A Greenmarket Lunch in Winter, by ABC Kitchen Chef Dan Kluger

Models have posed on Lela Rose’s dining room table. She’s thrown dinners for 68 and has a tequila room for heartier guests. But that’s in New York City. It’s different here in the Catskills.

Not long ago, the fashion designer and her husband, Brandon Jones, bought a Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired home down a dirt road as a weekend retreat. So how does the entertainer unwind two hours outside of the city? By hosting parties, of course.

The vibe is low-key, as at this lunch with friends, prepared by Rose’s pal, chef Dan Kluger of New York’s ABC Kitchen. (Time-saving tip: Befriend an outstanding chef, invite him to the country, then enjoy.) The pair became friends as Greenmarket regulars, and now Rose hosts her post–fashion show lunches at the restaurant. “What he does with vegetables is incredible,” she says of the seasonally minded chef.

This lunch seems to have little in common with her late-night fêtes. But for Rose, the same principle applies: “It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be fun. All that anyone’s looking for is a good time,” she says. “And a few cocktails.”