The Happiest Hostess

Photo credit: Laura Watilo Blake

Pillows and a throw for when lake breezes blow from Paysage in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

You could argue Sicily, where Karen DiBenedetto’s family has been making crusty Italian bread and eating it warm with olive oil, salt and pepper for generations. Then again, maybe it was Avezzano, Italy, where her husband David’s relatives still slice fresh prosciutto for every dinner, make their own wine, and finish every day with pignoli or biscotti. Then again, you could certainly make a case for Ohio State University, the place where Karen and David met and merged their Sicilian and Italian heritages. Not to mention the fact that OSU has a bit of a reputation as a party school.

Wherever it started, it has landed in a backyard overlooking the water in Avon Lake, Ohio, where Karen and David have thrown dozens of parties since building their 4,500-square-foot-home in 2002.

On the day we visit, there are three generations of the family in the kitchen prepping for the party: Karen, her mother, Pearl Vienna, and Karen’s daughter, Danielle DiBenedetto Shellito.

On the menu for this afternoon’s get-together: lemon chicken Sicilian style, grilled salmon with salmoriglio sauce, fresh fruit skewers drizzled with raspberry dressing, lemony rice parsley salad and vanilla ice cream with blueberry topping.

Karen grew up in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, watching her mother cook. Every Sunday and Wednesday was pasta night. It goes without saying that the sauce was homemade, but so was the bread, sausage and even the spaghetti, which was hung from any available surface in the kitchen to dry.

The lemon chicken that Pearl is preparing today is her creation, but none of the ladies can remember how long she’s been making it. Inspired by a visit to Sicily a few years back, Karen came up with the salmon recipe. “The food there is extremely different from Italy,” she says. “They use a lot of sauces.”

Now, every Sunday is family day at Karen and David’s house, usually drawing all three kids and their spouses back home. Their youngest son, Michael, keeps his mother supplied with fresh produce. “He has a huge garden,” Karen says. “Then he brings me all my fresh tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and spices that I use when I cook.”

Karen loves to entertain for both family and friends. Her biggest tip is to prep absolutely everything you can the day before. For this party, the chicken and the rice were done the previous night. She leaves only the finishing touches for the next day. “The whole key is planning ahead,” she says. “If you’re rushed, forget it.”

Equally important, she says, is to have a theme. “I just think it makes it fun and festive,” she says. She’s had 1970s parties, bashes inspired by The Sopranos, island-themed events and many celebrations centered on big games, especially those involving Ohio State football. If she doesn’t have an obvious theme, she works with color, as she did when she bought potted purple, yellow and pink flowers for this most recent get-together.

Photo credit: Laura Watilo Blake

Smores around the bonfire.

Having the lake as a backdrop doesn’t hurt either. Karen and David have been building homes on Lake Erie for years through their company, DiBenedetto Fine Homes. They found that all of the promises about lakefront living were true when they built their own home on the water. “It’s so relaxing,” says Karen. “The water is so calming.”

The DiBenedettos have a large terrace right off the great room where meals are shared, as well as a tiki hut down by the lake. It’s David’s job to man the bar (he makes margaritas and serves limoncello) and control the music (Frankie Valli, Frank Sinatra and the Jersey Boys soundtrack are favorites).

He gives all the credit, however, to his wife. “She’s off the chart. She’s one of a kind,” he says. “She does 36 times more than anyone could ever do for absolutely everything.”

The biggest party yet was thrown when the DiBenedettos’ daughter was married last year. Danielle, a designer with her own clothing line called Proper Tea, says she often heads to her parents’ home to work, finding that the water inspires her. “For me, it was fitting to be married here,” she says.

A deck that spans the length of the water and hovers above the beach was built for the event. In addition to a full Italian menu, there were gelato stations from Danielle’s favorite source — Anthony’s of Little Italy in Cleveland.

But the very best get-together Karen and David ever attended wasn’t at their house. It was at their daughter’s. After watching her mother and grandmother cook for years, Danielle made Sunday dinner herself for the first time. That was also the night she told her family she was expecting. Christian Giovanni is due this October. “That was the greatest dinner ever,” says Karen, with a huge smile on her face.

Karen and David have another reason to be happy. Their son, David, and his wife, Tiffany, are also expecting their first child this August — a boy to be named David DiBenedetto III.

That’ll make two grandchildren. And where there are babies, there are parties — showers, Christenings and birthdays.