There are some evenings when you walk into a room and immediately know you are about to experience something magical. Our very first Culinary Club was one of those nights.
Our All Access Foodies supporters chose the theme, Speakeasy in the Catacombs of Paris, Among the Remains: Un Dîner Sous Paris. The team behind FSU’s beloved Little Dinner Series brought our culinary adventure to life in spectacular fashion.
This is the Little Dinner Series team’s first year in their new space following a major renovation at the FSU Conference Center. The beautiful dining room now includes a spectacular window into the new kitchen, allowing guests to watch as the chefs and hospitality students prepare each course.
The atmosphere was mysterious, intimate and wonderfully transportive, exactly as you might imagine a secret speakeasy hidden beneath the streets of Paris. The team had sectioned off the surrounding dining area, concealing the larger room and drawing us into our own secluded little world for the evening, as though we had discovered a space tucked away known only to us.
When I turned the corner and saw our dining table for the first time, I kept repeating the same word: “Oh my goodness, stunning! This is absolutely stunning. Everything is stunning!”. I literally asked everyone around me for a new word, as I was at a loss for words.
They truly went all out. Every detail helped tell the story, from the dramatic catacomb-inspired setting to the beautiful tables waiting for our Foodies community. It was moody, mysterious and completely immersive without losing the warm, welcoming feeling at the heart of our gatherings.
Beauty in the Details
Looking back through the photos, I discovered even more thoughtful details that I had missed in the moment. The bar, the high-top tables and even the paper beneath our desserts had been carefully designed to carry the theme through every corner of the experience. There was so much to take in! Now I know that next time, I need to slow down and study absolutely EVERYTHING!
A Reception in the Catacombs
The evening began with a cocktail reception, a format we do not often have at our dinners. After visiting the beautifully decorated bar, where student bartenders prepared the evening’s cocktails, we gathered around high-top tables to mix, mingle and reconnect. These tables also offered what may have been the best view in the entire space: the large kitchen window, where we could watch the chefs and hospitality students prepare each course. Even with this glimpse behind the scenes, the dining room remained completely concealed, preserving the mystery of what awaited us.
We enjoyed three French-inspired hors d’oeuvres as we mingled: escargots Bourguignonne in vol-au-vents; duck rillettes on grilled crostini with sea salt and micro beets; and buckwheat crêpes with Gruyère, pear, Dijon and thyme.
Our wonderful sponsor, Ology, was featured in two beautifully themed cocktails. La Fée Verte, The Green Fairy, paired Ology Green Fairy Absinthe with cognac, Demerara and Creole bitters. Fleurs des Morts, Flowers of the Dead, combined Ology New World Gin with lavender syrup, lemon, crème de mûre and Champagne. The Green Fairy was spirit-forward and botanical, while Flowers of the Dead offered a brighter balance of fruit, florals, citrus and bubbles.
Little Dinner Magic Meets The Community Table
This experience was unique for all of us because it brought together two very special styles of dining. We enjoyed the creativity, storytelling and theatrical themed experience for which the fabled Little Dinner Series is so beloved, paired with the long-table community dining that has become such a meaningful part of our Tallahassee Foodies gatherings.
At our Secret Dinners and other Foodies events, you may arrive with friends, sit beside someone you have never met or experience a little of both. By the end of the evening, introductions have turned into conversations, plates have been admired across the table and new connections have formed over a shared love of food.
Culinary Club carried that spirit into an entirely new setting, bringing All Access Foodies supporters, talented chefs and hospitality students together around the same table. It was exactly what I hoped this collaboration could become: one wonderfully nerdy food crew sharing an experience that we helped shape from the very beginning.
You voted for the theme. The Little Dinner Series team transformed your choice into an evening. And then we all gathered to experience the culinary journey we had set in motion together.
Our Dinner Beneath Paris
Once we gathered at the table, dinner began with an Iberico pork shoulder terrine made with Berkshire bacon, chicken breast, duck liver, haricots verts, cranberries, brandied cherries and moutarde violette. It was an intricate opening course, with the richness of the terrine balanced by fruit, acidity and the sweetness of the brandied cherries.
Next came Coquilles Saint-Jacques: sea scallop gratin with white wine and maitake béchamel, Gruyère, Parmesan-parsnip purée and an arugula-beet salad. The scallop and creamy gratin brought richness, while the purée added an earthy sweetness and the salad offered a fresh contrast.
An Aperol Spritz sorbet followed as our intermezzo. Bright and refreshing, it gave us a playful pause before the third course.
For the entrée, we enjoyed Bavette Frites: rosemary-black pepper hanger steak with triple-cooked French fries, caramelized shallot, garlic butter and green peppercorn demi-glace. It was hearty, savory and unmistakably French-inspired, with the crisp fries providing the perfect companion to the steak and rich sauce.
Dessert was Opéra des Catacombes, an elaborate conclusion made with espresso-soaked almond joconde, buttercream, ganache, herbes de Provence crème glacée, pistachio sablé crumb and cherry-wine gastrique. Coffee, chocolate, herbs, pistachio sablé crumb, cherry-wine gastrique came together in a finale that was every bit as layered as the evening itself.
The wine pairings throughout dinner were incredible and added another thoughtful dimension to the courses.
As the evening wound down, we lingered around the long tables, continued our conversations and enjoyed Lucky Goat coffee with the last few bites of dessert. Guests were also invited to tour the beautiful new kitchen we had watched in action throughout dinner. It was a fitting close to an evening of candlelight, conversation and a feast that truly felt far from the world above.
With So Much Gratitude
A heartfelt thank-you to Chef Zach Weston, Chef Aubrey Zurek and Little Dinner Series Events Manager Katie Harrison for welcoming our Foodies community into their beautiful new space and pouring so much creativity and care into our first Culinary Club.
Thank you as well to the talented Dedman hospitality students and the entire team for the delicious food and beverages, incredible wine pairings and excellent service. Your hard work and hospitality made the evening so special.
And to our All Access Foodies supporters, thank you for voting, participating and gathering around the table with us. You helped choose this culinary adventure, and then you filled it with the warmth and connection that make our community so wonderful.
Our first Culinary Club was mysterious, delicious, beautiful and filled with connection. The feast may be over, but the memories of everything we shared around the table will remain.
As for the secrets buried among the shadows? Those are ours to keep.
Find the FSU Little Dinner Series at:
Socials – Website, Facebook, Instagram
Address – FSU Conference Center, 555 W Pensacola St, Tallahassee, FL 32306
Find Ology Distilling at:
Socials – Website, Facebook, Instagram
Address Ology [Midtown] – 118 E 6th Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32303
Address Ology [Power Mill] – 2708 Power Mill Ct, Tallahassee, FL 32301
Address Ology [Northside] – 2910 Kerry Forest Pkwy, Tallahassee, FL 32309
Phone – (850) 296-2809
