Long Table Dining: Celebrating Community

A long table dinner is a warm and welcome way to celebrate fall.

By Sabrina Currie / Photography By Danika McDowell | September 05, 2019

As the leaves change and the weather cools, farm markets are bursting with juicy tomatoes and crisp apples, and wild mushrooms are starting to appear. The fall is a time we naturally start to prepare for the winter ahead, preserving and eating as much fresh local produce as we can before it all but disappears into root vegetables and imported produce. As summer’s informal picnics and barbecues give way to a more structured and bountiful style of gathering, a long table dinner is a warm and welcome way to celebrate fall.

Long table dinners have been around in many cultures and forms throughout history. Traditionally this feast has been used to facilitate public, political or solemn discussions, or to mark special occasions such as weddings. These communal suppers have evolved into an opportunity to bring groups together over a common interest and intimate conversation—an occasion to be savoured. The format elevates the occasion; it focuses on family-style dining where everyone has an equal part, sharing ideas, passing food, forging bonds and celebrating togetherness in real time.

Long Table Friends

My own experience at a long table dinner hosted by Tria Fine Catering at historic Filberg Park in the Comox Valley was exactly that. We were greeted with food and drink, mingling in the garden before being seated across and beside strangers at a long curving table. Our dinner celebrating the full moon was prepared using hyper-local ingredients—I still dream of the caramelized Chanterelle bruschetta and the roasted sweet red pepper soup with fresh basil oil and tangy goat cheese—and came accompanied by the stories of the farmers and food artisans who produced them. Full of inspiration, our hearts and minds opened to those all around us; those who had provided our food, those who had cooked for us, and our dining companions. As the evening light faded, strangers parted as friends.

Sometimes these events are well advertised, fully organized and catered but others are held as secret pop-ups, such as Diner en Blanc, an international celebration which has held an annual event in Victoria since 2013. Guests are either invited by a friend who has already been or by signing on to an email list, but they don’t know the location of the event until they arrive, having been bussed from set pick-up locations toting their own tables and chairs. What hosts and attendees have in common is a passion for supporting local food, wine, spirits, and charities, and a belief in the importance of community.

Host Your Own

You can seek out one of these special long table dinners at a local farm, winery or restaurant, or host one yourself. Some are large and public, but many are more intimate dinners hosted at smaller venues; you may need to call or join the farm’s email list to get the details. If you find one, get your tickets fast as they tend to sell out quickly. (See sidebar for some Island locations that host these dinners.)

To host your own, gather family, friends, and neighbours. Including children and people who don’t already know each other well only serves to enrich the occasion. Formal or casual, fine china or Royal Chinet, crisp linen or sheets of newspaper—anything goes. Delegating jobs such as curating the music or helping to serve gets everyone involved. A wabi-sabi approach adds warmth to the atmosphere and puts the focus on people first.

You don’t even need a long table: take a page from the original Diner en Blanc and have guests bring their own tables and chairs or put your own mismatched collection together. Adorned with bouquets of seasonal flowers grown in nearby ditches or backyards, simple votive candles and a menu of local food and drink, this dinner is the perfect salutation to fall and your local farm market is the ideal place to gather ingredients and inspiration.

Create Memories

Pour local sparkling wine or an herbal cocktail and pass bite-sized appetizers such as oysters on the half shell or vegetable crostini as guests gather and greet each other and then sit down to a family-style meal. Make-ahead soups and salads are perfect starters, followed by a hearty main course (planked salmon or rich lamb stew) passed at the table and paired with oven-roasted new potatoes, beets, fennel or other fresh market finds. A rich and luxurious cake or local cheese, honey and nuts on shared plates make a delightfully sweet ending.

Arrange these dishes on platters, family style, encouraging interaction amongst your company as they serve themselves and pass food to their neighbours. Local libations keep the conversation flowing—make a craft cocktail or procure some local wine, craft beer, nonalcoholic kombucha or tisane. Let the night unfold as conversations and friendships deepen, and feel the warmth of old and new camaraderie. Embrace the perfectly imperfect and forget the Martha Stewart goals of a perfect table. Strive instead for the perfect company and the pleasure of this moment in time.

A Sampling of Fall Events

Farm to Table Feast - Sept. 7, 4:00 pm Gabriola Island
On This Harvest Moon - Sept. 14, 6:00 pm Averill Creek Winery, Cowichan Valley, BC
Intimate Dinner at Duck Creek Farm - Friday, Sept. 20 & Saturday, Sept. 21, 7:00 pm Salt Spring Island

Check the Event List on our website for more event listings.

For more ideas on fostering meaningful conversations and ways to bring people together over food, check out the Vancouver Foundation’s excellent On the Table Project.

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