Fresco
DETROIT, MICHIGAN | SEPTEMBER 2019
We can hardly believe it’s been over two months since we arrived in Detroit, our second stop on the Secret Supper-Roca Patrón Series, in partnership with Patrón Tequila. The Motor City welcomed us with open arms, and we had the most incredible time creating a unique experience for fifty guests who joined us from near and far. An experience that celebrated community and craftsmanship at Woods Cathedral, a building that after seeing some rough times, was filled with joy and laughter through the memories shared at the table.
A couple of days before the Supper, we flew in to work on a temporary outdoor garden where guests would enjoy welcome cocktails and hors d’oeuvres before getting lost in the historical feel that enveloped the table in the main hall of the stunning 1919-built Woods Cathedral.
On the day of the Supper, we headed to the location early enough to take in the beauty of the vast cathedral, with its incredibly tall ceilings and massive stained glass windows. As we settled in, the talented crew from Graham & Stanton added the finishing touches to the impressive floral installation that floated above the table. Every detail we incorporated celebrated the majesty of the space: light gray wooden tables and chairs blended with the roughness of the concrete floor, candles added softness and complemented the beautiful afternoon light that filtered through the giant windows around the hall.
At 4:30 p.m., guests arrived at our little garden, where they enjoyed chef Kate Williams’ pimento toast and fritto misto bites paired with a refreshing Roca Patrón Silver cocktail by mixologist Jonathan Shock. After a little while enjoying food and drinks in the sunshine, guests made their way inside. Everyone stood in the main cathedral hall for a few minutes looking at the rough edges of a building that was once abandoned and at the stunning frescos that still kept the vibrancy of a place that once held an entire community together.
As our guests settled at the table, Jonathan poured the second cocktail of the evening, another ode to the exquisiteness of Roca Patrón Silver which paired perfectly with the Patrón cured salmon Panzanella that followed. Guests enjoyed the rest of the local food and drink menu through friendly chats and continuous laughter.
In the midst of it all, our team couldn’t help but stop and marvel at the awe-inspiring view of fifty people gathered at a table smack in the middle of a place that holds so much history, beauty, and hope all at once. Everything that surrounded that view—from the sun setting on the glassware, creating beautiful speckles that shined all over, to the talented cellist perched on the side of the hall, playing the softest music—it was all really, truly magic.
After closing the feast with a grilled Patrón soaked pineapple cake and a Roca Patrón Reposado cocktail, we raised a glass to one of the most beautiful evenings in the most stunning of places. Shortly after, we saw everyone climb down the stairs to the main door, still laughing. We sat down for a moment and admired the now empty table, the perfectly worn walls, and the quiet; forever grateful to have brought our communal table into this space, a space that upheld our mission to live intentionally.
This Supper was the second of seven gatherings in the Secret Supper-Roca Patrón Series, brought to life in partnership with Patrón Tequila.
Rooted in sustainability and craftsmanship, the Secret Supper-Roca Patrón Series incorporated our known and loved communal dinners and Patrón’s artisanal time-honored “tahona” made tequila, Roca Patrón.
With similar brand ethos and sustainability at the forefront, Patrón is dedicated to limiting the environmental impact of their tequila production and holds sustainable practices in the highest regard. The best part of it all? 100% of proceeds from ticket sales benefited the Savory Institute, an organization that works on the large scale regeneration of the world’s grasslands to address desertification, climate change, and food and water insecurity.