Nocturne
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA | SEPTEMBER 2025
Presented by Suntory Global Spirits
As Minneapolis Institute of Art closed for business on a late-summer evening, a crowd gathered between the giant lion statues at the old side entrance, no longer in use. The doors opened to reveal the museum hallways transformed into a Welcome Social with a craft bar, artful flower arrangements and styling by Maven Events, and edible still lives nestled among historic works of art (with a few more modern pieces of crop art just arrived from the Minnesota State Fair). Guests filtered in and mingled over their first bites of the night as members of the museum staff brought small groups on guided tours for a behind the scenes look at the closed galleries. Meanwhile, Will Gobeli from Bucheron mixed arts-inspired, floral-garnished cocktails with Suntory Global Spirits.
After officially welcoming everyone with a toast to set the tone for a night of creative luxury, the table was revealed from behind curtains draped over the entry to an adjacent atrium. It was set as a still life of its own, with frothy white silk tablecloths and opening bites of French cheeses, fruit, and toasts in served in silver coupes and baskets scattered between dramatic florals in rich shades of green, gold, and wine. Chef Brooke Faudree’s meal of classic French cuisine unfolded in similar style, each course presented like a perfect little painting, wine glittering against white marble walls in the warm light of the atrium, and conversation raising to gently reverberate around the room. By the time Brooke walked around with a copper pot to sauce everyone’s entree, our guests couldn’t help but stop her to compliment the delicious meal still in progress.
We finished the night with a final toast over raspberry-stone fruit cocktails made with Roku Gin and sugar-crowned stone fruit melbas as we passed around tickets to return to the museum and take in the art another time. While they may leave that visit a bit hungrier, there will be no private tour through the Impressionists, and the displays will be entirely different without a dinner table set in the atrium, we’re pretty sure no one will be disappointed by another tour through these incredible galleries.
WELCOME
We invited bartender and sculptor Will Gobeli to create arts-inspired cocktails perfect for harvest season on behalf of Suntory Global Spirits.
The night began with a Maker’s 46 Avalon, an apple-infused cocktail inspired by a mythical island of apple trees, and an olive oil washed Haku Vodka Martini garnished with olives stuffed with fennel from Will’s garden, inspired by Greek harvest deities and the Greek sculpture within the museum hallways. They were both as beautiful as the art all around, and excited everyone’s tastebuds for the exceptional meal to come.
A MENU BY BROOKE FAUDREE
Chef Brooke Faduree cooks classical French cuisine with an eye for artistry and presentation. She was a perfect person to serve a meal fit for a museum, each plate executed to perfection while maintaining flawless technique for dishes as pleasing to a palate as they were to the eye.
MENU
WELCOME
Gold Beet Tartine feta, hazelnut, mint, milk bread toast
Gougére chicken liver mousse, tarragon
Salmon Tartare yuzu ponzu, ground cherry, nasturtium
SUNTORY COCKTAILS
Avalon Maker’s Mark 46, dry vermouth, Italian red bitters, apple cider caramel
Moria Martini Haku Vodka, Italian vert vermouth, pickled fennel-stuffed olive
TO START
French Cheeses concord grapes, figs, sourdough, whipped butter
FIRST
Sweet Corn Velouté wild arugula oil, polenta madeleine
Wine: Saint Hilaire Brut
SECOND
Tomato Tonnato tomato, tuna confit, tonnato sauce, purslane, capers
Wine: Eric Texier Chat Fou Cotes du Rhone
MAIN
Poussin aux Olives brined & roasted young chicken, Castelvetrano olives, white wine stewed currants, herbs
Ricotta Quenelles kale sauce, pistachio, cured lemon
Wine: La Croix de Brully - Rully Clos des Mollepierres
DESSERT
Stone Fruit Melba rum savarin, honey meringue, raspberry coulis
Hanky Panky Roku Gin, Pineau de Charentes, alpine amaro, raspberry
WINE PAIRINGS
We kept things classically French with pairings selected by Danielle. From Saint Hilaire Brut —a descendant of France’s oldest sparkling wine — to Eric Texier, who is known for pushing boundaries within the (occasionally stodgy) French winemaking community.
These wines mirrored the delicious tension between tradition and innovation present in the art all around — both on the table and on the walls.
NIGHTCAP
We finished with an inspired toast by Will. Made with Roku Gin and alpine amaro, the Hanky Panky perfectly played with the raspberry and stone fruit in Brooke’s lovely dessert, and added splash of color to the table to end the night.
SECRET LOCATION: MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ART
Danielle’s first visit to the MIA as a youth opened her eyes to the amount of expansive beauty available in the world, and just how big it could be. Returning for a Supper here was a bit of a dream come true. It was an honor to set our table amidst the great artworks in the museum, and to see our ephemeral form of expression become part of the body of work for a night.
