Free And For Me

I love being a Los Angeles native.  There is so much to love about Southern California. The people, food, activities, weather, and did I say food?  I am always excited when I hear or learn about something new to do.  I recently heard about an awesome dinner club,  The DTLA Dinner Club.  The DTLA Dinner Club – a private chef dining experience is one of the best in town.

The DTLA Dinner Club provides delicious meals created by the finest culinary masters in the business, many of whom work or have worked at Michelin star restaurants.  The list of famous chefs who have participated includes Ian Hall (Top Chef Season 2 Winner), Scott Cummings (Hell’s Kitchen Season 12 Winner), Arnold Mynt (Next Food Network Star), Sami Udel (Nick Jonas’ private chef), and Susan Feniger (Top Chef Master). The club is ecstatic to have Chef Kat of Hock and Hoof (2019 Honorable Mention from Michelin), Nathan Santana of Preux and Proper, and many other impressive chefs at this season’s upcoming events.

I was very intrigued by this dinner club after hearing how it all began.  In 2011 a group of friends began gathering every Wednesday for a home-cooked meal and a chance to meet their neighbors. Now The DTLA Dinner Club is LA’s only completely free, celebrity chef dinner party. Focused on building community and not profit, The DTLA Dinner Club is open to residents of Downtown Los Angeles, members of The LAAC, and select individuals who contribute to making DTLA a better place.

The night that I visited The DTLA Dinner club was the eve of my daughter’s 25th birthday, so I invited her to join me.  She has been looking to move downtown, so this was a perfect opportunity for her to meet new people in the area while trying to find fun things to do in Downtown LA.  Of course, this is one of the determining factors in her move.

I made the right decision by inviting her to this private chef party. As soon as we entered the penthouse we were greeted by a group of friendly strangers and our graciously warm host, Josh.

During the first hour or so, everyone mingled with one another.  Many of whom did not know each other.  Upon receiving our email confirmation everyone was asked to bring their favorite bottle of wine to share.  I do not drink alcohol, so I sipped on water.   As the drinks flowed and conversations ignited the dinner portion of the evening began.   I had immersed myself in engaging conversations I had almost forgotten there was more to come.

As we all gathered in the kitchen area, Chef Jesse Garza was introduced and we were given an overview of the menu.

The DTLA Dinner Club menu for this particular evening consisted of:

• End of Summer – Cantaloupe and jackfruit gazpacho with heirloom tomatoes.
• Grandmaster Ahi – Purple cabbage ahi
• In The Woods – King oyster mushrooms with Brussels Sprouts, chive oil, black garlic mushrooms puree, and truffle chips
• Layover in Manilla – Truffle butter and squid ink prawns, banana leaf, roasted pork cheeks, calamansi diamond franita and longonisa foam
• Mochi – Potato ube and bananas

After the overview of our meal, we were escorted to the rooftop.  We had assigned seating which meant we would be seated by people we did not know. This was awesome!  By this time I had met people and was enjoying their conversation so much.  I could not wait to see who I would be seated next to.  Ironically, I was seated next to most of the people I had connected with downstairs.   It was a bonus to meet the other people I had not met.   Everyone was very friendly and eager to meet new faces.   The rest of our evening was spent conversing and laughing with one another, taking in the beautiful Downtown LA skyline and feasting on delicious dishes prepared by Chef Garza.

This evening brought people together that probably would not have ever met.   Everything about The DTLA Dinner Club was enjoyable and memorable.  This is another reason I love being an LA native.