Virtual Culinary Experiences fit for Fall
Though entertaining and engaging virtually may not be how we expected to spend 2020, one thing is for sure: virtual culinary experiences are on the rise, they’re getting better, and they’re here to stay.
We’ve been busy connecting with our venues’ own renowned chefs, sommeliers, mixologists, cheesemongers, restaurateurs, and private dining managers. As true hospitality professionals, they are rising to the occasion and reconfiguring what they once knew well. Their goal: to offer you a “place” to share their love of food, beverage + service. As an extension of their home, virtually, they’re excited to welcome you!
With a mix of offerings across the country, a handful of entertaining personalities, and pounds of expertise, below is our newest batch of virtual culinary experience vendors (+ 1 magician!). They are event pros and no strangers to the virtual world, as they’ve been practicing for months! Any pique your interest? Click below to let us know which ones. Don’t see what you are envisioning? We’d love to hear from you.
Bring all of your prized customers together for an expertly guided City Winery Private Virtual Tasting. All tastings feature locally-produced City Winery wines. Besides the wine and guidance, depending on which package you choose: the Classic, the Reserve, or the Grand Cru; all accouterment from wine keys to tasting mats to storage guides and tasting glasses will arrive at your customer’s door in plenty of time before the scheduled event. The event team at City Winery will help you with shipping logistics, included in their package prices.
Costs range from $110 to $155 per package plus tax. Minimum of 25 packages required.
Johnny Livanos is a third-generation restaurateur from the esteemed Livanos Family, owner of New York City landmarks such as Molyvos, Oceana, and Ousia. He is a passionate sommelier who works closely with the Greek wine industry and loves to share their amazing stories with the world. Livanos represents a large portfolio of Greek wine with Diamond Wine Importers and is also the founder of one of the first gin brands from Greece called Stray Dog Wild Gin. And yes, Livanos also knows a thing or two about beer.
Clearly, his knowledge of beverage runs deep. Whether you want to bring a group of colleagues together for a wine tasting, mixology class, or a beer tasting, Livanos is primed to guide you and your team on quite a novel journey. As the motto on the Stray Dog Wild Gin site says — “stray from the ordinary and see where life takes you” … don’t waste one more minute!
Fees start at $450 per experience for a 60 to 90-minute tasting exclusive of tax, product, and shipping.
Haley Moore is a local Bay Area Sommelier and Wine Director. With a degree in Hospitality Management from San Diego State University, Haley also passed the Court of Master Sommeliers Certified Exam in ’06 and is currently wrapping up the WSET Diploma Program. Next, she plans to pursue the Master of Wine Diploma, which is one of the highest achievements in the world of wine. She’s been a Lead Sommelier at Spruce, a one Michelin starred restaurant with a Grand Award Winning wine list. And most recently as the Wine and Spirits Director at Stock & Bones overseeing their four restaurants: Town Hall, Salt House, Anchor & Hope, and Jersey.
When restaurants closed mid-March, Haley began doing virtual wine tastings paired with bites of food in an effort to continue to connect with people and bring joy through food and wine. Select from a simple wine tasting paired with cheese, crackers, and/or charcuterie, a spirits seminar, or a full-service cooking class and wine dinner experience.
Packages start at $200 per person, not including shipping or taxes. A $1,600 F&B minimum spend per experience is required.
Greg Dubin (aka The Great Dubini) has been performing magic his entire life. When the world was operating full tilt, he could be seen at some of NYC’s top venues such as The Slipper Room, Le Poisson Rouge, and The McKittrick Hotel. As a consultant, he has brought magic and special effects to a number of productions, including the off-Broadway hit Sleep No More. He also performs extensively at corporate and private events around the country. The virtual medium translates well with magic allowing Greg to engage the audience with a variety of tricks like never before. To catch a glimpse, click on the photo below!
Zoom shows start at $750 per. Box of Tricks: coming soon.
Hone your tasting skills and arrange a virtual live wine tasting with Courtney Olsen, the Sommelier + Beverage Director of Crenn Dining Group in San Francisco. She’ll guide you on a trip through the world of tasting where you’ll deepen your senses and learn how to identify varietal, region, vintage, and quality. This can be a blind tasting or an open themed tasting experience where Courtney will highlight a region, producer, or style of wine.
Cost: $500 for one hour exclusive of wine selection, delivery + admin fees, and tax. Max 30 participants.
Host a virtual cooking class with the Michelin-trained Chefs of dineDK Private Dining. dineDK is a boutique private dining company typically serving the NYC tri-state area, until now… in a virtual world, that area can be anywhere! The menus to select from are vast and intelligently broken out into beginner, intermediate and advanced offerings. Once your menu is selected, your assigned chef at dineDK will provide an ingredient list for your attendees to purchase on their own. To catch a glimpse, click on the photo below!
Cost: $40 per person with a minimum guarantee of $300 — ingredients not included.
Besides being one of 274 Master Sommeliers in the world, Fred Dexheimer’s career spans more than 20 years in the wine and hospitality industry. Fred has developed 30+ restaurant and hotel wine + beverage programs and trained 1000’s of wine professionals and aficionados the skills, secrets, and systems to tasting wine like a master. He’s also a skilled speaker and collaborator to many of the world’s top wine regions and wineries.
Fred’s mission is to Rock Your Wine World! With that in mind, he has created a unique approach to his Virtual Wine Tastings complete with walks through dreamy vineyards and nostalgic rock music, offering viewers a genuinely educational experience, which hopefully one never forgets. To catch a glimpse, click on the photo below!
Costs start at $750 per event, not including wine, shipping, or taxes.
Chef Teena found her love of food, flavor, and color early in her life while watching her parents run a restaurant upon immigrating to the US from India. A colorful journey through the years brought her to a partnership with Atherton Appliance & Kitchen in 2016 where she opened her own business, a cooking school called Explore Culinary Arts. Offering classes in a variety of cuisines such as Indian, Italian, Mediterranean, or Asian cuisine. Chef Teena can also guide pastry workshops and wine & cheese tastings. Ingredient lists to be sent to the group prior to the class.
Cost: $75 per person, ingredients not included.
To Satisfy your Cravings…
… browse our SixPlus recipe collections below and master your favorite venue’s recipes. Share photos with friends, family, and Instagram, and be sure to tag the venue!
● Coping Through Cooking: At Home with SixPlus Venue Partners Batch no. 1
● Coping Through Cooking: At Home with SixPlus Venue Partners Batch no. 2
● Coping Through Cooking: At Home with SixPlus Venue Partners Batch no. 3
… watch and listen
● 12 Culinary Films to Whet your Appetite
● 12 Culinary Series to Whet your Appetite
● 8 Culinary Podcasts to Whet your Appetite
Stay tuned for more recipes and other entertaining collections coming soon.
SAVE RESTAURANTS
The Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) came together with their peers mid-March and has been tirelessly working to give a voice to all independent restaurants across the country. Once the PPP was announced, it was quickly understood that restaurants wouldn’t benefit from this plan the same way other small businesses would. Knowing intimately what is needed, the IRC has been communicating to congress what will save restaurants. They still need more voices.
Please help by clicking on the button below to tell congress that a restaurant stabilization fund is needed. Without it, independent restaurants won’t make it through. Let’s not imagine your favorite restaurants no longer able to welcome you, your friends, your guests, your families into their home. Let’s know that together we will once again be able to break bread, share stories, and celebrate personal and professional milestones.
