FAJO was delighted to be invited to a chic mystery location to attend a dinner that speaks in volumes: Le Dîner En Blanc, or, The White Dinner.

Guests dressed elegantly in all-white, gathered at a secret location in Toronto. Upon arrival, we were led en masse to an evening of mystery, champagne, cheese, friendship and culture. Le Dîner en Blanc allows guests to reconnect with each other in a chic picnic-style meal and this year it was held in one of the city’s most beautiful parks: Garrison Common at Fort York.

The History of The White Dinner

Le Dîner En Blanc’s first guests gathered in Paris in 1988 with a simple goal: to pair friendship, old and new, with food, wine and conversation in an exquisite public space. The idea of being dressed in all-white was to elegantly spot who was attending, in a public space on the event day. This turned out to be very true, as we smiled and acknowledged each other from afar walking down Fort York Street!

Today, Le Dîner En Blanc has made its way to 120 cities across the globe, from Taipei to Honolulu to Budapest. Each city having its own local flair, flavours, traditions and languages. Toronto’s White Dinner hosted over 1,000 guests this year. It was a delight to attend and enjoy such a large celebration in an organic setting. 

The picnic

After arriving at our meeting spot, FAJO‘s team was led to the secret location, along with hundreds of other guests. It was exciting to witness the sea of head to toe white-dresses and suits, each guest having unique accessories that showed their distinct styles. We enjoyed seeing glittery details, elaborate fascinators and eggshell-coloured crochet skirts. 

The arrival is quite invigorating as organized chaos ensues: thousands of guests spend only 20 minutes to set up their tables, chairs, place-settings and food, with excitement. 

As we were seated, the picnic began with a selection of champagne, Prosecco and wines, each pairing beautiful with the variety of Boursin cheese around us. Each table had a lovely array of cheese, charcuterie, fruit, crudités and dips that would make any summer picnic complete.

The food

An ode to the French-inspired picnic saw the Award-winning Chef, Trevor Lui, create beautiful gourmet picnic baskets that made us feel we were whisked off to the French countryside. Selecting the Classic Box was a great idea, as we got to nibble on a beautiful charcuterie platter filled with prosciutto, a Truffle Salt Boursin wheel, a savoury Brie, succulent Herb de Provence Chicken, a Nicoise-style Orzo Salad and delectable white macarons. It truly was a flawless meal!

The atmosphere

As all guests were comfortably seated and mingled with each other, the Napkin Wave commenced. This was a lovely collective waving of our white napkins in the air to commemorate the picnic. Seeing thousands of us wave our napkins in the air in unison was unforgettable! There is something to be said about the energy of a large crowd gathering for a shared purpose.

As the dinner was about to commence, we walked straight over to explore Boursin’s classic and exciting flavour combinations. A favourite of mine was the Fig & Balsamic cheese that reminded me of a beautiful salad pairing: perfection on a crisp cracker.

As our dinner came to an end, we were invited to light up the sky with sparklers, which lit up the entire park with music, laughter and lights! It was a beautiful evening and a blissful way to say goodbye to summer. 

Photos by Edward Chinedu Chiazor.