Last night saw the official start of the Entrepicurean dinner series! With Mary Chiochios as co-host, we had a total of eight people. In the picture, starting from the lower left and going around the table clockwise, you can see Linda Criniti McQuillan, Michael Davies, Mary Chiochios, Ken Nicolson, Joe Grimaldi, Marlo Fogelman, Angela Shen-Hsieh and Paolo Gaudiano.
It was a great event that included a number of conversations on topics ranging from motorcycles to veterinaries as we enjoyed some good wine and appetizers. During the sit-down portion we spent quite a bit of time discussing the idea of the Entrepicurean dinner and looking for suggestions about format, frequency, size, etc.
The general consensus seems to be that between six and eight diners is the right size: fewer than six would not have enough variety, more than eight would likely lead to clusters of disconnected conversations - not to mention that it would exceed the capacity of my place! As far as topics, there was less of a consensus. On the one hand, several people felt that it would be good to have one or two pre-selected topics; on the other hand, we had no problem finding interesting topics of discussion. Suggestions for future events included for example inviting one or a few young entrepreneurs who could use the dinner as a way to ask questions, do some networking or seek some advice and help. There was also discussion about how to keep diversity by constantly rotating guests, but also having some continuity and creating a sense of community. One suggestion is that in addition to semi-regular dinners, every few months there could be a larger event such as a cocktail party at a different venue, where all "members" of the Entrepicurean community could congregate.
Aside from the self-referntial discussions, there were many other great conversations throughout the evening, including some extended discussions about talent, management styles, VC funding, etc... Joe had some great insights into attracting and retaining exceptional talent, and how often large corporations really look at talent in the wrong light. In a related context, Ken made an intriguing comment: when getting involved with start-ups (something he has now done seven times), he often asks the following question of the founders: "would you rather be right or be rich?" Perhaps not surprisingly, for many people the answer is that they'd rather be right -- something that can create clashes with investors, especially VCs. Mary then pointed out some interesting similarities between investing in companies and investing in movies, which started an extended conversation about content quality, distribution, monetization and other related issues. There were many more topics discussed by everyone around the table, I am wishing I had had a tape recorder to remember them all!
The food
After enjoying some appetizers (Saint Andre, mozzarella, aged cheddar, two types of pâté, salami, crackers, bread,...), we sat down for the main course, which consisted of potato gnocchi with a venison ragù and a side dish of broccolini/rabe sauteed with garlic and hot peppers. The dinner was capped off with tiramisù. In my opinion the gnocchi came out really well. The rabe were quite bitter (it seemed more so than usual) and I probably should have made one additional bunch, but I thought the strong flavor complemented the main dish well. All of it was washed down with various wines, mostly brought by the guests, including some Jacob's Creek Shiraz, Cigar Box Malbec, Stags' Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, Cusumano Angimbé (a blend of Insolia and Chardonnay) and a Renzo Masi Sangiovese. I am happy to report that not all of these bottles were drained... and I was left with a nice treasure chest of unopened bottles, including some Domaine Maume Bourgogne, Supernatural (a New Zealand wine), Veuve Clicquot Rosé, Villa Carlotti Prosecco, and a handmade rosé from the nearby Island Creek Oyster Bar (I had no idea they made their own wines).
Many thanks to all who participated, and especially to Mary for helping to put this together, making numerous suggestions, coming early to help me even though she was having an insane day, and she probably should have been home packing for her upcoming trip and catching up on some sleep! Thanks also to Jonas Daugherty for the venison, and to Fabrizio for the Cusumano.
