Use tableware from the Common Ground installation and connect with fellow diners as you take part in an interactive culinary and musical journey celebrating Sephardic culture through song and cuisine. As its title suggests, Common Ground is a community-activated artwork that celebrates American pluralism while also fostering human connection through shared meals and other collaborative gatherings.

Leading the song and dialogue is Ladino singer/songwriter Sarah Aroeste, who also designed the evening's menu. Ethnomusicologist/musician Simone Salmon will also perform during cocktail hour and dessert.

Hors D’oeuvres
Stuffed Dates with Pistachio, Tahini, and Aleppo Pepper (Vg) (GF)
Burekas (cheese or spinach) (Vg)
Yaprakas (stuffed grape leaves) (V) (GF)

Salad
Burnt Eggplant with Tahini, Cucumber, and Pomegranate

Buffet
Persian Tamarind Salmon* 
Saffron Rice with Barberries and Rosewater (V) (GF)
Moroccan Roasted Vegetables (V) (GF)

Dessert
Pistachio Baklava and Walnut Baklava Garnished with Cinnamon Orange Slices (Vg)

*A small number of tofu portions available for vegetarians prepared the same way.
(Vg) Vegetarian (V) Vegan (GF) Gluten Free 

Los Angeles–based artist Adam Silverman collected clay, water, and wood ash from all fifty American states, Washington, DC, and the five inhabited US Territories and combined them to create a set of tableware and ceremonial pots. The resulting 224 ceramic objects, titled Common Ground, is a community-activated artwork that celebrates American pluralism while also fostering human connection through shared meals and collaborative installations.

Sarah Aroeste is a Ladino singer/songwriter, author, and activist committed to bringing awareness of Sephardic music and culture to audiences around the globe. With eight Ladino albums to her name, and two Sephardic children’s books (with three more on the way!), Aroeste is credited for helping to revitalize a tradition for young and old.

Simone Salmon is a PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology at UCLA. She specializes in Jewish music from Turkey and has published in the edited volume Jews Across the Americas: 1492–Present, Musica Judaica, Journal of Synagogue Music, 100 Years of Sephardic Los Angeles, and Milken Center Conversations. In her free time, Simone hosts and manages her Ladino music radio show, Los Bilbilikos, out of Santa Barbara.

For more on Common Ground and artist Adam Silverman, click here.