We arrived into Cape Town on a quiet Saturday night. After a restful night sleep in our new home, we awoke to the sounds of the ocean and prepared for a fabulous day. My sister and two best friends were going to be celebrating my birthday in South Africa. To kick off an amazing week ahead, we held a birthday dinner at the house.

Local chef, Jess Bunn, set an unbelievable menu based on what was just in from the ocean and farmland surrounding us. The flavors and variation of each dish were complimented with each glass of wine shared.

A potato and lentil starter with a bean puree got our taste buds going and our mouths watering. We then dined on local oysters with fresh horseradish and lemon. Afterwards we moved on to the main event, the steamed mussels. This beautiful display, surrounded by aromatic pines, was almost as tantalizing as the food itself. Cooked off with juniper berries, white wine, and garlic we sipped, slurped, and dipped (our bread) into a wonderfully prepared meal.

To finish it off we had a beautiful dessert of rosewater granita with fresh berries and chunks of crispy honeycomb that created a fresh yet satisfying end to a nourishing meal. I felt so beyond grateful to have such a ceremonious meal shared with my favorite people in the world so many miles from home.