Dinner No. 16

Hi! Kate here.

I’m so excited to recap Dinner No. 16 for you all. I’ve said this about nearly every dinner, but I actually think this this one was my favorite one to date.

Our theme was FIKA: A Swedish custom that is a break from activity that often involves coffee or tea and spiced cake. It is about slowing down to get in touch with those around you, connecting and recharging on a deeper level.

This dinner stood out to me for several reasons.

  1. The women who attended were unbelievably giving with their time and talents.

  2. The hanging greenery installation was meant to hang in The Blank Studio. It was such a fun surprise to see when you turned the corner after entering the studio.

  3. We partnered with a handful of brands that elevated this event and made it feel all the more special for everyone in attendance. I’ll share more about them below.

  4. The jewelry rental from Sense of Shelf that allowed everyone to wear different pieces for the night and purchase them at the end if they wanted.

  5. Making candles with Yemmie before dinner was such a fun activity that made the room smell amazing, and also felt very FIKA.

  6. The food was next level. We plated everything in courses and each one was a culinary work of art.

  7. It started snowing!

One of the silver linings of the last two plus years of COVID is that it taught a lot of people how to slow down, and not just that, but to value a slower pace of life.

Connecting and recharging with loved ones was often the thing that got me through each day. Because this dinner took place in the winter, I wanted it to feel cozy (see: coffee, tea, spiced caked) and also wanted it to be symbolic of the season of sickness and isolation we will hopefully be saying farewell to sooner than later.

This dinner took place at The Blank Studio. It’s an affordable creative studio space for rent in the heart of Soho, where people from all industries can work with ease and flexibility — not to mention its glorious natural light. The Blank Studio is co-owed by sisters Marni and Willa Blank. We weren’t fortunate enough to get both sisters at this dinner, but we did manage to get one.

Here’s the full lineup of Dinner No. 16 women:

Event Planner + Photographer - Kate Pauley, Owner of Create Dinners

Host + Hand Embroidered Napkins - Blank Studio NYC | Willa Blank

Chef and Certified Sommelier - Marcia Sanchez, Owner of Preserving Harvest Catering

Chef - Kathleen Di Scipio

Hanging Greenery Installation + Table Florals - Molly Halpin, Owner of Brownstone Botanicals

Table Stylist - Michelle McLaughlin

Plates - Emily Bradley, Owner of Soluca Collections

Candles - Yemmie Tekletsadik

IG Story - Kirsten Gottbrecht

Poetry - Mariah Freire

Custom Matchbooks - Tessa Goode

Root Elixirs Rep - Hannah Watts

Take Home Cookies - Charlotte Cruze

Cocktail Making - Molly Grizzard

Pop-up - Madeline Ritaccio, Owner of Sense of Shelf

Co-host + Photographer - Breanna Edwards

Menu Design - Jill Sabato

Take Home Favor - Daughter of the Land

Another very important presence I want to call out is Root Elixirs.

This female founded business began when their founder Dominique Gonzales combined her 12+ years of bartending and her passion of craft cocktails with a desire to spend less time “making” and more time with the people she loves. They offer a variety of incredible flavored sodas that easily mix with the spirit of your choice. Truly, cocktail making has never been easier.

For this particular dinner, Root Elixirs equipped us with ingredients to make and serve their signature White Linen cocktail, as well as take home cocktail kits for everyone there. When I say this cocktail was delicious… I mean it was DELICIOUS. It used their Elderflower Cucumber Soda and we garnished the drinks with dehydrated cucumbers and baby’s breath.

All the pictures from Dinner No. 16 really speak for themselves, but from cocktails to candle making to dinner to conversation questions to the bag of swag everyone got to take home at the end of the night, this event was rich in beauty and connection.

If you have questions about any of the women who attended and want an intro, email us at info@createdinners.com. One of our favorite parts about these events is seeing the connections that come afterwards. We’ll be gathering for Dinner No. 17 in East Willamsburg in April and look forward to seeing you around the table again!