We are partnering with Le Marche St. George to host an intimate, exploratory evening of Mediterranean cuisine this Sunday, April 29th. Polymath Tonio Creanza of Puglia’s Messors will be doing the cooking (that’s a link you want to click) and the amazing Larsen family will be handling the service/orchestration. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that there are only 8 seats available on the backyard table of 20 (the other 12 were snatched up by the few people who got wind of this dinner this afternoon). The cost is only $25, which is to say it’s not a money-making exercise. To give you an idea as to what to expect, our friends Luis Valdizon and Klee Larsen took the above shots of the evening that went down last Sunday in Le Marche’s garden, and Luis wrote the following:

Let me start by saying that this was undoubtedly one of the most magical occasions that I’ve ever been a part of. It’s hard to even describe. The Larsen women (Patricia, Janaki, and Klee) really know how to make dreams come to life. Our dear friend Tonio Creanza, his wife, and his family, who we have been supportive of since we opened (there are two detailed interviews on our blog about Tonio, his olive oil, and his wonderful company, Messors, which you can read about here and here) brought their own flavour that was perfectly in sync with the aura that Le Marché St. George is known for. 

The evening started with an educational olive oil tasting where guests were invited to sample Tonio’s olive oil and enjoyed an intimate musical performance from Mr. Creaza himself. This was my first time seeing him perform and it was something completely honest. Tonio was in his element. The lush sound of his voice and guitar filled the room with warmth and charm. Meanwhile, the backyard of Le Marché was being transformed into a dining area that was a work of art in itself, to be enjoyed by its company, who transcended beyond its own beauty, as it was the people, from babies to grandmothers, who gave the setting its heart.

After a short intermission to prepare dinner, guests started pouring in and filling up empty seats. They chatted away with their friends and strangers while sampling various appetizers set at their table and sipping wine from freshly opened bottles. In what seemed like moments, the pasta was served. The orchestra of oohs and aahs was short-lived as people enjoyed their first bites. Two pasta dishes were joined by an abundance of Parmigiano-Reggiano, fresh basil, salads of fennel, fruit, and roasted bell peppers, olive oil, and bread.

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It’s definitely going to be a night to remember, rain or shine (if it rains, we’ll have a set up inside), and we’d love a few Scout readers to join us. Should you be interested in breaking bread with us, here’s what you need to know…

Date & Time: 6:30pm sharp, Sunday, April 29th, 2012.
Cost: $25 per person (cash on arrival)
Location: Le Marche St. George | 4393 St. George at the corner of 28th.
To reserve: email your name (max 2 people) and your cell phone number to luis [at] marchestgeorge.com with a CC to andrew [at] scoutmagazine.ca.
Alcohol: BYOW.
Special note: as this is a shared alla famiglia supper, substitutions and special requests based on dietary restrictions will be politely declined. Sorry!

We trust that this special supper will sell out before the ink is dry on this post [it certainly did] , but we hope to be partnering up with Le Marche St. George for future events, so don’t fret too hard if you don’t put your name down in time. And for those looking for a Tonio Creanza experience a little further afield, check out his summer culinary workshop in Italy called Harvesting Food Through History. It looks like it would be an unforgettable experience!

UPDATE: The dinner has sold out. Email your name/number if you’d like to be on the waiting list.