Artful Gathering
Tuesday 19 November 2024
For this special art-themed Supper Club, we welcomed the Mike’s Table community to the newly opened Art’otel in Hoxton. The evening was hosted in collaboration with Yelp, inspired by an idea from our long-time volunteer, Uli, who works with the Culture Team there.
About the event
When Uli first shared his idea, we had the opportunity to visit the Art’otel, and we were blown away by the space – not only by the setting itself but also by the warm atmosphere of the hotel. We couldn’t wait to share it with Mike’s Table guests. We knew they would love experiencing the same relaxed, welcoming, and inclusive atmosphere that Mike’s Table is known for, but this time in a special, new space.
40 guests joined us, a wonderful mix of Mike’s Table guests and Yelp volunteers. As people slowly arrived, travelling from all across London, our team was there to greet them. Everyone was blown away by the views across London as they walked in. Guests were offered a welcome drink and soon became friends, even if they arrived at the Supper Club without knowing anyone before.
The evening began with an art workshop led by the wonderful Sylver (Eulalee Studio), a jeweller, fashion designer, filmmaker, and artist currently doing a residency at the Art’otel. Sylver’s work focuses on shedding light on overlooked topics centring marginalised communities. The workshop ‘Wear in Mind’ invited guests to take material scraps/waste and transform it into a piece of jewellery inspired by a personal memory. The pieces guests made were really special, accompanied with beautiful stories behind them. Sylver’s workshop was delivered with so much thought and care, creating an environment where guests could be freely creative. A special shout out to Sylver’s mum Pearl for joining the evening and helping! Guests were served delicious snacks by the kitchen team, a Heritage Tomato Salad and Roast Parsnip Tarte Tatin.
Guests were then invited to sit for a delicious two-course dinner, a menu which was curated spontaneously on the night from surplus food donations by our talented kitchen team. Our kitchen team was led by professional chefs Claire and Simon, creating an exquisite vegetarian menu for guests. Our Mike’s Table front-of-house team were joined by Yelp volunteers, making the night run as smoothly as it could. The food was seriously enjoyed by guests, with the art workshop sparking conversation between new friends. For dessert, the kitchen team worked their magic once again, serving up a delicious pear, lemon and ginger cake with ice cream. See our full menu below for the highlights!
Later in the evening, we hosted our Mike’s Table free raffle. We had some generous donations of health and beauty products from Kevin Murphy, vouchers from Yelp for Nourished Communities, and some cakes and beignets from City Harvest. A special thank you to Helen, who’s been a long-time guest at Mike’s Table, who also made beautiful donations to the raffle.
Thank you to our dedicated team of volunteers. Also, a big thank you to everyone who joined us at our Artful Gathering Supper Club! We look forward to welcoming you again soon.
A special thank you to Uli for all your work in making this evening such a success. Thank you to the Art’otel for welcoming our community and being such a wonderful team to collaborate with.
Thank you to Juna Horstmans for your beautiful poster and designs - see more on our social media, as well as the menu below. Thank you to Studio Mon for capturing the evening with your camera.
The Menu
Thank you to our friends at City Harvest, who donated a wonderful range of unique, high-quality ingredients for our chefs to craft a delicious meal. The food is always within its use-by date and would otherwise be thrown away. Here’s the menu from the night…
The Team
Kitchen: Claire, Simon, T, Alan and Philippa
Front of House: Mala, Juno, Patrick, Conor, Bhargav, Dami, Emmanuel, Yasmine, Louise and Meggie
Art Workshop: Sylver (Eulalee Studio)
Photography: Studio Mon
With special thanks to the whole Art’otel team and Yelp volunteers!
Our Partners
As ever, we couldn’t do it without you:
Room to Heal Nova New Opportunities Carers Network
Creating Ground Compassionate Neighbours Friends of Woodberry Down
Prisoners Abroad Accumulate Headway East London
Many thanks to our Food & Drink Donors:
City Harvest Uncharted Wines
Many thanks to our Raffle Donors:
Sweet Squared Yelp - Nourished Communities
Kind words from our guests
“Just wanted to reach out and say again what a privilege it was to be a part of your network last night. Mike’s Table really is such an awe-inspiring enterprise and it’s abdunently clear how much it means to those involved.”
