Vita Table with Rafael De Utrera. Nov. 8th.

Just got word that Brian Parks the new chef at Quinn's and former sous chef from Casa Mono/Bar Jamon (Mario Batali + Andy Nusser's amazing Spanish food mecca in NYC) will be joining the kitchen for this dinner. Our good friend and James Beard winner John Sundstrom from Lark and Licorous will be cooking as well - alongside the one pot crew and our Spanish friend and chef Miguel.


We are incredibly fortunate to have Rafael De Utrera joining the Vita Table directly from Sevilla for an evening of flamenco song, dance, and conversation. Rafael will be joined by his hosts and local flamenco heroes Eric and Encarnación from Children of the Revolution. Expect Spanish cuisine from One Pot + a crew of the cities best chefs - and an experience that should transport us directly to the streets of Seville. Those of you who joined us for the Master Musicians of Jajouka dinner can attest that the intimacy and sheer power of these small gatherings = a damn good time. All of the funds raised from the dinner with go directly to Flamenco Seattle in their ongoing effort to bring us remarkable performers and artists from Spain.

Dinner begins at 7pm. $75/person. Price includes dinner, vino, music, salvation. Click Here to Grab Seats.


Vita Table is part of the ongoing collaboration between Caffe Vita and One Pot.

Chamber Vs. Chamber = Indie Rock Vs Classical... Death match. Loch Lomond, Lori Goldston, Spectratone

The Sorrento Hotel, City Arts Magazine and Night School present “Chamber vs. Chamber”.
Nov. 7th, 2009. Fireside Room @ The Sorrento. 7:30 PM. $15.
Loch Lomond, Lori Goldston (solo cellist) and Spectratone.



Mozart, Hindemith, and Brahms are sadly losing relevancy by the day, symphony audiences are dropping, and “chamber music” is not a word you read on twitter.

Yet in the midst of this shift away from the classical repertoire, indie rock musicians like The Decemberists, Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Loch Lomond, Portland Cello Project, and Jherek Bischof are thriving and incorporating chamber instruments, classical music sensibility and theory into their music--and filling clubs across the country doing it.

Night School at the Sorrento suggests that we spark a dialogue between these two related musical disciplines and combine classical chamber performances with those of indie rock darlings. Each “Chamber Vs. Chamber” evening will include multiple performances that culminate in a conversation between musicians and leaders in both the classical and indie rock universes. We will fill the Fireside Room at the Sorrento with music, people, cocktails, a roaring fire, and thoughtful conversation.

Our inaugural event combines performances by celebrated cellist and composer Lori Goldston, rising chamber indie rock stars Loch Lomond and cross-disciplinary veterans Spectratone. The evening’s conversation will be hosted by the Executive Editor of City Arts Magazine, Mark Baumgarten and classical music critic and historian Zach Carstensen (www.gathernote.com). To close the festivities, Loch Lomond and Spectratone will perform together. City Arts will capture video and produce films documenting each “Chamber Vs. Chamber” performance.

Seating is very limited, and tickets are available at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/85366
facebook event page
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164027301921


Night School at the Sorrento: Night School is a collaboration between The Sorrento, Michael Hebb, an array of intellectuals, artists, writers, filmmakers, mixologists, chefs and the leading cultural institutions in the Northwest. Stay tuned…

godtable - compassion and mindfulness in christianity, buddhism, islam, and judaism. oct. 15th

this will be a stunning evening spent investigating several world religions. we will be gathering in honor of our dear friend shauna shapiro and her sparkling new text "the art and science of mindfulness" – and to broaden the conversation we have invited renowned authors sylvia boorstein, lesley hazleton, and nassim assefi to join the table. additionally we will be joined by several esteemed religious scholars including rev. ebenezer ben mudede – this event is happening in the gorgeous alcove known as the sanctuary. seating very limited. a remarkable meal will be prepared and served by several of seattle's top chefs.

oct. 15th - 7pm - at the sanctuary in west seattle
dinner = $40. byow.
email: onepotorg@gmail.com to reserve

Midnight Symposium continues

Midnight Symposium with Lesley Hazelton, celebrated author of After the Prophet, the epic tale of Shia-Sunni split in Islam. November 11th 8pm.


