I remember growing up eating meals on melamine dishes in colors of pink and aqua so when my friends at ThermoServ invited me to try their Chef’s Collection of American made 100% melamine (no fillers) tableware — Mrs. Twist said “yes!”

Made locally in Dallas, Texas this heavy-weight series resembles the look and feel of traditional fine china, but offers maximum durability ideal for my everyday use, especially for poolside dinners now that the weather has cooled off.  It was fun to get out my fall napkins and linens which coordinated perfectly with the color Canyon Coral.

The box set includes 4 place settings:  10″ dinner plate, 10″ oz entree bowl, and 18 oz heavy sham tumbler.

I used this opportunity to prepare an Alfresco picnic.  Here’s a fun tip to elevate just a plain sandwich — wrap it in waxed paper (another retro twist) and tie it up with baker’s twine.  It makes your guests feel special almost like unwrapping a gift of food.  I added SunChips new variety sweet potato chips and a serving of orzo pasta from my grocery store deli.  Miss Bee loves decorated sugar cookies and I thought the icing and sprinkles coordinated perfectly with the coral plates.  And I served Orange Spiced Iced Tea in the tumblers.  You can find the recipe here on my Just a Sip Pinterest board.

We took my sweet little niece to a real pumpkin farm over the weekend and picked “right from the vine” the cutest pumpkins.  I added personalized tags to the stems of the pumpkins for each guest’s place setting.

Mr. Bee commented on how sturdy the melamine dishes are and what a breeze they were to clean after our meal (double bonus they are dishwasher friendly).  Please don’t use in the microwave.  The Chef’s Collection would make the perfect gift for a housewarming or wedding gift.  Miss Bee will be heading to college next fall and I am thinking these would be perfect for a college student just starting out in the kitchen.  And the fact that virtually unbreakable tumblers are included – it’s a steal!  The collections come in lots of beautiful colors and patterns.  Retailers include:  Amazon, Steinmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, QVC, Bealls, Wayfair and Hayneedle.

Browsing on the ThermoServ sight, I found the cutest wide body travel mug — this so reminded me of taking soup in elementary school!  BPA free and keeps hot for two hours and cold for four.  And I loved the Everyday Collection Dogwood set on Steinmart’s webpage.  Click here to see ThermoServ’s full catalog of tableware.

Thank you ThermoServ for helping me to usher in the fall season with such a buzz-worthy table setting!