There’s nothing that compares to a meal shared with good company. It’s the backdrop for successful partnerships and new friendships, yielding connection beyond muffled words shared on a crowded dancefloor. New York City nightlife is known for its infectious energy. But lately, many socialites and partygoers alike are searching for more meaningful interactions, trading in dancefloors for dinner tables.
Brands usually announce new launches or clever collaborations with all-out parties that go on all night long. These events draw in “on-the-scene” crowds, but it can be difficult to have genuine interactions in these often hectic settings. A dinner party provides a space to unite over a shared love language and also grants an entry point for people to get to know each other in an open and comfortable environment. That’s why brands and prominent nightlife figures are leaning toward the dinner series as an opportunity to connect on a deeper level.
Even some of the hottest underground figures in nightlife need a break from the hustle from time to time, which is why Mr. Black created the Little Black Book campaign. Bringing the unspoken heroes — doorpeople and VIP list curators — of some of NYC’s buzziest hotspots out of their usual posts, the brand curated a series of dinners with some of the industry’s most connected figures to shake up the status quo.
Frankie Carratini, protector of peace at The Nines and Laissez Faire, doesn’t shy away from a night on the town. But he makes a point about the importance of deep connection in a high-speed, hyper-online world. “To me, a meal shared with someone is one of life's most intimate moments. You and your dinner mates are carving out 2 to 3 hours to catch up, share stories and connect on a variety of topics. I think in a world where we are so digitally connected, it allows us that in-person connection that all humans, at their core, crave.”
Markus Kelle, another iconic guardian of some of the most coveted spots in the city, and Fabrizio Brienza, nightclub owner who can usually be spotted outside of Paul's Casablanca, hosted their own Little Black Book dinners as well, taking part in this social shift. “The best nights I've had in New York have been with the nightlife babes, off duty, off the grid and off social media. A great dinner party is similar to an evening spent at a club, but it’s a gathering presented in a different medium — albeit one where the conversation doesn't come in second to the music,” Kelle shares.
Capitalizing on heightened cravings for connection, especially in a post-pandemic world, many New Yorkers decided to start their own dinner series or meet-ups with locals. For a number of them, what began as modest home-cooked meals with friends flourished into full-blown hospitality services, like that of Lucky Dinner Club or That Dinner Thing.
Lucky Dinner Club was founded by Gabrielle Macafee to spread love, "breaking the fourth wall” and encouraging connection over meals infused with care. “There is no place on earth like NYC. Everyone is set on doing their own thing, but there is also an understanding that we need to support each other.”
“It's not as easy to break the fourth wall at a restaurant, bar, or club. I knew I loved cooking and wanted to share this love with the people I love. There is so much vulnerability in sharing what you've created with others. I'm very grateful for it. Whatever it becomes.”
Sierra from That Dinner Thing, another series that hosts monthly pop-up meals, is on the verge of celebrating her third year in the city, and she has often leaned on dinners and impromptu happy hours to meet new people while settling in. “I then turned those dinners, drinks and coffees into a community,” she says. “I was never really the type of person to build relationships out at a club or night out at a bar. The moments I have in those spaces are ephemeral — to be remembered with a follow on Instagram or a saved phone number with the name of the place we met, but never more than that.”
So, she figured, why not make the ephemeral more permanent? Why not create the community she was eagerly searching for? Though she can’t promise lifelong friendships will be formed or that you’ll meet “the one” — she provides a launch point for that initial spark. “I think a lot of the time people actually go out to escape themselves and their daily lives. But, when people choose to come to an intimate gathering, they are doing so to perhaps feel more like themselves and to connect,” she continues, “At a dinner party, there's an opportunity and a responsibility to bring yourself and your story so others can get to know you better and you can get to know others in a way you can't in other settings.”
Ghetto Gastro and Commune NYC, similarly, were formed to bring locals together, but both also act as collaborative concept platforms based around food. Born in the Bronx, Ghetto Gastro is a culinary collective that bridges the gap between food and other cultural touchpoints — music, fashion, design and more. Its founders, Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao and Lester Walker wanted to spotlight Caribbean, Latin, Asian and African cultures through its interactive events and partnerships.
Serrao and Ghetto Gastro’s marketing director Malcolm McNeil spoke about the power of food as a bridge between cultures. “The thing is, food is a gift any way you put it. It’s a gift that anyone on this earth can appreciate in its true form or even as a gesture in the form of an invite,” McNeil reflects, “At clubs, my awareness is slightly lowered towards those around me. In intimate dinner settings, I’m able to appreciate the details. There’s a clear beginning, middle and end to the night, woven through the courses and conversations, versus the unorganized and unintentional medley of moments a club might bring me.”
“For over a decade now we have been curating culinary experiences for our people to enjoy basically free of cost," says Serrao. "The thing that you experience the most at intimate dinner gatherings is real conversations with people that can turn into actionable moments, allowing you to build relationships and understand people, brands and also how the industry is moving.”
Commune NYC is driven by establishing new relationships as well, providing a tangible third space for its local community in Bed-Stuy. The collective hosts its own food cart, wine bar and has now ventured into engaging à la carte food pop-ups, which Chef Tara Thomas helps bring to life as culinary director. Thomas is a Gen-Zer, so she naturally gravitated toward social media to build her base when she first moved to NYC six years ago. But eventually, she wanted to bring those friendships IRL. It wasn’t long before her innate passion for food was able to accomplish just that.
At Commune, she helps to curate food and hospitality programming and highlights the integrity of street food through the collective’s pop-ups. But Thomas has always seen food as a sacred connector. “I am definitely the girl who prefers a dinner party over a bar or club; there’s something so romantic about sitting in a room with folks deep in meaningful conversation sharing a meal,” she continues, “A meal shared with anyone is a celebration of our compassion to keep one another alive.”
This uptick in intimate gatherings centered around a shared universal language doesn’t always manifest in the same way. Some host dinner parties for those in the same industry like Ghetto Gastro, while others even lean into speed dating as a theme for these occasions, like WHEN & WHERE. The supper club was founded by Jessica and Courtney Eu, two cousins who bonded through an appreciation for baking. They decided they wanted to open up the invitation to anyone who needed nourishment, and it quickly became a more regular affair. The two try to implement different activities into each dinner, like games or thematic menus, and no two occasions are the same.
“A dinner party is an amazing alternative for those who are looking to fill their week with something different. One of our most popular dinner series is the recurring ‘Meet Cute’ dinners which we host with a dating podcast and event series, Drink First,” the Eu cousins share. “In a way, starting these monthly shared meals felt like a continuation of our family traditions while we created a new family for ourselves in the city.”
Looking ahead, it seems like dinner parties are the new it-function. Signaling a wider cultural shift towards more impactful community moments, the dinner party series is the latest, hottest rendezvous. From award-winning stars to industry leaders, artists, business professionals and more — people from all walks of life can appreciate the simple joys that a shared meal can bring. While each event may offer a different menu and vibe, you can rest assured that you’ll probably leave more than full — but also fulfilled on a deeper level.
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