Fromage Co. has hosted many gatherings, such as this July 2026 event at its venue. However, Gathered on Water Street will be a first-of-its-kind experience for the Excelsior community. Photos: Kate Evans Photography
Fromage Co. brings Excelsior restaurants and the community together for good.
The inaugural Gathered on Water Street, set for October 8, immediately captured the attention and imagination of Excelsior, and roughly 250 people plan to attend the community supper catered by Water Street restaurants. Tickets sold out soon after going on sale September 4. “The response honestly caught us a little off guard,” says Fromage Co. co-owner Jennifer Brisson. “We now have a very large waiting list and have already had so many people asking when the next Gathered will be.”
“The idea started with this image I couldn’t get out of my head of one really long table running right down the middle of Water Street,” Brisson says. “I wanted it to feel less like attending an event and more like sitting down for dinner with 250 members of your family. Good food being passed around the table, wine being poured, people talking to the person next to them and this feeling that we’re all part of something together.” The community aspect doesn’t end on October 8; proceeds from the dinner will benefit Christmas in Excelsior, the nonprofit that unites the local community during the month of December and beyond.
We asked Brisson to share more about the upcoming community dinner and her aspirations for the 2026 event and beyond.
How long did it take to develop the concept from an idea into an upcoming reality, and what did that process look like?
The funny thing is that the initial idea came together relatively quickly, but once we started talking about it, it just kept growing. The original concept was really simple: one long table, local restaurants, beautiful food and a fall evening on Water Street. From there, we started layering in all of the details that tell a little more of Excelsior’s story. The Gathered Community Recipe Collection, historic references, local partners, music, florals and all of these little unexpected moments throughout the evening.
What was the reaction of the restaurants who were asked to participate?
The restaurants have been incredible. This event really doesn’t exist without them, and I think that’s one of my favorite things about it. There isn’t one restaurant catering the evening. Each of our restaurant partners is contributing a different part of the meal, and together, they’re creating one collaborative supper. Everyone has been so generous with their ideas and so willing to figure out how we make something like this work together.
Fromage Co.
Is this anticipated to be an annual event?
That’s certainly the hope! I love the idea of Gathered becoming an annual tradition and something people look forward to every fall.
We’re also beginning the Gathered Community Recipe Collection this year, with every guest invited to contribute a meaningful recipe. That was intentionally created as something that can grow with us year after year. I would love to look back someday and have this incredible archive of recipes, stories and memories that started with 250 people sitting together on Water Street in 2026.
Can you give us any hints about what the “surprises” you mentioned might be?
I can’t give away too much, but we’ve been very intentional about creating moments throughout the evening that guests aren’t expecting. We keep calling it choreographed hospitality. There won’t be a big stage with a schedule of performances or someone constantly telling you where to look. We want you to be sitting at the table, having dinner with the people around you and suddenly realize something is happening. Some moments will be experienced by the entire table together, and others might be these tiny details you only notice because you happen to be in the right place at the right time. That’s part of the magic for me.
I want to hear people saying, “Did you see that?” on their way home. And if we’re lucky enough to do this again next year, I want people wondering what we’re going to dream up next.
What aspect of Gathered on Water Street are you most looking forward to?
I think it will be that first moment when everyone is finally seated. We’ll have spent months thinking through every detail, but once 250 people are sitting together at one table, the evening really belongs to them.
I want to stand at one end of Water Street and see people passing platters, pouring wine, talking to someone they may not have known before that night and experiencing all of these little moments we’ve been quietly planning for them. If we do this right, I don’t think people will remember Gathered because everything was perfect. They’ll remember how it felt. They’ll remember who they sat next to, something unexpected that happened during dinner, a recipe they took home or a moment they couldn’t wait to tell someone about the next day.
My hope is that people leave thinking, “I can’t believe our town did this.” That, more than anything, is what I’m excited to create.
Fromage Co.
Instagram: @thefromageco