Our first Symposium was a riotous success, with sold-out attendance, and much bawdy inquiry into the F-word with Jesse Sheidlower. Expect a podcast of the evening soon. We continue the series with acclaimed journalist, novelist, and all around grand dame of letters Lesley Hazelton.

The Midnight Symposium concept is simple: we will continue to host some of the leading intellectuals, artists, and writers of our time for a casual course on a subject of their choosing. On Nov. 11thth 40 guests will take the elevator to the 7th floor Penthouse of the Sorrento, glasses will be filled, bellies will be sated and a late night symposium will begin.

Symposium Number Two: "The Ugly American: arrogance, ignorance, or innocence abroad -- or are they all related?" with Lesley Hazelton. November 11th 2009.

*Upon confirmation of their reservation guests will receive a pdf of required reading. In a Symposium dialogue is encouraged.

$50/person. Includes a hearty stew, a big bottle of whisky to be shared, and some wine. If you like to drink heavily we encourage you to bring additional bottles. For reservations email: nightschool@hotelsorrento.com

LESLEY HAZLETON is the author of four acclaimed books about the Middle East—After the Prophet, Israeli Women, Where Mountains Roar, and Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Other books include: Mary: A Flesh-and-Blood Biography of the Virgin Mother and Jezebel. A former psychologist, she reported from Israel for Time magazine, and has written on Middle Eastern politics for The New York Times, Esquire, Vanity Fair, The Nation, The New Republic, The New York Review of Books.

12 books Launch Party: Text/Context No. 1 with Bruce Benderson and friends. 7pm. Nov. 12th Fireside Room. No charge, all ages.

We are thrilled to include Benderson’s much anticipated Pacific Agony on our 12 book list and delighted that Bruce will be reading at the Hotel as part of our first Text/Context event. Joining Bruce is American Book Award winner Matt Briggs, who will be reading from his newly re-printed novel Shoot the Buffalo. Songwriter/Musician/Journalist John Roderick of the Long Winters will be reading from his new volume Electric Aphorisms, and singing a song or two. Beloved Seattle native Matthew Stadler will finish the evening with a hosted conversation among the writers. Matthew will also have on hand publications from his new guerrilla press Publication Studio and discuss the controversy surrounding his bootleg editions including Pacific Agony.


12 books – a different kind of book store.

As part of Night School and in collaboration with Elliot Bay Book Company and University Book Store – we are establishing a small carefully curated bookstore in the Sorrento lobby - in an effort to give greater resonance to the literary events beginning to fill the walls of the Hotel. Additionally, hotel guests will be able to order books as a Room Service option from a letter pressed menu of the 12 books.

Our selections will reflect a sampling of books that are presently being published or written in or about the Northwest. We will also include titles that specifically touch on Hotels, public/private space, and authors that collaborate with the Sorrento to host readings, symposiums, and various literary happenings.


Our first 12 books:

Jesse Sheidlower The F-word
Joey Veltkamp Scenes from a Hotel
Bruce Benderson Pacific Agony
Maurice Sendak Where the Wild Things Are
Lesley Hazleton After the prophet
Nassim Assefi Aria
Wayne Koestembaum Hotel Theory
Heather McHugh Upgraded To Serious
Matt Briggs Shoot the Buffalo
Ryan Boudinot Misconception
John Roderick Electric Aphorisms
Josh Beckman Your Time has Come
Drinking Lessons Volume One

This is what can happen at 2am during a Midnight Supper...

2am in the morning. Last night of Music Fest NW. At The Woods, an old funeral parlor reduxed as a Venue. Midnight Supper in full swing - 75 people at the table drunk on the food of One Pot, Nedd Ludd,and Tahoe Jackson steps up for an impromptu performance - she has never played with these boys before - she calls out a 6/8 beat and they kill it...!!!!!

drinking lessons 3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9.

our first two late night boozy seminars were packed with eager drinkers and volumes of knowledge. take a moment to browse through the real-time documentation of ryan magarian and murray stenson as they delivered their respective sermons: captured by foodista: . www.foodista.com/nightschool



the series continues as several more of the countries leading bartenders and drink historians take up residence at the hunt club bar. here are the dates.

