AAPIDA Celebrates Diwali with Colorful, Intimate Dinner in the Dallas Design District
Michelin-Recognized Jashan Curated the Menu for the Festival of Lights Soirée
By Melissa Smrekar //
Photography Jenny Lawson Photography
What: The Asian American Pacific Islander Design Alliance (AAPIDA) hosted a dinner celebration of Diwali
Where: AOI Home, a showroom in Dallas’ Design District that houses one of the largest collections of antique and modern architectural elements in the country
PC Moment: An intimate group arrived at AOI Home to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, together. Rupal Dalal dreamed of hosting this dinner with AAPIDA for many years, and it exceeded all expectations. Music from Dholi TK welcomed guests, who enjoyed cocktails before a lively traditional dance performance by UTD’s Laksh Dance Team. A wonderful group of vendors came together to make the celebration happen for the first time. AOI Home outfitted the Hästens bed on display in AOI Home linens. The colorful dinner table was set as one long king’s table in the showroom, and it was blanketed in custom linens by Kufri. AAPIDA Texas President Matthew Tsang, in town from Austin, created the floral centerpieces, which included marigolds and anthuriums. Hayshree Dalal, Rupal Dalal’s mother, sewed the beautiful quilted favor bags by hand.
The celebration centered around a four-course dinner from Jashan. Guests in attendance relished the opportunity to taste the food from the recently Michelin-recognized fine dining Indian restaurant, located in Plano. In attendance, Jashan chef and founder Prasanna Singaraju curated the Diwali menu and introduced each dish. The menu included Shahi Meva Dahi Kebab and Nadru ki Shikampuri to start, Ahl-e-Jashan, Diwani Handi, and Dal Makhani for the main course, and Gulab Jamun and Mango Lassi to end the night on a sweet and fruity note.
Impact: AAPIDA empowers Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders in the home and design industries to foster visibility, collaboration, and industry-wide representation. The Diwali dinner showcased the collaboration of the Dallas design community, with Arteriors, Artistic Tile, Hästens, HN Capital, Jean Liu, and Porcelanosa all serving as event sponsors.
In the spirit of Diwali, Dalal encouraged guests to be the light for at least one person. Challenge accepted!
Holiday Decor
PC Seen: Han Dang, Jean Liu, Angela Matter, Megan Soh, Mili Suleman, Patricia Tram, Thu Trinh, John Bobbitt, Nazira Handal, Pankaj and Jayshree Dalal, Nitin and Rebecca Nambiar, and Jessica Schuster.
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