Sub Rosa Supper Club

sub rosa /suhb roh-zuh/ (adverb) in secret. Latin, literally: under the rose; from the rose that,
in ancient times, was hung over the council table, as a token of secrecy. Rose paintings on the ceilings of ancient Roman banquet rooms were a reminder that things said under the influence of wine (sub vino) should also remain sub rosa.

Sub Rosa events are about creating real connections. The all-inclusive, multi-course dinners feature incredible food and drink around a gorgeous table for 30 guests in unexpected locations. We’ve done dinners on private runways, in smokehouses, taken over an old cannery, set up in a shipping container, collaborated with a brewery, and served up modern Mexican cuisine in a Pilates studio.

Guests eat, drink, laugh and meet new people. Volunteers help host and serve. Each event is professionally photographed so phones don’t interrupt the conversations.

The date is as much information as we give up front. No menu, no location, no guest list. We have over 1,500 people on the list vying for 30 seats at $130 per person. We love the feel of 30 seats--big enough to feel like a party, intimate enough to make new connections.

Our understanding of this helps us pay close attention to the things that larger events also need to feel intimate; something typically overlooked by large-scale event planners. Part of the success of Sub Rosa are the events themselves. The tables are beautiful, the settings surprising, and the food inspired.

The other part is our ability to create “fear of missing out”—the urgency of ticket sales, the gorgeous photos we post after each event, the social media buzz from our guests—it’s all a part of the marketing buzz and something we work carefully at doing for each event we help to plan.