Blog - The Special Projects Social

Thursday

Mar142013

Photos

PHOTOS FROM "DINNER AT THE EMPORIUM"

Tuesday

Feb192013

Photos

SPS Featured in the Rivard Report

Tim the Girl Brought the ‘Pop-up Restaurant’ to San Antonio
By Sharon Armstrong

Moving to a new city can be daunting. I speak from experience, having recently moved from New Orleans to San Antonio for a new job.

Every city has its own character, its own scene, its own little gardens of delight, but while some city scenes are easy all-access, putting it all out there for newcomers in a ‘come and take it’ fashion, some are more hidden, harder to find, elusive in a way as that might dishearten uproots such as myself, who often find themselves looking with varying degrees of success for the all old things in all the new places.

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Monday

Jan282013

Photos

The Special Projects Social "HEARTSMITH"

Join us Feb. 16th for the hottest post Valentines party going.

Guest artist George Schroeder

Dinner music by Suzy Bravo and the Soul Revue with Vincent Valdez.

After dinner party will feature the Houston based band The Tontons

Food by Tim the Girl

Furniture by Zubiate Projects

Mixologist Jeret Pena of The Brooklynite

Appetizers by Tonya Ellen Bates

Tequila by Tequilame

Vodka by Cinco

Desserts by Ayon's Bakery

$150 Ticket price includes a kick ass dinner, cocktails, wine, two awesome bands and much much fun.

50 tickets available. 6:30pm SOLD OUT

Can't make dinner? Join our dinner guests for the Afterparty with wine, beer and cocktails plus the amazing Tontons. Entry at 9pm. $50

50 tickets available.

Thursday

Dec062012

Photos

"Speakeasy"

We have exciting news peeps. Joining us from the Los Angeles food scene will be Jamie Lauren of Top Chef fame. She will be the guest chef on December 15th for the next fabulous SPS.

Guest artist Vincent Valdez who will also be bringing his new band out to entertain.

It's going to be amazing as always.

6:30 pm.

Location will be sent to you 24 hours before the event.

$150

SOLD OUT! Be on the lookout for the next one sometime in Feb.

Thursday

Oct112012

Past Socials

"AL DENTE" OCT 27TH

Produced by Tim the Girl and Zubiate Projects.

Graphic Design by Doris Palmeros. Photography by Xelina Flores.

Guest Pastry Chef: Ayon's Bakery

Guest artist Sam Giesey. Guest musician Justin Boyd.

Location announced 24 hours prior. $120 includes 5 course dinner, specialty cocktail, wine, entertainment, a plate to take home after you feast from it made by the guest artist, and a once in a lifetime experience. 50 tickets available.

Wednesday

Oct102012

Press

SPS Featured in San Antonio Magazine

One Cool Dinner Party

Special Projects Social

By Roberto Ontiveros

The Special Projects Social is a bold concept in renegade fine dining which seeks to bring both art and appetite together in new, even bizarre ways. Outside of extreme eccentricity it would be hard to get away with enjoying hors d’oeuvres by moving trains, but the monthly pop-up dinner party has carried it off.

“We came up with this as a one-time art project for Contemporary Art Month 2011,” says Tim McDiarmid, chef with her catering company, TimtheGirl. “I was new to town and wanted to showcase my food and the talents of local craftsman Peter Zubiate (my partner in the project), as well as the talents of local artists, designers and musicians.”

From there McDiarmid and Zubiate continued to curate dinners at unexpected locations, featuring her food, his woodwork and the talents of local artists in the forms of custom plates, music, a fashion show—you name it. “We really want to inspire a sense of community and help everyone get the exposure they deserve,” McDiarmid says.

Originally from Canada, McDiarmid wants to bring a bit of European ease into American dining. She laments the speed and thoughtlessness that keep many from actually enjoying meals. Special Projects Social is her answer: “A dinner that takes time and is as much about conversation and community as it is about food.”

