Illustration by Katie McBride
With so much of our lives lived online, it can be difficult to make new friends in real life. But you should step away from that computer; one of the best ways to meet people is over a shared meal, and Richmond is home to a number of local dinner events to help you do just that.
Progressive Dinners
With progressive dinners, you “progress” with successive courses prepared and eaten at the residences of different hosts, moving from appetizers to salads to entrées to desserts. Highly successful in the Fan for the past two decades, this format is a truly wonderful experience not just for the food, but for meeting neighbors you wouldn’t otherwise encounter. A few RVA neighborhoods offer them; for the past six years, Stephanie Berv has organized progressive dinners in Ginter Park, with themes including “Farm to Table,” “Mardi Gras” and “Parisian Fare.” Check in with your own neighborhood organizations, as well as hosts Richmond SPCA and Greater Richmond SCAN, to find a progressive dinner near you.
Fire, Flour & Fork
“We have lots of repeat customers who like the communal seating arrangements,” co-founder Maureen Egan says. “That encourages more interaction and discussion than you would normally have even at a communal table on a regular night at a restaurant.” Fire, Flour & Fork is an annual weekend of meals, seminars and demos held throughout the city. During its dinner events, chefs, authors and farmers share the stories behind what’s on each plate — providing ample discussion and memories for you and your table compatriots. “I’ve certainly had the pleasure of seeing some of the same people at dinners and classes and on tours during Fire, Flour & Fork,” Egan says, “and we greet each other as old friends.”
Dinner in the Field
This dinner is served on farms in rural Virginia, by chefs Gregorio and Paige Spinzo. The pair fell in love cooking together in Italy, where alfresco family dinners inspired them to return to Richmond, Paige’s home, and share their experience. Each event uses local ingredients, connecting participants to the food. Like progressive dinners, the secret is a welcoming atmosphere: “Many who come don’t anticipate the social component, which is a huge bonus,” Paige says. “Guests communicate at the table like a dinner party, and it feels like a large family of 30 to 45 people — like the large family gatherings of Gregorio’s family in Calabria.”
Editor’s Note: Richmond magazine Associate Publisher and Editorial Director Susan Winiecki is a co-founder and organizer of Fire, Flour & Fork, but had no influence over her event’s inclusion in this piece.
