The Civilized Life in Sarasota: Melba and Cucho's Great Gatsby Party

I believe I am going to give Melba and Cucho Jimenez the title of best party givers ever! It is always an experience to attend one of their parties at their beautiful home. This year's theme was The Great Gatsby and most everyone dressed in costume but me! All the ladies looked so charming in the flapper costumes and a few of the men also dressed 20s style, though most were in black tie.

A stunning antique Rolls Royce was parked at the entrance giving lots of atmosphere to the event. The house sits back a bit from the street, so you walk a bit down the drive to the house. It gives a sense of the magic that awaits you when you arrive.

There is a large, expansive, bricked motor court area at the front of the house that is always set up with lots of round tables, a big bar, and an area for light bites. Melba and Cucho make the majority of food themselves. I think they must work a week to get all the food prepared! The games, dancing, and entertainment always takes place in this area.

I believe the Jimenez house was built as a party house. They are just that kind of folks. The living room has a big bar and the it all opens up to a real cook's kitchen with a big island that has a place built right in to serve shrimp on ice, always a favorite!

The dining room is set up as a buffet that has a constant stream of hungry revelers around it. I especially enjoyed the broccoli salad and my husband enjoyed the spinach strawberry salad, along with all the other goodies. To top off the evening, Melba served her famous bread pudding. I can most certainly vouch for its extreme tastiness!

After dining, all gathered round to play a quick game of Balderdash, a classic bluffing game where you try to guess which facts are true and which are made up. We kind of hung out in the periphery, as my husband is battling a bad case of plantar fasciitis and my toes were hurting from wearing new shoes, so I was just sitting there having my husband rub my feet. Speaking of shoes, Miss Melba is the shoe queen, with an entire separate closet for just her shoes. It is a sight to behold. She did not disappoint on this night either with gorgeous, blingy stillettos.

Dancing took over after the game and the party lasted until after midnight. Time for all good little boys and girls to go home. As far as the bad little boys and girls went - they stayed a did a few Gangnum style dances under the moonlight!