A House of Memory: Food, Ritual + the Spaces That Hold Us
About this Event
What does home smell like to you?
Join Chef Gerard “Gee” Mitchell, Hailey Wilkins of TVS Design, and cultural curator Demarco Bufford for A House of Memory, an immersive evening of food, design, storytelling, and community reflection presented as part of the Atlanta Design Festival.
Inspired by the Atlanta Design Festival’s 2026 theme, “Make It Last,” this DesignStation transforms the TVS Design studio into a temporary domestic environment: part kitchen, part gathering table, and part living archive. Through scent, sound, texture, light, ingredient storytelling, small tastings, and guest contributions, the experience considers how food traditions, family rituals, and the spaces around us preserve culture over time.
Chef Gee will guide guests through a culinary and sensory exploration rooted in the idea of recipes as living archives. Hailey Wilkins will help shape the spatial language of the installation, connecting domestic materials, hospitality, and architecture. Together with Demarco Bufford’s cultural curation and experience direction, the evening will ask a central question:
What meals, materials, spaces, and rituals do we want to carry forward?
Guests are invited to move through four connected moments:
The Threshold
Begin with a sensory prompt: “What does home smell like to you?” Guests will receive a House Card to carry through the experience and contribute to the community archive.
The Kitchen
Chef Gee will share ingredient stories, preservation techniques, aroma, texture, and culinary rituals connected to family, culture, memory, and longevity. The evening includes small, controlled tastings and nonalcoholic sensory moments.
The Table
Gather around a communal table designed for conversation, exchange, and reflection. Guests will be invited to respond to the prompt: “A food tradition I want to keep is…”
The Archive
Contribute a recipe, reflection, sensory memory, or short response to a collective archive asking: “What makes a house last?” Selected contributions may help shape a future digital or printed artifact preserving the experience beyond the festival.
Agenda
🕑: 05:00 PM - 05:30 PM
Crossing the Threshold
Info: Doors open. Guests enter A House of Memory, receive a House Card, and explore the scent and ingredient library.
🕑: 05:30 PM - 05:45 PM
Welcome: Make It Last
Info: Opening remarks from TVS Design and Demarco Bufford, introducing the evening, the collaborators, and ADF’s 2026 theme.
🕑: 05:45 PM - 06:00 PM
Food, Memory + the Spaces That Hold Us
Info: Chef Gee shares a personal kitchen story, an ingredient memory, and the evening’s first sensory demonstration.
🕑: 06:00 PM - 06:30 PM
The Kitchen Remembers
Info: Chef Gee shares a personal kitchen story, an ingredient memory, and the evening’s first sensory demonstration.
A Taste Worth Keeping
Info: A guided tasting and culinary storytelling moment exploring preservation, technique, flavor, and the memories carried through food.
🕑: 07:15 PM - 07:30 PM
What Makes a House Last?
Info: A community reflection featuring selected House Card contributions, recipes, traditions, and memories shared by guests.
🕑: 07:30 PM - 08:00 PM
The Living Archive
Info: Open studio time for guests to contribute to the archive, connect with collaborators, and continue the conversation.
🕑: 08:00 PM
Carry It Forward
Info: Closing moment and conclusion of the formal program.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
