NEW ORLEANS – On Saturday, March 25, the Spears Group introduced its first installment of Savor, an elusive dining opportunity for adventurous consumers interested in immersive culinary experiences. The event was sold-out, with more than 220 diners in attendance. The six-course dinner experience took place at Crescent Park, which the firm disclosed to participants just days prior to the event.
Chefs Philip Lopez of Root, Part & Parcel and most recently Petit Lion and Monkey Board of the Troubadour Hotel and Tariq Hanna, master pastry chef and founder of Sucré, spent weeks preparing the one-of-a-kind, six-course menu titled, "Sweet + Savor(y)." The carefully crafted list of menu items included "From the Ashes" by Philip Lopez: charred beef short rib with burnt onion soubise, smoked eggplant puree, grilled bone marrow glaze, and carbonized spring vegetables paired with 2014 Newton Red Label Cabernet Sauvignon, and "Champagne & Strawberries" by Tariq Hanna: yuzu tart breton with strawberry sorbet and Moët foam paired with decadent Moët Rose Champagne.
Prior to the dinner seating, guests enjoyed two specially-crafted cocktails inspired by elements on the food menu. Star Hodgson, well known New Orleans master mixologist, highlighted Hennessy VS in "Lost in Paradise," which contained passion fruit, hibiscus syrup and was finished with fresh rose petals. Belvedere Vodka was transformed in "Mary so Contrary" with fresh lemon juice, savory champagne syrup, and rosemary smoke.
Throughout the cocktail hour and dinner experience, guests were captivated with a live, musical performance by local singer-songwriter, Kristin Diable. Diable serenaded attendees throughout the evening with a variety of soulful tracks from her latest album, “Create Your Own Mythology.”
Savor partnered with Liberty's Kitchen, which provides students with opportunities to work with and learn from renowned executive chefs, in staffing the event on Saturday. The Liberty's Kitchen team greatly contributed to the flawless service and overall success, event reps said. Additionally, Chef Tariq Hanna announced to the crowd that he was hiring one of those students to work full-time at Sucre'.
"Savor provided another opportunity for us to bring people together and share new experiences, which is something that is extremely important to my staff and me," said President of the Spears Group and Savor founder Cleveland Spears III. "I want to thank the entire staff, the chefs, the mixologists, the musical talent, and everyone who attended, for making the event such a success."
Savor represents the newest addition to the Spears Group's well-established event portfolio, which includes Diner en Blanc, Fried Chicken Festival and The Millennials, all coming up later this year.
The next Savor event is scheduled for the summer.
