"African Odyssey" was the name of the LongHouse Reserve benefit this year, held at the reserve's center in East Hampton. LongHouse founder Jack Lenor Larsen and Events East produced the event, which featured authentic African touches throughout.
The sounds of drummers led by Rwandan musician Jean-Paul Samputu guided guests—many dressed in safari gear, Moroccan dresses, or tribal outfits—from the parking lot to the reception. The scent of exotic spices sprinkled in the dunes surrounding the reserve gave them a hint of the culinary offerings to come.
Taste catered hors d’oeuvres inspired by African nations. Dishes included Ethiopian kefta (spiced meatballs with paprika crème), Kenyan fufu (sweet potato fritters with guava and coriander salsa), and an Ivory Coast dish of braised chicken with almonds and cinammon. A tasting of soups from Morocco, the Ivory Coast, and Egypt followed the reception. The buffet dinner included Senegalese piri piri (chicken breast soaked in coconut milk, cilantro, and chilis) and swordfish kebabs with berbere spices and apricot cardamom glaze, a Mozambican dish. The evening ended with less exotic dishes: miniature coconut cupcakes, caramelized banana tartlets, and rum-glazed pineapple skewers.
Larsen designed the event's decor, which featured linen tablecloths paired with black folding chairs and bronze African gourds at the center of tables. Following the pan-African feast, Samputu's dancers performed for guests. A silent auction of African art and African excursions continued throughout the event, and a live auction followed dinner. Small handheld drums were set at each place setting—guests used them to bid during the live auction, and to applaud the dancers following their performance.
At the end of the evening, guests were given flashlights and rides to their cars in golf carts manned by drivers in safari wear.
—Kristen Haunss
Photos: Rob Rich
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The sounds of drummers led by Rwandan musician Jean-Paul Samputu guided guests—many dressed in safari gear, Moroccan dresses, or tribal outfits—from the parking lot to the reception. The scent of exotic spices sprinkled in the dunes surrounding the reserve gave them a hint of the culinary offerings to come.
Taste catered hors d’oeuvres inspired by African nations. Dishes included Ethiopian kefta (spiced meatballs with paprika crème), Kenyan fufu (sweet potato fritters with guava and coriander salsa), and an Ivory Coast dish of braised chicken with almonds and cinammon. A tasting of soups from Morocco, the Ivory Coast, and Egypt followed the reception. The buffet dinner included Senegalese piri piri (chicken breast soaked in coconut milk, cilantro, and chilis) and swordfish kebabs with berbere spices and apricot cardamom glaze, a Mozambican dish. The evening ended with less exotic dishes: miniature coconut cupcakes, caramelized banana tartlets, and rum-glazed pineapple skewers.
Larsen designed the event's decor, which featured linen tablecloths paired with black folding chairs and bronze African gourds at the center of tables. Following the pan-African feast, Samputu's dancers performed for guests. A silent auction of African art and African excursions continued throughout the event, and a live auction followed dinner. Small handheld drums were set at each place setting—guests used them to bid during the live auction, and to applaud the dancers following their performance.
At the end of the evening, guests were given flashlights and rides to their cars in golf carts manned by drivers in safari wear.
—Kristen Haunss
Photos: Rob Rich
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African Tourism Board Covers Bus for Promotion
58 Has Safari-Inspired Design
South African Style at Cain
Travel & Leisure's Tent Camp on the Hudson
The sounds of drummers led by Rwandan musician Jean-Paul Samputu guided guests to LongHouse Reserve's "African Odyssey" benefit at the reserve.
LongHouse founder Jack Lenor Larsen designed the event's decor, which featured linen tablecloths paired with black folding chairs and bronze African gourds at the center of tables. Small handheld drums were set at each place setting.
Spices arranged in decorative patterns in the dunes surrounding the reserve gave guests an aromatic hint of the event's culinary offerings.
Guests had cocktails on the reserve's outdoor areas.
