Diner en Blanc dazzles in Honolulu debut

They came with their picnic baskets and tables and chairs and linens, congregating in the parking lot of Iolani Palace for the inaugural Diner en Blanc Hono­lulu event Saturday. The event might be considered one of the biggest potlucks ever, or at least the biggest white party, with 750 participants. (Another 1,400 more were on the waiting list.)

Malie Moran, who hosted the party with Maleko McDonnell and Aubrey Akana, said she learned about the 25-year-old global event last spring when she was invited to a Los Angeles affair. "I couldn’t make it, but I loved the idea of bringing it to Hawaii."

The original Diner en Blanc was launched in Paris by Francois Pasquier in 1988 as a gathering of friends. They decided to wear white so that they could easily spot one another at the Pont des Arts. Today there are 40 events that take place around the world, and the original Paris event brings together more than 10,000 people annually.

"When you look at pictures of the events, you see the Eiffel Tower and iconic places from cities all over the world. We were so lucky to have Iolani Palace as our venue, the only royal palace in the United States," Moran said.

In the "friends and word-of-mouth only" spirit of the original event, promotion of the Hono­lulu event spread among friends, family and foodies through social media, and the venue was a closely held secret. Bus drivers hired to whisk people from four rendezvous points in Hono­lulu only learned of the site when they received a text photo at 5:40 p.m. that day.

Guests paid $40 to attend, but Diner en Blanc is considered a noncommercial event. The fee covers bus rentals, lighting, sound and security.

The night before, some guests, such as Melissa Rivera and Crystal Pancipanci, were still trying to build tables for the event, which asked that diners bring in everything they needed for an elegant dinner party and then cart everything back out at the end.

Jan Kuivenhoven, who flew in from Kailua-Kona to enjoy the evening with her friend Elaine Endo, said it was worth going the extra mile.

"This is a piece of history in Hono­lulu. To be a part of this world event and to be dining with all these folks, how do you get this experience? You don’t. This is so fabulous," she said while helping Endo arrange a vase full of her favorite lavender roses.

Corina Hill, attending with her husband, Eric, said she started finalizing her table plans two weeks ago after studying centerpiece ideas on Pinterest. She ended up creating a lighted arch graced by orchids, sitting over a three-tier plate full of canapes for her mini wine party.

"I love to entertain," said Hill, who would make a great event planner if she ever stopped selling insurance. "I started with baby showers and like to start with a theme. When I heard about this, I had to do it. I love every chance to dress up and be elegant."

Jewelry designer Nikolai Tsang tried to keep the white theme going down to the food on her table, which included homemade white pasta, cauliflower, goat cheese salad, chicken breast and coconut cake.

Those who didn’t want to be bothered with carting in their own food had the option of ordering one of three meals from Hale Aina Caterers chef Kanani Lincoln, who delivered nearly 500 meals on the spot. Diners had options such as Chinese lemon-roasted chicken or pulled five-spice duck confit on ‘Nalo baby greens, with a starter charcuterie arrangement.

Diner en Blanc was billed as a rain-or-shine event, and a storm loomed.

"Who knew that there was going to be a flash-flood, storm warning that very day?" Moran said.

But luck was on her side.

"It started drizzling while people were dancing, but people were enjoying it. It started to rain when people were waiting to catch the buses, but at that point we made it through the event."

Although she had a seat and dinner waiting for her, Moran never took a bite. "I saw old friends, met new friends. I was too excited to eat."

As for next year, with participants already planning bigger and better centerpieces and meals, Moran said, "The pressure is on. I would love to do this again next year because the experience has been so amazing. I’m so happy it was so well received and that we could put Hawaii on the map in the Diner en Blanc family."

For video and more on Nadine Kam’s Diner en Blanc experience: Visit www.honolulupulse.com/fashiontribe and www.honolulupulse.com/takeabite.
See more images from the event at honolulupulse.com.