, and the group hit the trail, kulhads in hand, only being summoned back by the smell of fried fish and roasted vegetables, freshly foraged and prepared by local chef and friend of East Fork, Ashleigh Shanti (get the recipes from the evening here and here!).
Chai turned to wine, then cocktails and for some, back to Chai. The night evolved into a beautiful medley of smiles, stories and comradery. The evening had no official agenda or capacity, but there was a moment when the ethos of the collaboration came to fruition among a group of like-minded folks and curious creatives coming together in fellowship to break bread, try new things and embark on a small journey — the reminder of the human capacity to serve as a vessel as much as any piece of pottery.
