More Than a Pretty Table!

By Stephanie Scher
August 13, 2026

I’ve never believed dinner is just dinner.

Growing up, candlelight at the dinner table wasn’t saved for a special occasion. My mom did that on a Tuesday. My parents owned a restaurant together, and my dad loved what happened beyond the food with the regulars, the conversations, the people who kept coming back. He loved building a community with the farmers and producers. I think a lot of that got into me without my realizing it.

I worked in kitchens early on and bartended my way through school and later in New York City. I went to art school, worked in food and prop styling—styling food for the camera and creating everything around it: the props, the table, the setting, the story—and eventually worked on the creative side of a food management company surrounded by incredible chefs. It taught me that the best experiences are never about one thing. The food matters. But so does everything around it. The menu should have a reason for being there. Why this ingredient? Why this season? Why this place? How does it connect to the idea behind the night? Then comes the table, the plates, the room, the light, the art—and definitely the music. Music can change the entire energy of a room.

Today I work in interior design, but to me, it’s all connected. Food. Art. Design. Music. People. And then you add the people. That’s the part you can’t design. And maybe the best part.

Adriana understands that instinctively. Her curiosity about people, travel and the world around her inspires me constantly. She makes me think beyond what happens on the table and about what can happen around it. That’s where The Fearless Table started to get really interesting. There are fascinating people everywhere. The neighbor three doors down. The artist around the corner. The chef, musician or designer we haven’t crossed paths with yet. I want to bring those people to the table.

Because I think we’re all craving something a little different. A night you don’t completely know what to expect. A seat next to someone you haven’t met yet. Food with a story. A table worth looking at. Music you want to Shazam. Conversation that doesn’t feel like small talk.

The kind of night you wish you had been invited to. That’s what we want The Fearless Table to be. And now we’re setting the first one.

Food is only the beginning.

— Stephanie