We brought together the city’s top local tastemakers for a night of food, fun and inspiration – and we’re taking you along with us…
This week, Secret Media Network held our inaugural SMN100 dinner – an intimate evening that invited New Yorkers who were honored with a place on our list to meet other creatives leaving their mark on the city. The national SMN100 list was unveiled earlier this year, highlighting 100 U.S. entrepreneurs, creators and voices shaping the way we spend our most treasured asset: our free time.
Curated over many months by local city editors and ranked “Public’s Pick” seats, the night let us celebrate the talents transforming our cities – and here are its secrets.
Attendees included Macy Schmidt, an Orchestrator, Music Director, & Producer who recently became the first woman of color orchestrator in Broadway history; and Paul Tate, prolific set and production designer who won the Drama Desk Award for The Great Gatsby. There was Max Kolo, whose digital art and films infuse the mundane with a sense of wonder, and Alex Taylor, founder of the trailblazing women’s basketball collective Hoop York City.
We welcomed actress Mona Swain, whose relatable skits and lip syncs have grown a fanbase of over 2 million – when she isn’t captivating audiences in theatres across Atlanta and NYC, that is. And José María “Chema” Dondé, a mixologist who is shaking up the NYC cocktail scene with his inventive plays on classic drinks that infuse Mexican flavors like the Mole Corn Painkiller.
Next: the setting. Innovative art gallery TIWA Select set the scene with artist Rich Aybar’s exquisite sculptural lighting pieces utilizing rubber, reclaimed wood, and scrap metal. Whimsical floral arrangements by Field Studies Flora – sourced from local farmers and foragers within 200 miles of NYC – became their own art pieces in the space, alongside flickering candlelight.
The evening began with drinks and light bites from Chef Rose Chalalai Singh, who flew in from Europe for the occasion. Thanks to the open galley space, guests were welcomed into the kitchen with Rose and her team, offering a first-hand view crafting fresh salads, sides and meats with products purchased from local farmers’ markets the same day.
Attendees mingled among the shimmering lights and artwork with a Negroni or mezcal mule cocktail in hand, and enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres from a “naked” bruschetta to a radicchio, Roquefort and walnut bite.
When it was time for dinner, the group sat together at a long communal table covered in beautiful textiles by Sarah Nsikak, laid with pieces of 1940s French cotton collected from around the world. Insightful conversations were had as guests enjoyed Chef Rose’s dishes, including caramelized pork belly with honeynut squash and brown rice, mahi-mahi fish with green sauce, and a delectable dessert of mango sticky rice with coconut sorbet.
But it wasn’t just the SMN100 who were the stars.
Every guest was told to bring their most creative friend – which drew the likes of singer/songwriter Laurissa “Lala” Romain, Global Nike trainer Lauren Schramm, co-founder of Righteous Eats Jaeki Cho (who came with one of our favorites, Marco Lombardi of @marcosworldnyc) and poet Sarah Ingle.
SMN100 is only just beginning, so keep an eye on this space for next year’s list and nominations — who will be the next movers and shakers of American culture?