september 20th - 6pm/8pm robert hess
september 22nd - 6pm/8pm jeffery morgenthaler
october 5th - 6pm/8pm lucy brennan
october 20th - 6pm/8pm erik hakkinen
*november 16th - 6pm/8pm kathy casey
*november 23rd and 24th. 6pm/8pm alex day and toby cecchini
*december 7th - 6pm/8pm anu apte and zane harris

*we will not be accepting reservations for the nov/dec dates until October 21st.
** follow all classes online with real-time documentation by www.foodista.com/nightschool

drinking lesson guests can expect an animated two hour lesson in the preparation and history of three distinct cocktails. To temper the stiff drinks the hunt club kitchen will pepper the evening with a few small bites. guests will receive a copy of our quarterly drinking lesson recipe books in the mail in the weeks following the lesson. sessions are limited to twelve individuals only. this is a night school event. $55 includes tax. $10 for chapbook of recipes. for reservations email: nightschool@hotelsorrento.com

Unplugged + Midnight Supper = MFNW

1. midnight supper + music fest northwest + throw me the statue + nick jaina band + nurses + the woods = september 19th : pdx.

caffe vita and one pot are taking the midnight supper franchise on the road. for the pat three years we have closed out the capitol hill block party with a completely debaucherous feast of song, heavily laden tables of food, and deep pints of distilled spirit. this year we are honored to head south to invade the halls of portland’s most profoundly beautiful new venue – the woods – a re-claimed funeral parlor and a gorgeous place to spend an evening. the terribly handsome boys from throw me the statue and the nick jaina band will be offering up some late night music from the table. one pot is joined in the kitchen by nick castleberry (sitka and spruce) and our old friend jason french chef/owner of ned ludd. doors open at 11:00pm – parade of food begins at midnight – music mixed in here and there. party goes late.

to reserve a spot at the table – click here.
or if you want to just hang about and join the party – please just come on down.


1.1 caffe vita + kexp + the woods = unplugged music fest northwest performances. saturday 9/19 3pm-11pm @ the woods

In the hours before the midnight supper kexp and vita will be hosting a steady march of the best performers at mfnw – including langhorne slim at 3pm, the lonely forest at 4pm and many many others… free and open to the pubic. mfnw passes not required. stay tuned here for final schedule…

one pot newsletter. 9/14. midnight is the new midnight

there will be errors in this communique - probably many and probably egregious.

1. midnight supper + music fest northwest + throw me the statue + nick jaina band + the woods = september 19th : pdx.
2. night school at the sorrento continues… and gets bigger brighter and dirtier. october 4th = midnight symposium
3. drinking lessons 3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9.
4. godtable - compassion and mindfulness in christianity, buddhism, islam, and judaism


1. midnight supper + music fest northwest + throw me the statue + nick jaina band + the woods = september 19th : pdx.

caffe vita and one pot are taking the midnight supper franchise on the road. for the past three years we have closed out the capitol hill block party with a completely debaucherous feast of song, heavily laden tables of food, and deep pints of distilled spirit. this year we are honored to head south to invade the halls of portland’s most profoundly beautiful new venue – the woods – a re-claimed funeral parlor and a gorgeous place to spend an evening. the terribly handsome boys from throw me the statue and the nick jaina band will be offering up some late night music from the table. one pot is joined in the kitchen by nick castleberry (sitka and spruce) and our old friend jason french chef/owner of ned ludd. doors open at 11:00pm – parade of food begins at midnight – music mixed in here and there. party goes late. if you don't want to grab a reserved seat - just come on down for the festivities.

p.s. there are kexp/vita hosted performances goin on all day at the woods – langhorn slim, the lonely forest, etc – free and open to the public – click here for details….

location: the woods pdx
time: doors open at 11pm, dinner at the stroke of midnight
price: $40.00 (+cash bar) 21+
brown paper tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/82401



2. night school at the sorrento continues… and gets bigger brighter and dirtier. october 4th = midnight symposium

midnight symposium number one: the f-word and the evolution of obscenity in the english language with jesse sheidlower (author of the f-word and the editor at large of the oxford english dictionary. )

first, these events start closer to 8pm, not midnight, but they often will stretch into the midnight hour. second, this is the beginning of a semi-monthly series that will include in-depth conversation focused on a specific topic, brown spirits, red wine, and a well-crafted stew.

the concept is simple: we will host some of the leading intellectuals, artists, and writers of our time for a casual course on a subject of their choosing. on oct. 4th 40 guests will take the elevator to the 7th floor penthouse of the sorrento, glasses will be filled, bellies will be sated and a late night symposium will begin.

