Jeg er så heldig at modtage invitationer til et og andet. Middage, receptioner, lanceringer, rejser et cetera. Noget takker ja tak til, andet pænt nej tak og så er der dem, jeg ikke kan nå. En af sidstnævnte løn for nylig af stablen. Det drejede sig om en utraditionel middagsinvitation, og kvinden bag pop-up middagskonceptet hedder Tiffany. Da jeg ikke kunne deltage, ville jeg gerne blive klogere på konceptet, hvorfor et lille interview kom i stand. Da Tiffany er fra Amerika, er teksten på engelsk. But I think you will understand.
Og så til højbords... Foto: www.phillipjacques.blogspot.com
Just briefly – what are you doing in CPH
– For the past two years, I had been completing a masters in International Law, Economics, and Management – a joint program between KU and CBS. My academic background was never in food or hospitality. Rather, it has been international relations, law, and languages. Since that is now finished, I am turning my attention to a second masters – a LLM at KU.
You’re also behind the dining concept Silver.Spoon – what’s that about?
– After having lived in the Copenhagen area for a couple years, I realized there was a spark missing in the dining scene. Of course, you have the numerous starred restaurants that are world class, but that is not what I’m talking about. Aside from the fine dining, there wasn’t too much else. Granted, the past two years has seen a much greater explosion of restaurateurs recognizing this and beginning to target that market segment.
Der knyttes sikkert relationer. Foto: www.phillipjacques.blogspot.com
I grew up in the heart of San Francisco, so you can imagine the variety and abundance of cuisine I had at my fingertips. It is that sort of dining culture that inspired me to start Silver.Spoon over in Denmark. It is an alternative dining experience where we create single-event restaurants that incorporate things ranging anywhere from music, to art, to visual performances, etc. At the end of the day, we are still keeping it affordable.
If you ask both newcomers and regulars, what they will tell you is that they come for the experience, and for the opportunity to network with a very international crowd. That leads me to the next question”¦
Ladies. Foto: www.phillipjacques.blogspot.com
What kind of people are joying your dinners?
– I have a very even balance of both Danish and international guests, all of whom are well-traveled and foodies. Oftentimes, they come purely for the surprise element because they know they won’t be disappointed.
The youngest I have had was 17 and the eldest, probably in their 70s. The concept has a very wide audience but in general, you see professionals from the early 30s to early 50s who are looking to have a relaxed evening and a nice experience.
Bagværksrekvisit. Foto: www.phillipjacques.blogspot.com
Where does one get information about the coming events?
– We have a website with a mailing list form, which can be found at Silverspooncph.com. We also announce events in the Upcoming Events section of the website. For those familiar with Twitter, various announcements are made there, along with little snippets about the development of a project. More recently, we launched our Facebook Page.
Det foregik bag denne rude sidste gang. Foto: www.phillipjacques.blogspot.com
Speaking of – when and where is the next event?
– We have decided to take on the recent theme of 4.4 again given its uniqueness. What we will do is change up the venue and the menu/chef to give it a bit of change while making various improvements. The date has been set to Sunday, January 22.
Where do you like do dine yourself?
– When I go out, I always search for the less mainstream places. Not the sleekest in design or service, though I do enjoy both, but delicious food or drink. Nice foodie spots in town are Café Benedict on Borups Alle, Bento on Helgolandsgade, Noodle House on Abel Cathrines Gade, Candido on Godthåbsvej, Magstræde 16, Ved Stranden 10 for their exquisite selection of charcuterie and cheese, not to mention the wine.
If I can add my own kitchen, then definitely that. I’m an avid home cook and will experiment quite often.
Should one come for the food, the network, true love, business opportunities or?
– I would say all apply. Each guest looks to get something different out of one of my dinners, so I can’t generalize. One thing I do know is someone won’t come if they don’t enjoy food at least to a certain extent. It’s a great medium through which you can get complete strangers to begin conversation.
Mingling. Foto: www.phillipjacques.blogspot.com
What kind of feedback have the participants given you so far?
– Depending on the theme and how ”˜out there’ it is, I have been told the following about one of the events: ”œThat was absolutely wild!”; ”œI had a blast!”; ”œI met my now partner at your dinner”; ”œBetter food than I get in San Francisco”; ”œAmazing service”; ”œGreat touch with the little details.” I can go on, but at the end of the day, people are having a good time.
Are the Danes easy to get out?
– It isn’t now, but in the beginning, it was like pulling teeth. Danes are very risk averse, and when you tell them to buy a ticket to some dinner by some unknown foreigner with not necessarily a big name chef, they would just laugh and say, ”œYeah, right. I’ll tell my friends and if they go and have a good time, I’ll come next time.”
Compared to the international guests I have, I think the Danes are still the more conservative of the two. I’m hoping they’ll eventually come to realize that they should just throw back at my events and let loose a bit. Don’t worry, the guest seated next to you won’t bite if you start talking to them.
Feel good. Foto: www.phillipjacques.blogspot.com
Could you describe three types of guests from a Silver Spoon arrangement?
1. Young professional who can’t necessarily afford to be eating out at restaurants every night but who does appreciated good quality and good food, and will attend one of my arrangements as one of their evenings out.
2. Established international businessperson well versed in the funky dining cultures around the world and are excited to see something similar finally reach Copenhagen.
3. People bored of the same old, same old at the restaurants in town and are ready to change it up.
Tallerkenlækkerier. Foto: www.phillipjacques.blogspot.com
What would a perfect Silver.Spoon dinner be like in your opinion?
– A difficult question because for me, something can always be improved upon. But what I look at are the guests and the rest of the team. If the guests have a smile on their face or can talk excitedly about any element of the dinner or suddenly found a new connection across the table, that’s one part to a successful event. The other is to have an inspired team who have thrown themselves behind a theme.
Krydsspil. Foto: www.phillipjacques.blogspot.com
By the way – why not call it Gold Spoon?
– First time someone has said Gold Spoon to me. I think we all know the old adage of ”˜born with a silver spoon in his/her mouth.’ When a few friends of mine and I were going over names for the concept, silver spoon came up, but I did not like the original meaning behind it. When you think about putting that sort of name with this type of concept, however, I think it gives it new meaning because of how it clashes. My project is not about exclusivity – though you can read it as that because it’s not always easy to know about the next event if you don’t pay attention – nor is it about bringing in VIPs and being snobby. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’d be better served going elsewhere. We are stripping away preconceptions of what a restaurant can or can’t be and making sure you have a good time while we’re doing that. So, Silver.Spoon came about as a funny but fitting name for the project.
Elegant input med levende musik. Foto: www.phillipjacques.blogspot.com
God fornøjelse hvis du vælger at tage til et af de kommende arrangementer – måske vi ses!
