In August, I had the pleasure of stitching at Stephen Starr's newest restaurant to hit Rittenhouse, Borromini. The gorgeous dining establishment took over the former two-story Barnes & Noble, and you would never know it.
I worked in partnership with Starr's restaurant group & Capital One dining to bring an Italian marketplace to life. Guests were offered a complimentary customized embroidered canvas tote bag that they could fill with Borromini goodies, including fresh focaccia, crispy biscotti, espresso mugs, hats, fresh floral basil, and more. The totes were a huge hit - we ran out! Event organizers had expected approximately 300 guests, but more than 400 showed up!
Due to the volume, I recommended bringing on an additional stitcher, as well as assistants, to help manage the crowd. I was approved to bring in Hilary Cortes, an extremely talented embroidery artist from Brooklyn, NY who stitches under the handle @rowdycowlick on Instagram. The two of us organized amongst ourselves to ensure we had matching table wraps, the required thread colors, and familiarity with the flash designs offered for the day. And because we've worked together in the past, we were a force!
The highlight of my evening was at the end of the night when two of the kitchen staff were finishing their shift and asked me to embroider their chef jackets. I was honored to add my stamp to the official Borromini uniform. It was a privilege to work with the critically acclaimed restaurateur and experience my very first restaurant opening (so much hustle! so much bustle!). I'm incredibly grateful and looking forward to more events together in the future!
Thanks to the talented photographer Joe Mac Creative for these amazing photos, the team at Borromini, Capital One, and LRG Marketing & Events! For an event recap from my perspective, check out this reel I posted on my Instagram shortly afterwards!
We even had our TV moment with 6ABC Philly, as they captured scenes from the opening event on their news broadcast...and I absolutely sent this to my Mom.