*upon confirmation of their reservation guests will receive a pdf of required reading. in a symposium dialogue is encouraged.

$50/person. includes a hearty stew, a big bottle of whisky to be shared, and some wine. if you like to drink heavily we encourage you to bring additional bottles. for reservations email: nightschool@hotelsorrento.com

future symposiums to incude: lesley hazelton, nassim assefi, charles mudede and many more… dates tba.



3. drinking lessons 3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9.

our first two late night boozy seminars were packed with eager drinkers and volumes of knowledge. take a moment to browse through the real-time documentation of ryan magarian and murray stenson as they delivered their respective sermons: captured by foodista: . www.foodista.com/nightschool

the series continues as several more of the countries leading bartenders and drink historians take up residence at the hunt club bar. here are the dates.

september 20th - 6pm/8pm robert hess
september 22nd - 6pm/8pm jeffery morgenthaler
october 5th - 6pm/8pm lucy brennan
october 20th - 6pm/8pm erik hakkinen
*november 16th - 6pm/8pm kathy casey
*november 23rd and 24th. 6pm/8pm alex day and toby cecchini
*december 7th - 6pm/8pm anu apte and zane harris

*we will not be accepting reservations for the nov/dec dates until October 21st.
** follow all classes online with real-time documentation by www.foodista.com/nightschool

drinking lesson guests can expect an animated two hour lesson in the preparation and history of three distinct cocktails. To temper the stiff drinks the hunt club kitchen will pepper the evening with a few small bites. guests will receive a copy of our quarterly drinking lesson recipe books in the mail in the weeks following the lesson. sessions are limited to twelve individuals only. this is a night school event. $55 includes tax. $10 for chapbook of recipes. for reservations email: nightschool@hotelsorrento.com



4. godtable - compassion and mindfulness in christianity, buddhism, islam, and judaism

october 15th. still finalizing the details but this will be a stunning evening spent investigating several world religions. we will be gathering in honor of our dear friend shauna shapiro and her sparkling new text “the art and science of mindfulness” – and to broaden the conversation we have invited renowned authors sylvia boorstein, lesley hazelton, and nassim assefi to join the table. additionally we will be joined by several esteemed religious scholars including rev. ebenezer ben mudede – this event is happening in the gorgeous alcove known as the sanctuary. seating very limited.

dinner = $40 byow.
pre-reserve by emailing onepotorg@gmail.com

on the hottest night of the year...

mudhoney, dave bazan, the dutchess and the duke, throw me the statue, the pica beats, the blakes, rocky votolato, sera cahoone, and folks from the long winters, the dandy warhols, pete international airport, the moondoggies, and say hi took pirate-like-possession of the history rich top floor of the sorrento hotel. as seattle dripped sweetly below this cosmic cast of musicians made music-upon-music atop-food-atop-drink-atop-mirth. the images and moving frames captured by chase jarvis tell a story only tom wolfe could commit to words… this is what we call songs for eating and drinking.

drinking lessons. high priest or pusherman?

ryan magarian spoke from the pulpit with passion and fury for hours last night - he was a freight train - he is a man on fire. and thanks to the remarkable efforts of foodista.com we have some beautiful real-time documentation of this sermon.

www.foodista.com/nightschool.

implied violence live gala cocktail bash + deep preserved lemon action = tonight

implied violence: live at the hideout. with lemons.

tonight i am honored to join the seattle-uber-troupe and stranger genius award winners implied violence in celebration of their pilgrimage to the illustrious governors island. i will be crafting jars of preserved lemons - which people will buy - and which will play a critical role in i.v.'s 2011-super-mysterious-insanely-ambitious-cityofseattle-wide-performance. and christ - what better thing to do on a hot night than get blatantly drunk at the hideout?

from i.v.:

