A few friends co-organized an official Diner En Blanc (dinner in white) party in Toronto. It was held on Tuesday evening, the 27th of September at the historic Distillery District. It was such a beautiful event. The weather could not have been more perfect for an outdoor event. It was more like a mild summer evening than early fall.
To give a bit of background on Diner En Blanc, it was started by someone in Paris back in 1986, I believe. It is an elegant picnic held in a venue known for it's history (and not revealed to guests until shortly before). Everyone is REQUIRED to wear white. The original thought behind the white attire was so that the guests would all recognize one another as they gathered in the secret location in a park. Since it's inception, it's become a global, yearly event. Guests bring food for themselves or to share. Everyone is free to decorate their white table elegantly. There are many rules to adhere to for the event to be considered an "official" one. This year was a first in Toronto and attended by nearly 400 guests.
The white ensembles, tables, food and candles against the backdrop of the Distillery District were irresistible to photograph. The media buzzed around the party like flies. All my photos were taken on my iPhone (not planned). I had the honour of being seated around a few wonderful friends who also happen to be fantstic chefs. Champagne and wine flowed (unfortunately onto many a white outfit, too). So the food was fantastic to boot. It was such a wonderful evening all around. The best party of the summer happened in the fall. One of my favourite moments was around 9pm. We all lit sparklers. At the risk of sounding vomitous, it was pretty damn magical.
Here's the offficial video of the evening