An Evening at Sabi’s

Candlelight, a kitchen full of artists, and a room worth remembering

Six dinners in, and the Atelier & Ember Society still manages to surprise me. The idea behind this

supper club is simple: bring Northeast Ohio’s chefs together, open the doors of restaurants people may

not know yet, and let the food and the room do the talking. I’ve had the privilege of photographing

every one of these evenings, front of house and back, and Dinner No. 6 at Sabi’s might be the most atmospheric yet.

Sabi’s set the tone before a single guest walked in. A dark room, an enormous floral mural running the

length of the wall, deep plum linens, and what felt like a hundred candles. It’s the kind of space that

rewards a photographer who’s willing to work in low light and let the shadows stay shadows

Before the doors open

The hours before service are where I find some of my favorite frames. Glasses polished and lined up.

Candles placed and replaced. Grapes, figs and pomegranates arranged just so. Nobody’s performing for the camera yet; they’re just getting it right

Back in the kitchen, Chef Sabi gathered the crew before the first course went out. That paint-splattered

apron with his name stitched across the front tells you a lot about him: this is a chef who treats the plate like a canvas.

The first course came together in an assembly line of ruffled white plates: a golden fritter set over a

cool, creamy base and finished with a slow, glistening drizzle. Watching a full room’s worth of plates get built in a few minutes never gets old..

As guests arrived, the room filled with that particular energy these dinners have: old friends, new faces,

and a shared curiosity about what’s coming out of the kitchen. Welcome cocktails went around, glowing in the late light

One of my favorite frames of the night: the dish is the hero, but the chef is right there behind it, watching it go out the door.

For me, the best images from these dinners aren’t always of the food. They’re of moments like this: a

guest leaning in, completely present, the whole room glowing behind him.

Dessert closed the night with a small cake set in caramel, crowned with cream and diced apple. Simple, autumnal, and exactly right.

Six dinners. Six kitchens. One very lucky photographer. Thank you to Chef Sabi and the whole Sabi’s

team for opening your doors, and to the Atelier & Ember Society for continuing to show Northeast Ohio what’s cooking in its own backyard.