On Thursday night, in a Fifth Avenue apartment once valued at $120 million, Malcolm Gladwell and a crowd of fashion insiders gathered to eat snacks. Fancy snacks, specifically. Last year, Claire Olshan founded Dada Daily, a line of artfully packaged, wellness-minded food that promises to “elevate healthy snacking to an artful event.” Inspired by the 20th-century Dada surrealist art movement, it’s the kind of food you’d bring to impress an artsy party host who’s obsessed with self care (there are cabbage petal chips and lip-shaped chocolate truffles). This dinner celebrated the launch of the Ta-DADA Dinner Party Set, which includes a hand-shaped candle, brass napkin rings, place cards, and some of Dada’s signature snacks.
Olshan, who hosted the party, is also the owner of Fivestory, an Upper East Side boutique that’s often frequented by the city’s young, fashion-hungry shoppers. At the event, Jessica Joffe, Rosie Assoulin, Leandra Medine Cohen, and more guests sipped turmeric-laced martinis on the 12,00-square-foot apartment’s upstairs floor, enjoying a rom-com-worthy view of Central Park. The multi-course dinner included food served inside actual Jimmy Choo heels placed on plates — a fashionable nod to found-object artists like Marcel Duchamp.
The evening included a performance by four servers named Matcha, Tumeric, Moringa, and Schisandra (a playful wink at wellness trends), who each gave an interpretive dance to represent their assigned snack. Matcha, for instance, ate a caffeinated Dada Daily matcha latte truffle and experienced a boost of energy. Hired through the interactive dining service StoryCourse, they entertained throughout the evening. The night ended with a “dessert orgy” of treats laid out on a big kitchen table. Shortly after guests trickled out, around 11 p.m., Gladwell headed downtown in a yellow cab. Scroll to see photos from the event.
