BOLD WOMAN: Diner en Blanc host Le Anne Peris Kimani

Lovers of all things sophisticated and elegant are gearing up for the third edition of the Diner en Blanc Nairobi which is set to be held on November 25.

The event is a secret affair that sees guests gather at a location only revealed at the last moment for the sole purpose of sharing a gourmet meal and network with the who is who in the city.

“The party promises another unforgettable evening of elegance, beauty and magic.

Over 450 foodies, fashion and cultural enthusiasts have attended the event in the past and 600 are expected this year,” said Le Anne Peris who is the host of the franchise in Nairobi.

The 27-year-old Le Anne Peris played around with the thought of hosting the event after a colleague shared photos of the same event that has gone down in Kigali, Rwanda.

With a background of management consultancy, Le Anne, alongside her colleague – who later became her husband and business partner- wrote a proposal to the Diner en Blanc International franchise headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

“It had been a struggle back then. I remember when writing the proposal, I needed a fully-fledged events person on board. When she suggested we meet, it was in an upmarket restaurant and I only had a thousand shillings on me and at the time I lived in Thika. Needless to say, she agreed to come on board.”

PROPOSAL ACCEPTED

The proposal was accepted and Le Anne embarked on the journey of planning the premier event.

Her biggest challenge was a lack of sponsors who were not willing to come on board so once again she was stuck. Until she approached a potential sponsor who suggested they meet, again in an upmarket restaurant.

This time she had completely no money on her, and when she tried borrowing from her boyfriend, he was a bit skeptical saying nothing would come out of the meeting as they had tried before.

Without informing her boyfriend, she borrowed Sh1000 from Mshwari and made her way to the meeting.

To her surprise, the man bought into her idea and offered sponsorship without any qualms.

But then her events planner would pull out almost at the last minute forcing her to push the event by several months. Eventually, the event happened and has been consistent for the last two years.

Le Anne doubles up as a high-end concierge wedding planner, something she says she didn’t think she would be doing.

“I studied a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in marketing in campus and during my third year, I got a job with a multinational that exposed me a lot to management consultancy. However, in 2014, I felt too comfortable and resigned thinking it wouldn’t be so hard to get another job. When I couldn’t find another job, my uncles friend offered me a receptionist or tea girl job which I gladly took up. That’s where I met my husband Sam.”

“Kenyans have had a hard year, with leaders teaching us how to be divisive. This year’s theme for the event is stronger together. This will go to show that we are united. Come as you are, there are VIP’s, everyone is important. We’re a community,” Le Anne quips

Registration for the for the participants is currently ongoing in three stages: phase one is for members who attended last year’s even; phase tow is for members who are referred by phase 1 attendees and finally phase 3 is for those who signed up on the waiting list via their website.

Guest specifically dressed in white will gather at different points in the city from where they will be shuttled to designated location.

To maintain the uniqueness of le diner en Blanc guests are required to observe certain requirements:

• Once confirmed, each guest’s participation is mandatory.
• Dress code is elegant and white only.
• Guests must bring a long a white table cloth and napkins
• A picnic basket comprising fine food and proper stemware and white dinnerware (a catered picnic basket is available for those who do not wish to pack their own)
• Champagne and/or wine. Beer and hard liquor are prohibited

ABOUT LE DINER EN BLANC

Le Dîner en Blanc  began as a strictly word-of-mouth event in Paris. Launched with just a handful of friends by François Pasquier nearly 30 years ago, Le Dîner en Blanc^® de Paris now assembles over 10,000 guest every year.

Today, it has grown to rely on the Internet and social media to communicate with its members and others who are curious about the event. Although the technology behind this fantastic event may have changed over the years, the principles fueling it have not; guests continue to gather at a secret location with the sole purpose of sharing a gourmet meal with good friends at the heart of one of their city's most beautiful locations.