Project Dinner Table fosters sense of community, while helping organizations

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A young girl, scooping eagerly from a Yogurtland dish, looked wide-eyed at the linen-topped table for 150 that was set in the middle of a street at Town Square on a recent evening. She and her father clearly were there to do a little window-shopping, but the people who would be seated at the table were there to dine — in style.

The occasion was Project Dinner Table, which occurs monthly during the spring, summer and fall months in Las Vegas. Its goal, according to founder Gina Gavan: "to encourage people to get out and see more." The one long table and family-style service, she said, "really does build a sense of community."

So far, all of the dinners have been outdoors, although Gavan said that might not always be the case. She said she likes to choose venues that may be unfamiliar; previous locations have included the Gilcrease Orchard, the Nevada Cooperative Extension orchard and the Historic Fifth Street School.

"When we went to the (Las Vegas Natural) History Museum, probably 80 percent of the people had never even been there," she said.

But it seems to be the sense of community that most appeals to those who have become Project Dinner Table regulars. As the series enters its second season it’s being discovered by an ever-expanding audience, but many are repeat customers. The April dinner was the sixth for Zach Conine and Teresa Vente.

"I think we both really enjoy the opportunity to be able to sit down and have a conversation with your neighbors, even though we don’t know them," Vente said.

"I think Vegas, if it ever had it, has lost the element of community," Conine said. "We don’t know our next-door neighbors, but I know where Marc and Leanne work."

"Marc and Leanne" were Marc Lewis and Leanne Lemke, who ended up seated across from Conine and Vente thanks to Project Dinner Table’s sit-where-you-like format. It was Lewis and Lemke’s first time at Project Dinner Table. Lewis said he particularly appreciated that that month’s donation — $3,000 — would go to the Grant a Gift Autism Foundation, since he has a friend with an autistic child. A portion of the proceeds from each dinner is donated to a local charity.

Vente said she, too, appreciated the philanthropic element, but also liked that the dinners got her out of her regular circle, since as a medical student she feels somewhat isolated.

"It’s refreshing," she said.

"It’s the nature of careers," Conine said. "To be able to break free of that is really nice."

Tim Mullin, who was attending his fourth dinner, was there with a group of people he knew.

"The best thing for me is to be able to hang out with my friends," he said.

It all comes at a cost — $140 per person, which is daunting to many in these difficult times. Then again, every dinner so far has sold out. And the food, which varies from dinner to dinner but always has an emphasis on local sourcing and sustainability, is Strip-quality. The April dinner started with a reception with roving waiters serving push-up pops of spring-pea and white-truffle puree, morel-and-ramp pops, frozen tube pops of golden beets and goat cheese, and spiral pops of dough layered with apricot and Manchego and then griddled.

The dinner itself featured a salad of pressed watermelon and Manchego marinated in a sherry reduction; grilled halibut ceviche; gnocchi with lobster, wild mushrooms and black truffles; roast lamb; and chocolate and fruit desserts. There were vegetarian options for those who requested them.

The courses were paired with beer, and beer, water and honey-vodka cocktails were offered before dinner (with coffee, by Colorado River Coffee Roasters of Boulder City, following dessert). Gavan said all of the dinners so far have had beer pairings, but "that may not always be the case."

"There’s a lot of wine dinners," she said. "We’re sort of an untraditional approach. Beer actually pairs better with food. Beer is the humble servant to food. Wine can sometimes be complex and equal to the food."

Project Dinner Table has several sponsors, including Whole Foods Market and Nevada Beverage Co., and Gavan said sponsorships are available.

Gavan, who has a firm that specializes in brand strategies, strategic development and event planning, said the idea for Project Dinner Table came to her one day while she was musing about the future. A native of Indiana, she said she has relatives who are farmers and feels connected to the land.

"It just all sort of fused together on a Saturday afternoon," she said. "I was just flipping through some magazines and just thinking about what’s next. What are we missing here?

"I was sorting through some of my own passions and things that I like to do, which include community and food and connecting people to causes. Really, it was just sort of that blend — going back to my roots."

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@review journal.com or 702-383-0474.