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In a world full of stiff networking events thinly veiled as exclusive parties, sitting at a table with delicious food, great conversation and quality live music can feel hard to come by. Lucky for us, one duo is working to save us from the often drab industry dinner doldrums. Dine With Dez — the immersive dinner series hosted by Desmond Sam and Ramses Rubio — recently celebrated its one-year anniversary with a star-studded, music-filled party during Art Basel in Miami. With DJ sets from Pressure Point, Dylan Ali, Talia Goddess and Quiana Parks and dinner guests like Miss Madeline and Erica Mena, the duo continued their tradition (for the 15th time) of meeting music, mingling and memorable meals.
I've had the pleasure of attending two of the duo's previous events. The first was a Black History Month celebration during NYFW, where we took turns talking about our projects, challenges we've faced in the industry and walked away with new connections in the creative space. Then, there was their September event, where JoJo Siwa, in all her glittery glory, showed up to chat and snack, and I sat next to personality and performance artist Wolves London, who gave me fundamental relationship advice.
Full, satisfied and eager to spread the word on the singular feast, I sat down with Sam and Rubio to ask them how the idea came about, why they wanted to marry food music and more and what they're planning to create next.
How have you been? I feel like since I’ve seen you last you’ve been around the world.
Desmond Sam: Yes, international! We’ve been around the globe.
Ramses Rubio: We just got back from Paris. That was a huge trip for us. It was the first trip and dinner with Dine With Dez outside of the US. For us, we loved to target the international market. But also, the fashion world is so tight knit but also robust. We had a dinner at Tekés and we also had a cocktails soiree at Prescription Cocktail Club. That was a great moment to be able to bring people together and kiki with each other, chat. That was a lot of new faces. That was one of the highlights of our year for sure.
Desmond: Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to go to Paris! When I started working in music and fashion that was the goal but it never aligned. Something always happened. I was supposed to go with a client then the client would back out. So, this for me was very pivotal. It was the first time, not just going to Paris but going for Desmond. It was for something I built, for my vision, something I created. That wasn’t how I thought I would get to Paris but because it was it made this moment more special. And we worked really hard on providing a dinner. It was the first time we did a dinner that was vegan-based. Everytime we do a dinner it’s not just about the ambience and who we are connecting and bringing into the room. It’s also about being playful, and we got handsy got dirty with Mediterranean-based dishes. The guests loved it.
Ramses: For Dine With Dez, our pillar, the people we’re trying to engage are not only in the US. Food exists everywhere, conversation exists everywhere. As we turned our eye to Paris, for us it felt like an opportunity to connect with a broader audience and show that we’re able to do dinners everywhere. A little sneak peek of what 2025 has in store.
How would we describe Dine With Dez for someone who hasn’t experienced it? I know for me it felt like so much more than food but conversation and connecting. The one I went to during Black History Month had prompts during dinner that really made it easy to chat. So what are some other aspects of the experience people should know about?
Desmond: This is a haven of self-expression. When Ramses and I decided to start doing this, it was because I fucking hated going to these stuffy corporate spaces or networking events and not wanting to network with anyone. Feeling like it wasn’t welcoming, feeling like no one did a job of curating and bringing people together to have conversations. So, one of the vital things while doing this was not only providing a dinner, this intimate moment with great food and drinks, but we wanted to get people to talk to each other, connect with eachother and actually leave feeling fulfilled in all aspects, mind body and soul. We wanted to build conversation in a way that didn’t feel cheesy and felt welcoming.Like the one you came to, the girls were getting spicy in conversation. We allow people to know there’s freedom of speech and we want people to leave with a name a number or an Instagram of someone you’ve never met before. Also, to support your community to embrace these restaurants, these brands. They actually want to connect with us.
What can we expect next with Dine With Dez?
Ramses: For 2025, we’re looking at new markets that aren’t necessarily influencer or celebrity go-to's that still represent what Dine With Dez stands for: POC and LGBTQ circles. Whether that be Louisiana, Atlanta, DC — also internationally, Spain Italy. Expect only growth from here.
Photography: Shuddervisions
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