We celebrated the opening of the 53,000-square-foot culinary marketplace with a groundbreaking ribbon-cutting ceremony and parade. The parade consisted of 6 flag bearers, 16 people carrying a 30’ gilded fish skeleton, 10 drummers, and 75 chefs – all walking from the stock exchange (where they rang the closing bell!) to the Seaport. We parked a fleet of gorgeous vintage cars out front, and brought them to life with our Bonnie and Clyde characters. Once speeches were made and the ceremonial ribbon was cut, two confetti cannons exploded, raining colorful fish onto the crowd.

Newsies greeted guests upon entry with custom Tin Building newspapers. Stilted violinists enhanced the ambiance as guests toured throughout the venue’s expansive range of culinary experiences. Guests sampled gold-leafed caviar, mini tacos and churros, sushi and sake, endless cocktails, and more. Our Betty Crockers prepared an epic display of desserts, but that’s not all…

The best surprise was the House of the Red Pearl, a speakeasy located upstairs in the back of the Mercantile. A jazz band serenaded guests as they passed the cocktail-filled bar. The chic restaurant space offered upscale Chinese cuisine, including delicious dumplings, spring rolls, garlic chicken and broccoli, and more. One of the House of the Red Pearl’s VIP guests of the evening: Martha Stewart!