For part two of the Planners Dining Club Series, event planning and design guru Jove Meyer (of Jove Meyer Events and Planners Dining Club) hosted an intimate dinner in the Private Dining Room at Brooklyn’s Naturally Delicious and we so appreciate his creative use of color and emphasis on community. Jove’s Planners Dining Club brings together some of New York’s top event planners to dine together, experiencing first-hand what it’s like to be a guest at a beautifully planned and designed event.
Ever the collaborator, Jove brings together some of New York’s top planners and introduces them to new spaces and vendors they may not yet know. In this perfectly pink edition of the Planners Dining Company, a small group of just eighteen guests spent a mid-February evening partaking in a delicious meal, surrounded by talented creatives.
This is installment #2 of the Planners Dining Club Series – can you tell us how this dinner is different from the colorful winter dinner?
The last one was a large event with over 60 planners in attendance, this event was much more intimate with only 18 guests. When I started the club the dinners were for 5-10 planners and over the years they have grown to be large scale productions with more and more guests, this pink party was a lovely reminder of when I started this in 2014. Having only 18 guests allowed us to really chat with each-other and interact in a more personal way. We started off the dinner with sharing our name and one interesting non wedding non work fact and it was so great to learn more about my colleagues this way.
As we move forward and grow the planners dining club we have locked in a new stationery partner - 1440 NYC. All other creative partners are new each time and it is a great opportunity for all planners to see them in action.
As these are monthly dinners, how do they evolve month over month?
The events evolve with the season, the space and the creative partners that are involved. The fun for me is designing a new and fun event each time, trying to think outside the box and do something fresh and fun for the community. I find my inspiration all over, from museums, nature, restaurants and travel. Each event is meant to be unique and something that the planners have not seen before. The dinners are a great opportunity to push the envelope of design in ways my clients may not go for.
Why did you choose this venue for this specific dinner party?
The caterer recently opened the space and wanted to share it with the planners to get it on our radar. We did consider a larger space to create a larger event but I was so happy to have an intimate evening in her private dining room. Having the dinner in her space also allowed for us to really see the behind the scenes of her kitchen and enjoy a delicious chefs tasting menu.
What about the decor? What went into this stunning design?
Given that the dinner was in February and originally scheduled for the week of Valentine's Day, I wanted to embrace pink to the max with a fresh and modern approach. I was so inspired by the beautiful grey chairs included in the space and used them as a contrast color to the pink linen, flowers and stationery! I have always had a thing for pink and thought this event was the perfect opportunity to get creative with it!
Can you tell us about the menu?
The inspiration about the menu we served is all about serving “approachable elegance.” Our menu showcases a menu that focuses on food, elegance, culinary creativity with a refined approachable style that is all about our catering brand and style.
We chose to start off with a 1st course Hammersley East Coast Oyster, served with a Grapefruit Pink Peppercorn Mignonette, because oysters are such a celebratory opener to an elegant dinner. We love incorporating the play of pink into this dish and we paired it with a jewel like French baby heirloom radishes with homemade Vermont butter and Himalayan pink sea salt. The play in contrast from elegant oysters with the simple radishes and homemade butter and buckwheat baguette is one of my favorite combinations.
For the 2nd course of Winter Parsnip and Cauliflower Soup served with Peekytoe Crab and Chives, we love the earthy elegance of this unique wintery soup.
The 3rd course of Fresh Pasta with Truffle and Bitter and Wild Mushrooms – screams “winter rustic elegance in the mouth” when this dish arrives it smells amazing and our chefs love the comfort of a delicious fresh pasta with the elegance of wild mushrooms tossed with truffle butter and topped with shaved parmesan.
For the 4th course of Seared Duck Breast with Port Glazed Cherry Sauce and Farro Risotto & Grilled Fennel – our idea here was to not serve a classic “meat entrée” but offer an creative duck dish that showcased our culinary talents with the pairing sour cherry sauce and an earthy farro risotto.
For the dessert courses – the 5th course of Coconut Sorbet with Hibiscus Rose & Salted Pistachio Granola. We love love to segway into this dessert course with a refreshing palate cleanser. The citrus of the coconut sorbet was the inspiration – but we continued to bring in the rose and pink color of the event as a way to play up the “Pink Party.”
And finally for the last course of “The Chocolate Terrarium” we wanted to offer a show stopping “wow” dessert by serving a walk into the forest dessert that included the ultimate classic chocolate Devil’s Food Cake with two kinds of chocolate mousses, a dark chocolate bittersweet chocolate mousse and a white chocolate chestnut honey mouse – The chocolate terrarium is garnished with baby merengue mushrooms, pistachio moss, honey pearls, ND jewel like gold leaf speckled throughout the dessert. It truly is the classic chocolate delicious cake meets winter elegance.
Anything you can share about March's event with us?
March's event will embrace the first day of spring! We are having it at The Foundry, a beautiful space in long island city, and we plan to utilize as many of the spaces they have as possible. This dinner will be a super special one as it will be our first ever planners dining club that ends with a dance party!
Credits
Venue: Private Dining Room of Naturally Delicious | Caterer: Naturally Delicious | Photographer: Jenny Fu | Florist: BloomBar | Stationery: Fourteen-Forty | Rentals: Broadway Party Rentals | Founder + Planner + Designer: Jove Meyer Events
