Oak
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA | NOVEMBER 2019
Is it time to go back to New Orleans yet? Yes, our Supper in the Big Easy was that special! Well into the Fall, we made it to Louisiana quite excited to experience the unparalleled hospitality of the South, and that we did. Everyone we partnered with for this edition of the Secret Supper-Roca Patrón Series was game to make this forest dining experience beyond memorable.
Our team of four going through a beautiful private crawfish farm in a UTV, flagging the important areas for the Supper, was only the start of a weekend full of amazing memories! After we finished our walkthrough, we stopped at Café du Monde, on our way to the flower market. The saxophonist playing a few feet away from us, chicory coffee and beignets, set us in the right mood to go back to our Airbnb and start making floral pieces for the tablescape alongside sparkling wine and Louis Armstrong records.
The next morning, we set up in between the tall, ancient live oak trees while chef Zoi Antonitsas and team got their outdoor kitchen ready to cook a hyper local and sustainable menu. Think crawfish harvested from the ponds right at Stella and a wild boar hunt the day prior to the Supper, right from the property as well. We partnered with chef Zoi in the past and we knew her passion for sustainability in the culinary world would take these special offerings to the next level, we were certainly very excited for her to create a menu for our table in Louisiana!
Around 4:00 p.m., guests arrived at and made their way through the property, past the alligator pond, to the crawfish levee where we welcomed them with a serene view and the sound of hundreds of birds flying around the area. Acclaimed local mixologist Chris Hannah created a beautiful Roca Patrón Silver, lemon, grapefruit, and sparkling rosé cocktail to pair with pimento cheese hush puppies and Cajun oyster dip. After sipping and eating small bites, everyone was transported to a dining table surrounded by café lights and Spanish moss that hung from the majestic trees, while big bonfires on each end of the table kept everyone warm as the temperature dropped.
The evening progressed and the menu moved from a Fall salad to a grilled Delta red drum and a crawfish gravy, followed by a wild boar stew, all perfectly paired with Roca Patrón cocktails by Chris Hanna. To end the feast, roasted peaches topped with cinnamon whipped cream and oat crumb were served, paired with a Roca Patrón Añejo, amaro, sherry, and Patrón XO cocktail. Our team kept clearing empty plates and glasses off the table and we were not surprised!
After dessert, it was time to emerge from the woodland full of fond memories to reminisce about for days, maybe weeks… hopefully, without exaggeration, months to come.
ARTISANS AT OAK
Chef Zoi Antonitsas
Mixologist Chris Hannah
Photography by Carly Diaz
This Supper was the fifth 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.