Pichi brings Latin culture to London with a luxury launch at Menier Lounge
Homemade arepas, punchy cocktails, live Latin music and elevated styling. At the Menier Lounge, the PenniBlack Collective brought Pichi to London for an evening celebrating Latin culture through food, drinks, music, style, atmosphere and design.
Stephania Pena-Nur founded Pichi to bring Colombia to UK luxury events. Think handmade arepa dough on the grill, Colombian drinks, colour, and a room that ends up dancing. Showcased by the PenniBlack Collective as its Latin specialist, Pichi brought together food, drinks, music and design to create an experience that went far beyond a theme. The Collective is a curated group of event brands that build together, with a particular focus on supporting emerging talent and championing female-led businesses. With the support of an expert team of chefs, mixologists and stylists, the launch brought Pichi's vision to life and had a whole room talking.
The launch took place on Wednesday 16 September at the Menier Lounge. Just moments from Borough Market, the Shard and London Bridge, the Lounge is a bright, open events space with a stunning rooftop garden that was transformed into a Colombian cornucopia of cocktails, canapés, fresh arepas, Latin styling and live music.
From friendly staff greeting newcomers by the door, to a centre table replete with empanadas, ceviche, salads and croquettes, every element of the Pichi experience was carefully considered. Canapés were delivered on hand-painted boards, while the cocktail bar served everything from familiar Colombian favourites to the Pichi Lulo Paloma and the alcohol-free Pichi Tropical Spritz. Both signature serves were flavoured with house-made lulo cordial, introducing many guests to a Colombian fruit they had never tasted before.
Accompanying the flavours of Latin America were the tropical florals of Lorelle Mykoo of Fleurelly, a floristry artist who showcased her skills with an astonishing array of flowers and floral designs. The PenniBlack staff danced behind the arepa bar and chatted with guests, while the arepas themselves were made in situ, hot and fresh to order on a homemade, custom-built stand. With fresh dough being prepared and cooked on the grill in front of guests, the arepa station became as much a part of the atmosphere as the food itself. And, fronted by a female Latin pop singer, EnVivo Latino turned the Pichi launch into a party that had the fifty guests dancing and celebrating until the end.
Menu highlights included the signature Pichi cocktails, chargrilled picanha with chimichurri, mango and lime fish ceviche, beef and vegetarian empanadas, passionfruit and white-chocolate tartlets, and guava and coconut cheesecake bites with guava gel. And, of course, the live arepa station, making arepas to order in the rooftop garden. Guests could choose to fill their arepas with carne mechada, aji-lime chicken or achiote kidney bean, sweet yellow plantain and avocado, alongside a selection of fresh sauces and garnishes.
So can a collective of London-based brands bring Latin culture to the UK? The launch showed exactly how. From the queue behind the arepa stall, pictures being taken of the centre table, people chatting at the bar, to the whole room singing along to Hips Don't Lie, the 50 guests stayed until the end, eating, dancing and celebrating with Pichi.
Ultimately, Pichi's launch wasn't just about introducing a new specialist brand. It showed what happens when food, drink, design, music and service are brought together under one roof, with Pichi's food and drink, VENN's design and build, Raquel's staff and the wider Collective all playing their part. More than just a Latin theme, Pichi offers a full cultural experience — one that is now ready to bring to luxury events across the UK.
RSVP your next event at hello@penniblackcollective.co.uk.