"Come one, come all to the classy and close bar/parlor The Hideout for a party in support of the classy and close theater/troublemakers Implied Violence. For the evening of Wednesday, August 19th, Implied Violence will be holding court at The Hideout, located at 1005 Boren Avenue on First Hill. Featuring the artful making of lemon preserves by Michael Hebb, opera singing by Implied Violence Ingénue Pile of Meat, and I.V. gear hawking (get your swagger on), this one-night event, hosted gracefully by Greg Lundgren & The Hideout, is a fundraiser. It's free to get in, but come thirsty with your wallets greased. All proceeds from this evening go towards getting the Implied Violence crew to New York City, where they will be premiering their new experimental work "The Dorothy K." for The New isLand Festival on Governor's Island. It's the talk of the summer, so some say. Implied Violence needs a little extra help from the community to realize our vision. The times are tough but, Implied Violence, with your support, is tougher.

Who: Open to the Public, 21 +
What: Implied Violence: Live at The Hideout
Where: The Hideout, 1005 Boren Avenue
When: Wednesday, August 19th
Four pm till 2am
Why: $$$"

night school begins.

drinking lessons. august 18th, august 24th, and dates tba.

murray stenson + toby cecchini + ryan magarian + alex day + jeffrey morganthaler + jamie boudreau + the rest of leading bartenders in the country = drinking lessons at the sorrento hotel

what we have here is a rare thing. the sorrento hotel has agreed to let me gather the american cocktail gods behind their gorgeous bar . one after the other they will arrive. take up residence. and we will begin a full on study of the american cocktail. these charming savants (click here for bios and the full list of those that have committed thus far…) are deeply in the midst of rethinking the cocktail – and we are lucky enough to get an opportunity to drink their craft.

while we imbibe we will come to understand the techniques and histories at the core of each drink. think of it as the most sensually appealing seminar ever. only twelve seats per session; expect three remarkable cocktails, an earful of history, and some well crafted bar snacks from matthew mina to soften the soft blow of the booze. (if you haven’t been to the hunt club bar think don draper, 3pm, 1962, tucked into his third martini imagining the bedrooms above)


August 18th : Ryan Thomas Magarian 5:30pm and 8pm
August 24th : Murray Stenson 5:30pm and 8pm

the lovely thing: despite the fact that we have only 12 seats per session – those gin-loving encyclopedists at foodista.com will be on site documenting each session – posting the recipes and media in real time and allowing people in iceland to join in. you can follow the action here (starting next week) www.foodista.com/nightschool. we will also be publishing small quarterly chapooks of the recipes.

Cost: $50 (+ $10 for the quarterly Drinking Lesson recipe chapbook)
To make a reservation request click here: nightschool@hotelsorrento.com

this is part of a new collaboration with the sorrento hotel called night school.

Suddenly Seattle Opens on Friday. Corridor IIII on display.

photograph taken by Michael Mcmanus of Hannes Wingate digging a fire pit in the I-5 median near mile marker 27, WA

SUDDENLY: WHERE WE LIVE NOW
AN EXHIBITION EXPLORING THE AESTHETIC LIFE OF CITIES
JULY 3-15, 2009
312 OCCIDENTAL AVENUE
SEATTLE, WA, 98104
GALLERY HOURS: JULY 5-15, CLOSED JULY 4
12-6 P.M. FREE

suddenly: where we live now will be on view from July 3 through July 15, 2009 in a storefront space in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood. An opening reception with curator Stephanie Snyder, director of the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery at Reed College, and participating artists Elias Hansen, Michael Hebb, Michael McManus, Hannes Wingate, and Molly Dilworth will be held at the space on Friday, July 3 at 9:00 p.m.

Visual artists exhibiting work in the Seattle iteration of suddenly include: Marc Joseph Berg, New York; Zoe Crosher, Los Angeles; Molly Dilworth, Brooklyn; Elias Hansen, Tacoma; Michael Hebb, Seattle; Hadley+Maxwell, Berlin; Michael McManus, Portland; Boris Sieverts, Frankfurt; and Hannes Wingate, Portland.

