Back in 2016, I sat down with Jeromie and Rod from The Painted Table and (long story short) Fresno’s Underground Suppers was born. At the time it was called Shhhhh, and we had 16 people around our table. More than 55 events later, over six years and through a pandemic, we find ourselves where we are today. The world is a different place than it was in March of 2020. In the Events Industry, so many people had to postpone their weddings, anniversaries, and other celebrations, and now are making up for the lost time. Caterers are finding themselves extremely busy, with calendars that are overflowing with bookings. Seasons that used to be less busy are now full, and those that were traditionally busy are insane. You may have noticed your calendars have a few more entries than usual as well, even while we are gathering more cautiously than ever before. I think its because we understand we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow, and are cherishing every moment we have with those we love. Right now we have an opportunity to evolve with this new way of being. New times call for new ideas, and we are excited for what we have planned!
The first and most visible change - our “Una Notte Sotto le Stelle” event on August 25th will be the last of the year with the team from The Painted Table. They have been amazing partners for the last six years, flexing their creative muscles and sharing their culinary viewpoint with us. Together we won an international catering award for our event at Forestiere Underground Gardens, set up tables in the snow and in the middle of a river, and explored cuisines from far off places. They deserve a break to regcharge their inspiration and creativity! They aren’t gone forever, though. In 2023 they will be back for a very special quarterly dinner series, and we will get you the information as soon as it is available. We are very much looking forward to welcoming them back in the new year!
Secondly, this gives us the opportunity to build our community around and explore many other tastes and experiences. We will continue with our member dinners, featuring the talents of local chefs you already know and others you should know. We will be hosting exceptional chefs from outside our area from time to time who have interesting and delicious culinary perspectives. We will have events of all sizes and price points, from picnics and cocktail events to family dinners and fancy soirees, and everything in between. We will be traveling several times a year locally, domestically, and internationally - to farms, festivals, the hottest food cities, and historic culinary destinations. It is something that was a part of the original concept for Shhhhh and we are excited to roll this out by the beginning of the new year.
Look for the announcement of the first confirmed fall dates this week!