When myself and Camp North End decided to pair artists and chefs together to create an immersive and unique dining experience, we weren’t really sure what we’d get. But the Next Plate series continued to wow on week 2.
Not sure what the Next Plate series is? Read our recap of week 1 for all of the details. Click here.
On March 20 we were able to work with Laney Parrish, the pastry chef at 300 East; Bob Peters, the head mixologist at The Queen and Glass; and the of members of the Charlotte Symphony.
With all three of these elements, the evening was truly magical. First, Party Reflections came through and transformed the event space at Camp North End, a revitalized industrial park, into a gorgeous setting for dinner and music.
The quartet chose music based off of the event theme of desserts an cocktails. The music they planned on playing at the event inspired the four-course meal, and then Laney’s menu further inspired the cocktails Bob created.
This was the first week we featured a mixologist at the dinner series and it added a fun element to the evening.
“Tonight was a lot of fun,” Bob said. “We paired food with music, and then I paired cocktails with food. We let the symphony players tell us what they wanted to play and then I let Laney pair off of what she thought that meant to her, and then I paired my cocktails off of her food.”
Throughout the evening, as members of the Charlotte Symphony played, 45 guests were able to enjoy a dessert and cocktail inspired by that piece:
First Course Dessert: Black-eyed pea cake, collard green slaw, crispy Benton's ham, remoulade.
Cocktail: Camp spring Symphony Punch - Topo gin, green tea, fresh pressed lime + prosecco.
Second Course Dessert: Sweet potato blonde, sweet potato ganache, whipped goat cheese, micro greens.
Cocktail: Cynar boulevardier - turning point bourbon, Cynar, Antica Formula sweet vermouth.
Third Course Dessert: Whole Meyer lemon bar, citrus marmalade, lemon-buttermilk crumb, citrus-radish salad, lemon curd.
Cocktail: Paloma - Lunazul tequila, fresh pressed grapefruit, fresh pressed lime, Jarritos grapefruit soda. (This one was my personal favorite)
Fourth Course Dessert: Dark chocolate stout cake, salted tahini buttercream, muscadine jam, sesame cookie crumble, sesame tuile.
Cocktail: Sazerac - Remy Martin 1738 cognac, absinthe, angostura bitters
“The vibe in there tonight was really cool,” Laney said. “To hear the music and we were there doing our thing too - I could hear Bob mixing drinks. It’s always amazing when you get to collaborate with other artists, and then being able to come to some place like Camp North End, it’s cool because there’s so much freedom to be creative.”
The series has quickly become popular and we’ve already sold out of the dinner tickets for weeks 3 and 4, showing just how unique and creative this idea is. Collaborating with local artists and chefs has been exciting, and Camp North End is already exploring a fall Next Plate series due to the popularity of this one.
When you combine local art and local food, it’s a match made in heaven.
“Two years, ten years down the road, it’s okay if people forget what they had. But I want them to remember how they felt,” Bob said.
photos by Jennifer Austin Photography
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