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Courtney Dial Whitmore
Growing up in the South, Courtney has always loved the art of presenting classic Southern foods with a modern twist and setting a tablescape with lots of pizzazz. She attended Vanderbilt University earning both a bachelors in Communications + masters in Organizational Leadership.
Courtney left her full time job as a university career counselor to launch Pizzazzerie.com (pronounced piz·zazze·rie [pəˈzaz ərē]) in 2010 to share entertaining inspiration and ideas with her readers.
Now a best-selling author of 5 entertaining cookbooks, she utilizes her talent in entertaining and food styling to share daily party inspiration with hundreds of thousands of entertaining-loving readers.
Her expertise has been seen in Southern Living, Better Homes & Gardens, HGTV, Access Hollywood, and Martha Stewart. She has styled for brands such as Target, Lindt Chocolate, Pepperidge Farm, Bath & Body Works, Minted, Wayfair and more to connect consumers with their products in an entertaining setting.
Her first book, Push-up Pops (March 2012) was named one of Amazon’s Top 100 Hot New Releases! Her two newest books Pizzazzerie: Entertain in Style and The Southern Entertainer’s Cookbook have both been included in Southern Living’s December Issues (2017 and 2020) as well as their list of Best Coffee Table Books for Southern Hostesses .
She has also regularly written content for eBay, PARADE, and The Huffington Post. She’s a former contributor appearing on eHow, Occasions Magazine, Nashville Lifestyles Magazine, Homes.com, Talk of the Town and WSMV Nashville.
Courtney lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and two daughters (Blakely and Ivy) and two Irish Setters (George and Sally). When the girls aren’t throwing tea parties with mom, they’re playing golf with dad!
A Love for Entertaining
Growing up, I always loved hearing my mom say “company’s coming.” I have fond childhood memories of peeking through the stair rails from the second floor of our downtown Charleston home as my mother graciously greeted cocktail party guests and led them into the formal dining room for drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
My brother and I would wait until everyone was busy laughing the night away and then dart downstairs to sneak two pieces of chocolate fudge off the silver platter, and hope we wouldn’t get caught. Of course, we knew exactly where they would be located because our mother labeled all her dishes and silver trays with sticky notes in the days leading up to the party. She was the quintessential Southern hostess, having learned the art of entertaining from her parents at a very young age.
From hosting elegant tea parties in her garden to formal Christmas cocktail parties, these festivities instilled in me a passion for entertaining and Southern food.
Phronsie H. Dial
Courtney’s mom, Phronsie is a creative stylist and designer for many of the tablescapes + parties seen on the blog and Pizzazzerie’s brand clients. This mother/daughter duo is always planning their next party and co-authored both Pizzazzerie: Entertain in Style and The Southern Entertainer’s Cookbook .
Over the past two decades, Phronsie’s work has been spotted on Raleigh, North Carolina’s News 14 Carolina and in countless magazines (from Bridal Crafts and Woman’s Day to Crafts & Things and Country Woman).