TableTribes - Final Picnic of the Summer

The idea of an indoor picnic-type atmosphere at which intelligent, interesting people converged to discuss topics of interest facilitated by thought leaders was a novel idea and one for which the final gathering brought about a bittersweet reaction. Many of those who attended the last TableTribes picnic had attended one of the others in the series of nine and came to bid adieu to Hosan...for now. But, Hosan was not ready to say "goodbye," rather she came to throw a final finale and let everyone know she'd be back soon.

No matter where I go, I meet people who are really trying to make a difference in this world as that is often what attracts people to DC -- the ability to do just that and this night was no different. I ran into someone I had written about when I first started my blog as well as some others I had conversed with at other picnics.

As the night wore on, we became hungry and realized that picnic snacks were being served. Scott Gallegos, chef de cuisine at Todd Gray's Muse at the Corcoran, at my request, prepared an entirely vegan meal, unbeknownst to the attendees, that was delightful. After having spent all day in his kitchen cooking up a storm for the monthly vegan brunch at Todd Gray's Muse at the Corcoran, he came directly to TableTribes to continue showcasing his culinary skills. On the menu that night was a simple, yet delicious falafel with a tahini sauce in a thick pita with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers served with Israeli couscous tabouleh, and Za'atar spiced hummus with toasted pita. I must say this was the best meal I'd had of any of the other picnics.

Scott Gallegos and I

Once we dined, the collaborators spoke about the topic of exploration--deeply embedded into the process of creation is exploration. What happens when we allow ourselves to be purposefully curious? Matt Gross' stories about traveling the globe without a purpose were most interesting to me. Matt writes about travel and food for the New York Times, Saveur, Gourmet, and Afar Magazine. He writes about traveling frugally and allowing himself to get lost. Other interesting collaborators, Allison Sosna, Founder and CEO of Pine Benefit Corp and Brian Forde, President of Llamadas, S.A. shared their stories while Hosan facilitated further discussion from the attendees.

At the end, we were able to enjoy the music of Elena Lacayo, a singer-songwriter and head of the bilingual folk rock band, Elena & Los Fulanos.

Adrian, me, and, Hosan

Although the formats and venues for each of the TableTribes events differed, the idea was still the same and in the end, we all enjoyed learning more about one another while enjoying good food and drinks. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what's next on Hosan's agenda. And in the meantime, I'll be connecting with all of the cool people I met this summer.

Previous review of TableTribes