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A spirit that is not afraid

Auburn chefs collaborate for the first Downtown Family Supper

Auburn residents had the opportunity to dine in the street at the first Downtown Family Supper. 

The Auburn’s Downtown Merchants Association hosted the supper on May 10, 2018, at 6 p.m. on Tichenor Avenue. 

“We’ve seen photos of it done in other communities, but never has this been done in Auburn or Opelika before, so we thought it would be a fun concept to bring downtown,” said Jessica Kohn, downtown coordinator for the Downtown Merchants Association. “The supper itself is about family and community, but this is also about bringing our community of chefs together. You can eat at the six different establishments, but never do you get to enjoy a dinner where you’re getting a taste of all six of these amazing chefs.”

Tickets for the supper were $125, and the meal included five courses and two glasses of wine. The menu included 10 items from chefs in the Auburn Opelika area.

Acre’s Executive Chef David Bancroft provided a heritage golden beet salad for an entree. While Amsterdam Cafe Chef Miguel Figueroa made a pineapple upside down spiced rum cake with pina colada buttercream for dessert.

Local band Martha's Trouble provided entertainment at the supper.

“We like all the restaurants,” said attendee Alex Jenkins. “We like finding collaboration meals.”

Alex came to the supper with his wife Morgan Jenkins who also found the event to be a success. 

“It’s the best way to get all the best stuff in one night,” Morgan said.

Guests were all seated at a single table that stretched over 130 feet down Tichenor Avenue. Staff from the various restaurants represented at the supper served the food.

“All these [chefs] are my boys and we hang out and cook all the time together,” said Ariccia’s Executive Chef Leonardo Maurelli. “It’s just cool to do something different. It looks beautiful and the weather turned out nice, Auburn turned out, super exciting.”

Collaboration meals have been held across the country and these meals are great for communities, said Robbie Nicolaisen, executive chef at the Hound.

“[Nicolaisen] just put out the bat signal and the rest of us just said ‘yeah we’ll be there,'” Maurelli said.


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