During our trip to Nantucket, we got the chance to sit down with sisters Lulu and Sarah Powers.
The pair are mainstays of the island's food and entertaining scene. Lulu is known as The Entertainologist and is the mind behind a beloved line of tabletop and hosting essentials. Sarah is a wine and spirits expert with a knack for spotting the next great bottle.
We spent the sunny afternoon sipping rosé and chatting about style, sisterhood, confidence, and throwing a truly great party.
What's the secret to a great dinner party?
LULU The Secret to a great dinner party is serving your guests a fabulous “Sneeky” (which is what our father called a cocktail.) It could be non alcoholic too. Make it pretty with “Specialty” ice cubes, edible flowers or fresh herbs.
For food just the 3 P’s: Potato chips, Popcorn and Parmesan. Easy Peasy
SARAH You have to have excellent food and a great mix of people…People who don't know each other, some people who do know each other but perhaps need to feel safe, and definitely a ringer that no one knows who's kind of crazy.
LULUSarah said you have to have excellent food at a dinner party. I disagree. I think just having a great, welcoming host is enough — you don't need excellent food.
SARAHJust food that people can be surprised by, stuff you found on your travels, just interesting things. You could have potato chips — I love serving the Nantucket crisps all the time when people come to Nantucket, and I bring them everywhere. The dill pickle flavor is amazing.
–LULU POWERS
Where's the best place to eat on Nantucket?
SARAH I think my favorite place to eat on Nantucket, during season, as people call it, is Town Restaurant and the Tree Bar. I love the food; I love the people who work there; they're always so welcoming, and they make great cocktails. They have the best wine-by-the-glass list on Nantucket, and I think the best sushi.
LULU Okay, I have three places. First, for nostalgia and a piano bar: Summer House. Second, I love Cru — a warm lobster roll, and I love the CRUcumber (a famous signature cocktail). And on par with both of them is Ethos, where I love to get a dirty martini and six oysters, and they have really good grilled cheese.
SARAH Sea Grill, run by the same family, the Harveys, for 35 years. It's the best fish you can get on the island, and it's super fun to go there.
LULU Sea Grill. The caviar and tater tots — that's all I want. Beyond. And a glass of champagne, a Cosmo, or a dirty martini.
As sisters, what makes you similar and what makes you different?
SARAH What makes us similar is that we love our family, and we love spending time together. We're very curious. We love to cook together, we're interested in the same things, and we have similar approaches to life. We believe that life is an adventure and it's meant to be lived. You can't take yourself too seriously. Friendships are really important for both of us — Family, entertaining, having people in your home, sharing your life with people who really matter to you. We both really appreciate those things.
LULU I am more of an artist, kind of out there. Sarah is more structured. She has an itinerary. I'm like, I'll just figure it out. I'm like, just hop on the bandwagon, we'll figure it out when we get there. Sarah? No. Nine o'clock, nine fifteen, nine thirty.
SARAH I like to have an itinerary that we can extrapolate from and divert from, but I want to know what I have planned, what I want to see.
LULUI don't want to know anything. I just want to go.
–Sarah Powers
What's some advice for someone who's afraid of wearing color or mixing patterns?
SARAH Okay, for someone who's afraid of wearing color or mixing patterns, just do it. Throw stuff on, walk out the door, wherever you're going, have a drink, forget about yourself. And everyone's going to say, "Wow, you look so amazing."
LULUI think color brings joy. That's why I wear so much of it. And remember, you can mix and match anything. Remember: you're the boss, applesauce.
What does style mean to you?
SARAHIt means being confident in your own skin, and it doesn't have anything to do with the clothes you wear. It's how you approach life. Maybe that's exhibited by what you choose to wear, and I do think fashion is a way to express yourself, so what you choose for clothing is an expression of your style. I think style is how your personality evolves through the choices you make with your clothing.
LULU I always wear everything that doesn't go together but goes together. Clearly, I've always had confidence. And if someone doesn't like it, they can go ****.
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