This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Paris, New Orleans, Johannesburg, Cartagena, Budapest, Tel Aviv, Libreville, Melbourne, Stockholm, Ho Chi Minh, Puebla, Fort McMurray… What do all these cities, big and small, have in common? Every year, like dozens of others around the world, they organize a Dîner en blanc. Spotlight on a unique festive event that will bring together thousands of participants in Montreal on September 6.
The concept of Dîner en blanc is original: dressed entirely in white, we converge at the end of the day with a crowd of strangers towards a grandiose location kept secret until the last moment. Then, once we arrive on site, we set up chairs and a table on which we place fine tableware and immaculate decorations. All that remains is to set up the elements of a gourmet picnic, bottles of bubbles or wine included, for the party to begin. In the hours that follow, in this sparkling microcosm, we will eat, drink, dance and create new bonds with those around us.
Winning recipe born in Paris
Elegance, mystery, gastronomy and conviviality; these are the ingredients of the winning recipe created in 1988 by François Pasquier, a former reserve officer, with friends in Paris. Over the years, the event has grown and invested several exceptional locations, such as the Place Vendôme, the Pont des Arts or the Eiffel Tower.
Sandy Safi had this experience somewhat by chance in 2010. “I was in London for a conference when this event was taking place,” she says. “So I went there out of curiosity… and I was totally blown away! Disoriented by these thousands of people in white, amazed by the place [Le Louvre] and the warm welcome I received. It was phenomenal.”
After this memorable experience, the Montreal entrepreneur joined forces with the organization to present a similar event in New York in 2011. It was an immediate success. So much so, in fact, that a rave article in the New York Times quickly went around the world. “We had calls from everywhere to duplicate the concept,” confirms M.me Safi, who co-founded Dîner en blanc international in 2012.
The rest of this adventure is success story. To date, 120 cities in 40 countries have held a White Dinner, with more than 900,000 guests. However, this entire festive network is orchestrated from Montreal by a team of only fifteen people! “Each country has a different culture and habits, so local entrepreneurs create their own event based on our specifications and our transactional platform,” explains Sandy Safi.
Although it may therefore differ slightly from one city to another, the Dîner en blanc retains its uniqueness. “And its universality,” adds the entrepreneur. “Because the idea of getting together with friends over a good meal is universal. There is no age, gender or culture for that. You can’t imagine the number of new friendly, romantic or professional relationships that these meetings generate.”
Bling-bling or bon vivant?
From the outside, the photos and videos of the Dîners en Blanc, showing people in extravagant white outfits and flamboyant parties, may make us think of a trendy, superficial and elitist event. And the invitation-only formula that accompanies it reinforces this a priori.
However, according to the organizer, it’s quite the opposite. “The Dîner en blanc is a special moment, an evening where you get out of your daily routine. By participating, people make an effort to dress, design their decor, and develop their menu. Above all, they are bon vivants who want to live an unforgettable experience.” It should also be added that this event is eco-responsible and quite community-oriented in spirit, since it has volunteers.
This year, Montreal’s Dîner en blanc will take place on Friday, September 6, with the theme of the Enchanted Forest. What location will be chosen to embody it? It’s a mystery, but fashionista Lolitta Dandoy has already given some ideas for how to dress, and chefs Laurent Godbout and Jérôme Ferrer are offering gourmet picnics for the occasion.
Sparkling ideas
Fattoush-style cherry tomato salad, fresh goat cheese and grilled peach compote, corn panna cotta with white chocolate and blueberries; these few elements of Laurent Godbout’s picnic for Montreal’s Dîner en blanc are enough to make your mouth water. “I trusted my idea of outdoor conviviality by creating a tapas-style menu that was elaborate, fresh and light, ideal for sharing,” he tells us.
The chef also has some advice in mind to give for this event, or why not a replica of this concept on a smaller scale, with family or friends:
• A chic table is neither too busy nor cheesy. Small LED lights, a white painted candlestick, a few flowers and pretty white dishes, a beautiful tablecloth, white cloth napkins… and the magic happens!
• For the menu, Laurent Godbout suggests preparing cold dishes that can be kept for several hours. “Make things that allow for last-minute dressing, like an escabeche that you can serve on croutons. A white salad with endives, white grapefruit segments and white fish will also be in keeping with the taste. As for desserts, go for those in jars, which are easy to make in advance.”
• To keep your sparkling wine or wine cool, you can freeze wet towels and wrap them around the bottles.
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.