​The rain held off and
The smoke stayed away just enough
For us to to take a tiny boat
Cheering and laughing across the waves 
To Governor’s Island
Where a feast was waiting
Overseen by chef Missy Robbins
And Lady Liberty herself, showing off in the setting sun

Cocktails to start, decorated with orange peel rinds
We lounge on deck chairs facing the water
Admiring all the boats passing by and
Talk about life and death and all that is between
We realize it has been twenty whole years since we first met
Tell 18-year-old us
In 20 years you will still be friends
And you both live in New York
And one of you is getting married next week
And one of you just separated from your love
And here you both are

The meal starts with caciocavallo cheese melted over the grill
And smeared onto toasted garlicky sourdough bread
Wine from the islands of Italy is poured like water
And plates adorned food are delivered to the table with breathtaking speed
Charred pickled scallions with calbrian chili and oregano
Artichokes and smashed english peas
Toasted sesame bread - cloud-like in their pillowy softness
Fava beans with grispy garlic and grilled snap peas dressed with salsa verde and capers
Asparagus melting in senape, hazelnuts and brown butter
Spring onions basking in pesto trapanese
Littleneck clams dancing in charred lemon butter
(literal heaven in a clamshell)
Salmon and fennel and branzino and potatoes swimming in lemon garlic butter
Topped off lemon gelato and crunchy but astonishingly soft biscotti
The mmm’s and aaah’s and a little more of that one
And can you pass the other plate please
And the laughter of fourteen strangers
Bonding over food and wine and the fabulous view

How lucky we are to be here
How extraordinary
How fortunate
How delicious
How thankful
We are.