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Tuesday

Oct092012

Press

SPS Featured in San Antonio Woman:

A Marriage of the Minds
Creative types produce The Special Projects pop-up dinners
Written by: Emily Reynolds Stringer
Photography by: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff

Many of us can relate; planning a wedding is an absolute hair-pulling task. While the allure of the perfect white dress beckons, many stressors rise like Mount Rushmore in the background. Does your jaw tighten at the thought of where to seat the relatives you haven’t seen in years? How about creating a set-list for the band to play your favorite ‘80s tunes, or the bridesmaids loving their you-can-wear-this-again dresses? And let’s not forget the food. We yearn for our guests to rave about how un-wedding our Chicken Oscar tastes, right? Our spectrum of hopes ranges from marrying the love of our lives to pleasing our mothers.

If you’re Tim McDiarmid, owner of Tim-The-Girl Catering, planning a wedding is a monthly event. No, she’s not clinically insane, nor is she a wedding planner. Rather, McDiarmid is the wildly creative catalyst to a monthly marriage of the minds.

She is one of the visionaries behind San Antonio’s premier pop-up dining experience, The Special Projects Social. Although pop-up dining is very chic in cities like Los Angeles and New York, you’re not alone if you have no clue what a pop-up restaurant is. Basically, for $100 you buy a ticket for a sit-down dinner at an undisclosed location. Then 24 hours before you are due to arrive, you find out where you will be dining via email. All you do is show up, and everything, even the unique artisan plate that you dine on, is included.

Yet apart from the slew of other pop-up experiences around the country, The Special Projects is more than a meal. “We have created a homespun web of talent,” McDiarmid comments. The Special Projects is a collaborative gathering of talented artists combining forces to create an evening of escape. It is the most blissful, stress-free wedding you’ve never attended. You will be welcomed with cocktails, beer and wine from a Texas provider. At last month’s event our eyes were tickled with local art peppering the walls, homemade wooden tables, a vivacious fashion expo and handcrafted dinnerware. Our tastes were delighted with hors d’oeuvres made by Partridge in a Pie Tree, a seasonally savvy dinner crafted by Tim-The-Girl (McDiarmid) and desserts made by Ayons Bakery. A talented musical duo enlivened our ears.

One guest commented, “These are the fascinating people you never imagined lived right here in San Antonio.” McDiarmid explains, “What I kill myself doing is getting people to work together who may never do so in any other circumstance.” It’s a chance to get out of your comfort bubble and step into a world inspired by Tim’s vibrant cohesive vision, all while enjoying a delicious artisan meal.

Currently there are only 50 tickets sold for each event. Although The Special Projects has gained much popularity, the vision remains to keep the events intimate despite demands for more seating. Juggling 50 hungry guests is not the only thing on McDiarmid’s plate. She is also the founder of Eat Smart, a local nonprofit that teaches healthy eating habits. And she is teaching cooking classes, catering private parties and planning a culinary adventure to Italy this summer.

McDiarmid’s culinary roots go back to her family farm in Vancouver, Canada. “I grew up picking food from my backyard and learning how to make it taste amazing from my mother,” she comments. She moved to New York City, where she spent 17 years refining her culinary technique and honing her palate. “I rarely rely on recipes, but rather I become inspired by the ingredients themselves,” she says. Her culinary influences are global. Yet her travels and city dwellings have fashioned a woman who is a wholesome ingredient chef. McDiarmid comments, “Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Spain and Morocco influence me heavily. I only work with fresh ingredients. Fresh is more than a buzz word to me, it is a necessity.”

McDiarmid landed in San Antonio in 2009, searching for a great school for her son. Her co-operative personality found solace at The Circle School. She enrolled her son in the school and began to volunteer with her free time. She met Peter Zubiate while rebuilding a fence for the school. In 2011 this duo created Special Projects, and last month’s event was the pop-up’s one-year anniversary. They wanted to intermingle Peter’s woodworking skills with Tim’s culinary talent. Zubiate crafts the beautiful pecan wood tables showcased at each event. These long, beautiful tables are made by hand from refurbished wood found on the River Walk. McDiarmid adorns the woodwork with farm-fresh foods, creating a welcoming centerpiece for the evening. Peter adds, “Tim and I have similar ideas about work and getting things done. We never say no to any crazy idea, but we may rein each other in when needed.”

The Special Projects is painting San Antonio red with a bottle of merlot. Whether you’re a refined foodie or you yearn to expand your artistic horizons, you will be in good company if you can get your hands on a ticket. The next pop-up will be a charity event to support The Circle School.

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