Tim the Girl Brought the ‘Pop-up Restaurant’ to San Antonio
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. While some city scenes are easy to access, putting it all out there for newcomers in a ‘come and take it’ fashion, some are more hidden, harder to find, and elusive in a way that might dishearten those of us who find ourselves looking for old comforts in new places. For me, music, art, society, and food are the cornerstones of life. They make me happy, and in my old city, I knew exactly where to find them.
New Orleans isn’t called the Big Easy for nothing. Live music abounds, there are more artists than you can count, the social scene is effortless as long as you venture beyond Bourbon Street, and of course—food, food, food everywhere you go. The Crescent City swarms with restaurants, often nestled tightly together and flanked by bars just a stagger away.
San Antonio has proved a little trickier for me, a little more elusive. Maybe it’s the size of the city that makes meeting like-minded people harder. Perhaps I’m used to my social life finding me rather than the other way around. In the Big Easy, treasures are easily stumbled upon, but here in San Antonio, where I have no roots whatsoever, how does one find a place where social life, art, food, and music combine? Where does one begin to discover the hidden treasures of this city I knew had to be out there?
As I found out to my great pleasure, you can do worse than attending one of Tim McDiarmid’s Special Projects Socials—a series of ‘pop-up restaurants’ that combines healthful, locally sourced dining with the talents of local musicians and artists, all wrapped into an exciting exploratory experience open to those searching for a bit of adventure.
Tim McDiarmid, or ‘Tim the Girl,’ is no stranger to the challenges of finding your feet in a new city. Originally from British Columbia, Canada, she moved to New York City at age 20, swapping a small town of fewer than 200 people for the hustle and bustle of one of the most urbanized cities in the U.S. She lived there for 17 years until personal upheavals, including the birth of her son and a breakup, led her to relocate to San Antonio three years ago. This sense of dislocation helped inspire the Special Projects Social.
“I didn’t want to be a single mom living in NYC,” McDiarmid said. “I was ready to do something. I’m pretty social, but for a while, I was looking around and wondering where the life I was used to had gone. I couldn’t find it, so I just decided to work.”
And work she did. McDiarmid teamed up with artist Peter Zubiate to create the first SPS event as a one-time art project for Contemporary Art Month in 2011.
Today, through her company, ‘Tim the Girl Catering,’ McDiarmid juggles various roles, including weekly health meal delivery, catering and event planning, private chef services, cooking classes, and, of course, the Special Projects Socials. While many cities host similar pop-up events, the SPS has evolved into more than just a quirky location-based restaurant. It has become a pathway into San Antonio’s social scene and neighborhoods, offering locals and newcomers the opportunity to explore off-the-track experiences without preconceptions.
“I think we’ve done about 13 now,” McDiarmid shared. “Over time, it’s really picked up speed. A lot of the people who are most intrigued by it are new to the city, just like I was when I first moved here. I come from a theatre background, and I see food as art. It’s about pushing people outside their comfort zones. We’ve had people find jobs through connections they’ve made at these events and form lifelong friendships. From the beginning, creating a meeting place for people from all walks of life was an important part of the vision.”
Each SPS event has a unique theme, and the one I attended was called ‘Al Dente.’ It was held at the home and studio of guest artist/host Sam Giesey and his wife, Kelly O’Conner.
From the start, it was more than just a dinner. The venue, an old mercantile building on San Antonio’s south side, had been renovated into three apartments on each floor by a well-known interior designer. The event took place on the top floor, with Giesey’s macabre but beautiful art displayed throughout—perfect for the Halloween season.
The long tables gleamed, set with plates designed by Giesey, featuring gold-plated teeth motifs as take-home souvenirs. As guests arrived, they were greeted by hostess Kelly O’Conner in a cat-suit with ears and by a smiling Tim in witchy lace. The common look on each face was one of amazed delight even before they saw the dining room. There was no seating order at SPS events—guests simply found a seat, which encouraged interesting pairings. The tables and benches, handmade by Peter Zubiate, were narrow enough to bring diners together more intimately than expected.
The dishes reflected the season and location. The ‘Al Dente’ menu was inspired by McDiarmid’s recent trip to Italy and was served family-style from shared plates. The first course was a delicate galette of smoked mushrooms, followed by a salad of smoked fish, shaved kale with Reggiano, braised short ribs with buttered pasta, and a dessert of chocolate and coffee pavé.
With informal serving, specialty cocktails mixed by guest mixologist Jaret Peña, and seemingly endless bottles of wine, it didn’t take long for any ice to melt. While some might have been out of their comfort zones, they quickly found themselves in a place they liked and wanted to share with others—whether they were first-timers like me or regulars like photographer Ginger Freiling Diaz.
“Tim does our food delivery,” said Diaz. “And when I heard who the artist was and that the event would be held in this building, I knew I had to come. It’s even better than I expected. It’s like a whole experience, the merging of all the senses. Tim is great at connecting talented people.”
First-timers Henry and Jean Halff were equally impressed.
“I’m always willing to try new things,” said Henry, his beard as white as his smile. “And this is wonderful. Never seen anything like it.”
Neither had I. For those on a budget, the $120 ticket price may seem high, but with the gothic setting, great food, friendly company, and the sense of adventure in discovering a hidden side of San Antonio, it was an experience I’d recommend to anyone looking for something just a little out of the ordinary.
And my Giesey-designed plate with its gold tooth motif? It now has pride of place in my new apartment in a new city that feels just a little more like home.
Originally published in “The Rivard Report,” by Sharon Armstrong, December 8, 2012.