Story and Photos by Brooke Kupcho
On an evening in September, local Fargo brews, food, and two friendly hearts waited for a group of unknown guests to arrive at their home. As part of a partnership with the Minneapolis / St. Paul based Generation Now Leadership Visit (a three-day trip where innovative leaders visit another city hosted by the Citizens League), four GNLVers would soon show up to two strangers’ apartment in Fargo.
Shortly after 7 p.m., the four guests arrived up on the doorstep of Jon Walters and Nate Heinold‘s apartment, just west of downtown Fargo. A DinnerTies gathering was about to start.
After a day touring the Fargo Brewing Company, Owen Truesdell, Martin Ludden, Rene Rodriguez, and Sara Thatcher (all from Minneapolis and part of the Generation Now Leadership cohort) were ready for a home-cooked meal. Despite feeling that it was nerve-wracking to show up to a stranger’s house for dinner, Rene also thought it would be awesome.
But that’s the premise behind DinnerTies, a Fargo-based event created with the intention of creating community and connections between those living in the North Dakota town, and those traveling through it.
The idea is simple: when you invite someone into your home for a meal, you are offering them one of the greatest invitations of friendship.
But despite the humble concept, the impacts can be profound as relationships are forged around trust, kindness, and generosity.
Back at the apartment Jon and Nate greeted their guests with drinks and appetizers – warm bread and a tray of meat, cheese, and crackers. Despite those in the group being mere strangers, conversation about entrepreneurship and travel hummed throughout the apartment. Alliances formed quickly when the talk turned to beer. For Owen, the best part of traveling is always the beer, and it turns out Fargo Brewing Company’s O’Fest brew is one of the best (at least according to Martin).
When it was time to eat, Jon and Nate pulled a silver catering pan out of the oven. Jon admitted they were stumped when deciding what to cook for people they didn’t know. They settled on a meal they often make for themselves: a cheesy, beef and veggie pasta. Good thing the pair made enough to go around more than once — pasta was just the boost Sara needed for her marathon training.
For dessert, Jon pulled out a simple brown box and placed it on the counter. Inside sat rows of decadent cupcakes from Bakeology in Fargo. There were vanilla bean ones topped with a fiori di sicilia buttercream (a mouthwatering citrus blossom flavor), and rich chocolate cupcakes frosted with mint buttercream and sprinkled with chocolate mint candy pieces.
Even after the food was gone, the conservation continued. Guests sunk into couches and chairs, and sprawled out on the living room floor. The talk then turned to Fargo — it’s still an up-and-coming city despite being in North Dakota. Why? For Nate, it’s all about the opportunities available in the city and the community’s desire to get everyone involved. Look no further than events suchs as DinnerTies. As the guests filed out the door at the end of the night, exchanging hugs, the answer couldn’t have been more clear.
