Come Together: Tehsuan's Birthday Dinner

Join me for a curated hospitality experience where good food, thoughtful conversation, and genuine connection come together around one table For my birthday this year, I knew I wanted to celebrate around a table. Not with a big party. Not with a room where people spend the evening talking only to the people they already know. I wanted a good dinner, a beautiful room, people I care about and people I haven't met yet, and the kind of conversation that reminds us how much can happen when we make room for one another. So, for this edition of Come Together: The Newark Table, I'm bringing the dinner back to Five Corners Ristorante and making it a little more personal. It's my birthday dinner, and you're invited. Come Together began with a simple idea: there are good people all around us, and sometimes they simply haven't met each other yet. At each dinner, we gather Newarkers and friends of Newark around small tables for a thoughtfully hosted evening of food, hospitality and conversation. You don't need to know anyone before you arrive. In fact, that's part of the point. There are no panels, presentations or name badges. This isn't a networking event disguised as dinner. It's an opportunity to sit down, enjoy a meal and spend some time getting to know the people sharing the table with you. This year, my birthday also has a purpose. I'm currently serving as Vice President of the Board of Trustees of Newark Community School of the Arts, an institution that has spent generations creating opportunities for young people and families to experience, study and participate in the arts. That work matters deeply to me. So rather than making this birthday celebration only about me, I want to use the occasion to support the work we're doing at the school. A portion of the proceeds from this Come Together dinner will benefit Newark Community School of the Arts. A table can feed people. A conversation can connect people. The arts can help people discover who they are and what they're capable of becoming. My birthday gives us a reason to gather. I'd like what happens because we gathered to reach beyond the room. What to Expect Your ticket includes the curated Come Together dinner experience at Five Corners Ristorante, with a prix fixe meal, hospitality and guided conversation designed to make it easy to arrive on your own and leave having genuinely met someone. Come dressed for dinner. Bring your curiosity. Bring your appetite. If we've known each other for twenty years, I'd love to see you. If we've only met once, I'd love to see you. If you know my work through The Newark Times, photography, the arts, Newark, or somewhere else entirely, I'd love to see you too. And if we've never met? Well, that's kind of the point. Hosted in the private dining room at Five Corners Ristorante, this gathering includes: • Shared appetizers for each table • Your choice of entrée • One signature cocktail or mocktail • Thoughtfully curated seating • Guided conversation prompts • An intimate evening of connection and hospitality Whether you arrive with a friend or come on your own, you'll have a seat at the table.