In addition, a bookstore has been created in the space, offering works by suddenly artists and participating writers: Fritz Haeg, Los Angeles; Frank Heath, Brooklyn; Anne Focke, Seattle; Lisa Robertson, San Francisco; Thomas Sieverts, Frankfurt; Stephanie Snyder, Portland; Matthew Stadler, Portland; Storm Tharp, Portland; and Oscar Tuazon, Paris.

suddenly was born of German urban planner Thomas Sieverts’s observation that “the shaping of the landscape where we live can no longer be achieved by the traditional resources of town planning, urban design, and architecture. New ways must be explored, which are as yet unclear.” suddenly seeks to imagine the possibilities of spaces and experiences that have an indigenous history (the parking lot, for instance), but that exist beyond historical definitions of city and countryside, and conventional material cycles of development and disuse. Through a myriad of objects, texts, and activities constructed as symbolic and strategic alternatives, the artists and writers in this project are re-imagining our relationship to the built and natural environment—its materials, textures and histories. suddenly explores the where we live now as an independent identity to be reshaped in the hands and minds of its occupants.

suddenly comprises a set of exhibitions curated by Stephanie Snyder, an annotated reader edited by author Matthew Stadler, and a series of additional publications and public events by a variety of suddenly artists and contributors. The exhibition projects began on June 29, 2008, in Portland, Oregon with Michael Hebb’s Corridor Project expedition to Ross Island—a culinary expedition onto to an uninhabited island in Portland’s Willamette River. suddenly has since evolved in various forms in projects in Oregon, California, New York, and now Washington, and will continue around the globe for the next few years. For additional information, including event listings and audio recordings, and to order project publications, visit: www.suddenly.org.

The visual art exhibitions and related projects of suddenly: where we live now are a collaborative initiative of the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. www.reed.edu

corridor IIII: habitat: begins.

On June 22nd Michael Hebb, Hannes Wingate and Michael McManus will enter the wilderness of the Interstate 5 and endeavor to survive and create habitat in one of the freeways generous median areas. This will be a three day exploration of what it means to live, eat, and create shelter in this unique landscape. Our efforts will be documented and made manifest at the exhbition: SUDDENLY Seattle.

“Can asphalt be a political territory? Is the bourgeois State and its power the street, or in the street?

No more riots, no need for much repression; to empty the streets, it’s enough to promise everyone the highway.”

Paul Virilio. Speed and Politics.


“The subject himself, suddenly transformed, becomes a computer at the wheel, not a drunken demiurge of power. The vehicle now becomes a kind of capsule, its dashboard the brain, the surrounding landscape unfolding like a televised screen (instead of a live-in projectile as it was before).

Jean Baudrillard. The Ecstasy of Communication.


Only in Marco Polo’s accounts was Kublai Khan able to discern, through the walls and towers destined to crumble, the tracery of a pattern so subtle it escaped the termites’ gnawing.

Italo Calvino. Invisible Cities

July 3rd. Dinner with Sieverts. And Suddenly Seattle Opens.

This is third Suddenly Exhibition. And the documentation of the Corridor Project IIII: Habitat: will be on display. Check back for gallery hours and specifics. But By All Means Join us for the opening of the Exhibition at 9pm on July 3rd - free and open to the public. Occidental Plaza.

To grab a seat at the July 3rd dinner with German urban planner Thomas Sierverts... click here.

Much Depends Upon Dinner = Gloria Steinem. July 9th.

MUCH DEPENDS ON DINNER - A community table dinner table event for 50 people featuring five renowned Hedgebrook writers. The Sanctuary, a beautifully restored church and elegant event venue, will provide the perfect intimate ambiance for our dinner and conversation.

FEATURED WRITERS: Gloria Steinem, Stephanie Kallos, Amy Richards, Nassim Assefi, and Samantha Thornhill

THE DINNER. Dinner will be a community-table prepared by Chef Michael Hebb (One-Pot) and a remarkable team of local chefs: Danielle Custer and pastry chef Lucy Damkoehler from Taste, Xuan Che from Spring Hill, Theo Chocolate’s Autumn Martin, Melissa Nyffler from Dinette, Monica Dimas from Spinasse, and Erica Burke from the Volunteer Park Cafe. We will be serving the new 2007 vintage of Hedgebrook’s signature wine, a special blend created by Whidbey Island Winery.

