Jackson Hicks is rather more than a caterer.
He's an orchestrator of Cecil B. DeMille-style extravaganzas at which
bigwigs are beguiled and lavishly entertained. Hicks, who studied music at
Baylor University, launched Jackson and Company in Houston in 1981 and
quickly earned a reputation as Texas' most sought-after party
machine. And in his almost 30 years of party planning, he has refined his
annual tea party so that it is the invitation his friends look for every year.
Just 24 hours before his guests arrive, Hicks,
dressed in a seersucker suit, sits with me in his kitchen sharing his
wisdom on how to plan a perfect afternoon tea. Three weeks earlier, Hicks
mailed invitations to a diverse mix of women ranging in age from 19 to 82. "The group will be small -- not more than 50 ladies at a time -- I
don't want the party to feel like a crowded charity event," he
says.
Not a chance. Hicks is entertaining the women in his
historic, century-old Greek Revival home. Surrounded by stately oaks, the
house looks like a stage set, even as an army of gardeners works overtime
planting hundreds of flowers to ensure that the exterior is flawless.
Inside, the tea table is set with empty silver trays and the silver
service. Hicks selected each piece and inspected the linens. "I'm nuts about my napkins," he says. "They must be
flat-pressed with a touch of starch and must have a soft fold."
There are other rules to be followed as well,
specifically, rules about sandwiches. They cannot be soggy, the
watercress cannot be wilted, and they must be made the same day and not
before.