WORDS RISING AND CONVERSATION HAPPENING. Our featured Hedgebrook writers will be seated with guests around the dinner table. While writers’ words are sure to rise organically out of dinner table conversation, our guest-writers will also read brief selections from their recent or forthcoming works throughout the evening.

THE MUSIC. Local singer/songwriter J. Tillman (also of the Fleet Foxes) and Aja Pecknold will provide music for the event.

To Purchase Tickets Click Here.

one pot + art of the table + things that swim = june 16th

dustin ronspies, the chef at the art of the table has been garnering heaps of praise over the past couple years – and we finally have a spare moment to host an evening together. the setting will be unreal – directly on shilshole bay – at the shilshole beach club- overlooking the puget sound and peering up at the olympics. the club is also home to seattle's center on contemporary art – and we will have a chance to spend time amongst new work by tracy boyd.

dustin just got back from a mind blowing eating tour along the coast of spain - add in the watery setting – and we decided an evening in honor of those lovely "things that swim" would be perfect. expect a few courses. and a few surprises.

$45/person. cash bar.
email onepotorg@gmail.com to reserve

vita table continues with dr. richard wrangham = june 9th

the vita table continues with harvard anthropologist richard wrangham and his provocative new book, CATCHING FIRE: how cooking made us human.

did cooking – more than the use of tools or meat eating – push forward our evolution and make us human?

wrangham posits that the innovation of cooking food – breaking down its components to more digestible forms – is what unleashed sufficient energy and nutrients to make possible the fueling of the mighty human mind. he also delves fearlessly into controversial implications for the raw foods movement, the diet industry, our food labeling system, and even gender roles.

one pot, caffe vita, and kim ricketts will set a festive table amidst the towering bags of green coffee on capitol hill to welcome dr. wrangham in conversation and heavy feasting. a team of chefs including michael hebb, conor donahue (range, farralon), kurt timmermeister (kurtwood farms), and mark fuller (spring hill) will be cooking a seasonal meal in a neapolitan wood fired oven. renowned author greg atkinson, dr. andy mcshea and debra music from theo chocolate and michael hebb will launch into an in-depth conversation with dr. wrangham.

$45/person. includes a signed copy of catching fire. byo wine.
make a reservation here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/69522
location: 1005 East Pike 7pm

The Vita Table

Seattle is renowned as the most Literary and Educated city in the country. To celebrate our city and the power of IDEAS three distinct organizations (caffe vita, one pot, and kim ricketts) have banded together to launch an intimate series of events that gently removes THE SPEAKER FROM THE PODIUM.

We have been lucky enough to bring some of the leading thinkers, writers, musicians, cultural leaders, academics, and filmmakers to our table.: Bill Mckibben, Spike Lee, Marco Pierre White, Cameron Sinclair, Mark Roth, The Master Musicians of Jajouka, DJ Spooky, Jennifer 8 Lee (the list continues).

This is a series about provocative ideas, dangerous ideas, musical ideas, culinary ideas, life-changing ideas; the ideas that form our culture. In the spirit of the SYMPOSIUM, we think that the perfect place to hold this dialogue is over food and drink and at a common table.

first annual potlatch after sasquatch. *arthur and yu, say hi, shawn smith, and mount eerie = june 4th

thursday june 4th. breaking the ban and giving it all away! 7pm – 10pm
caffe vita capitol hill. 1005 e pike. $15/door. all proceeds go to the vera project. www.theverproject.org.

featuring intimate sets by *grant olsen of arthur and yu, say hi (solo), mount eerie/phil elverum, shawn smith of brad. one pot will be preparing and giving away bowls of soup, caffe vita will be handing out mugs of their farm direct coffee, music will fill the cafe and pour out onto pike street and artist ty willman will be donating the proceeds from his new work. this region has a long history of "potlatch" gatherings; we might not be burning canoes or breaking coppers on june 4th but there certainly will be much offered in the way of song, food, and coffee.


pot·latch noun; a party or celebration that could involve extravagant or competitive giving and destruction of valued items.

potlatch ban. potlatching was made illegal in canada in 1885 and the united states in the late nineteenth century, largely at the urging of missionaries and government agents who considered it "a worse than useless custom," and found the flagrant generosity objectionable.