Feast on Fashion: Happy Hour + Meet & Greet with Book Signing Featuring Peter Som

There's something special about a room where fashion and food collide — and good people show up. Feast on Fashion is a curated series presented by Nashville Fashion Week and the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. We will kick things off next week with dinner and conversation on Tuesday (8 seats are still currently available) and will continue the festivities on Wednesday from 4-6 PM at Avo. We'll take over one of Nashville's favorite neighborhood spots for a few hours of mingling, sipping, and celebrating community.

Kick off your Wednesday evening with us at AVO for a lively happy hour and meet & greet with Peter Som—lifestyle expert, award-winning designer, and author of Family Style: Elegant Everyday Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage. Grab a drink, browse the bites, and get your copy of Family Style signed straight from the man himself.

Books will be available for purchase on-site.

Avo is one of Nashville's most beloved plant-based spots—and the perfect backdrop for an evening like this. Their menu is 100% plant-based, featuring gluten-free, organic, and locally sourced offereings, with handcrafted cocktails to match. A true Nashville small business with community at its core. Come thirsty and ready to mingle. Avo has built something rare: a gathering place where everyone feels welcome at the table.

For this event, AVO will be offering their happy hour specials from 4–6PM, including discounted snacks, sips, and half-price bottles of wine — so come ready to settle in, raise a glass, and support a local business that gives back.

"Hosting Peter Som at AVO feels incredibly special. As someone whose family has long been part of Nashville's culinary community through both AVO and Samurai Sushi, I love opportunities that bring people together to celebrate culture, creativity, and connection around the table. This event beautifully highlights the intersection of food, fashion, and AAPI storytelling in Nashville." 
— Annie Choo, AVO

GOOD PEOPLE IN THE ROOM

We'll be joined by representatives from Giving Kitchen and API Middle Tennessee — so plan to make the rounds, spark a conversation, and leave knowing a little more about the incredible work happening right here in our city.

Giving Kitchen provides emergency financial assistance to food service workers in crisis, connecting them with community resources when they need it most.

API Middle Tennessee advocates for and uplifts Asian Pacific Islander communities across the region — bringing a voice and a seat to the table that reflects the full richness of Nashville's creative community.

SIP FOR A CAUSE

We'll be pouring the Family Style Fizz from 4 -6 PM only so don't be late. Every sale of our featured signature cocktail inspired by Peter Som's cookbook will directly benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, supporting the next generation of fashion industry professionals with ties to Middle Tennessee. Sip well, give back and toast to Nashville's creative future.

GETTING THERE

AVO is located at 4 City Blvd #104, tucked underneath the Element Hotel in OneC1TY. Free 2-hour parking is available in the lot near SandBar and Charlotte Ave — plenty of time to mingle, sip, and meet some stylish new friends.

Fashion, food, and community — come together.

#whyNFW

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FAMILY THAI X FAMILY STYLE
DINNER & CONVERSATION

Tuesday, May 19 | 6:00 PM
International Market
2013 Belmont Boulevard

Dinner + Signed Book: $125

ONLY 8 SEATS LEFT!

Join us for a collaborative three-course dinner*
inspired by Peter Som's Family Style 
and hosted by Chef Arnold Myint and Anna Myint
at International Market —honoring heritage, memories,
and the quiet luxury of gathering well.

This intimate dining experience will include table-led conversations with featured guests, thoughtfully designed to spark meaningful dialogue at the intersection of food, culture, fashion, and the API experience.

Tickets can be purchased at NashvilleFashionWeek.com. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. 

Feast on Fashion: Fashion, Food & Community Come Together

There's something especially compelling about bringing fashion and food together in a way that feels both intentional and rooted in community. Feast on Fashion is a curated series presented by Nashville Fashion Week and the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee—an invitation for distinct experiences that celebrate the creative disciplines shaping our city right now.

“In Nashville, fashion and food are both powerful expressions of culture, creativity, and community—they are part of the fabric of who we are as a city. This event is an opportunity to celebrate that intersection more intentionally, while uplifting AAPI voices whose influence continues to shape and inspire both industries. It also directly supports the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund, helping us invest in and advance the future of creative talent in our city.”
— Nashville Fashion Week

This evening will reflect what we value most: craft, connection, and the people behind the work. Tuesday, May 19 will unfold with lively conversation and a shared table where fashion, food, and identity meet in an intimate dialogue-driven setting—supporting and strengthening the future of creative talent in our community.

At the heart of this event is the work of Peter Som—lifestyle expert, award-winning designer, and author of Family Style: Elegant Everyday Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage. A CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist and two-time CFDA Emerging Designer Award nominee, Peter’s creative life has long existed at the intersection of fashion and food. During his years in high-intensity fashion, cooking became both a grounding ritual and a creative outlet, ultimately evolving into The Extra Taste, his culinary platform exploring fashion, interiors, design, and entertaining. His debut cookbook Family Style brings together 100 elegant, approachable recipes rooted in his Chinese American heritage, Bay Area upbringing, and French-influenced family traditions—offering a modern, personal take on gathering, memory, and creativity at the table.

“I’m excited to be heading to Nashville to support the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund. It’s an honor to be part of such a community-driven event alongside incredible partners like Giving Kitchen, API Middle TN, Anna, Chef Arnold Myint, and Parnassus, and have the opportuntity to share my Family Style cookbook along the way. I’m looking forward to connecting and celebrating Nashville’s vibrant creative spirit.”

- Peter Som

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FEAST ON FASHION 

A Shared Commitment to the People and Disciplines that Continue to Shape our Community Through Fashion and Food.

FEAST ON FASHION: FAMILY THAI X FAMILY STYLE
DINNER & CONVERSATION

Tuesday, May 19 | 6PM
International Market
2013 Belmont Blvd

Dinner + Signed Book: $125

An intimate, three-course family-style dinner experienced through a collaborative three-course dinner by Chef Arnold Myint, inspired by Peter Som's Family Style followed by curated conversation at each table.

Inspired by Peter Som’s Family Style, this dinner hosted by Chef Arnold Myint and Anna Myint at International Market is designed as a shared table—honoring heritage, memory, and the quiet luxury of gathering well.

The evening will feature intimate, table-led conversations with featured guests, thoughtfully designed to spark meaningful dialogue at the intersection of food, culture, fashion, and the API experience.

We’re so excited to welcome Peter Som to International Market for AAPI Month. Pairing Family Style with Arnold Myint’s Family Thai feels especially close to home for us — it’s about honoring where we come from, celebrating the stories behind the food, and bringing people together around the table.”  - Anna and Arnold Myint

Arnold Myint is a celebrated chef, restaurateur, TV personality, author and performer whose vibrant career bridges food, culture, and self-expression. A 2024 James Beard Best Chef Southeast semifinalist, Arnold is the chef of International Market and co-owner with his sister Anna Myint — a tribute to their family’s culinary legacy first established in 1975. 

In the fall of 2025, Myint released his highly-anticipated debut cookbook, Family Thai: Bringing the Flavors of Thailand Home, offering readers a vibrant and comprehensive guide to Thai cooking techniques and pantry staples for modern kitchens and was named one of the year’s best new cookbooks by publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Southern Living, and more.

We are also proud to recognize and break bread with API Middle Tennessee and Giving Kitchen, whose work brings compassion and critical support to food service workers facing crisis.

The dinner table is where community happens in Asian culture, so I can't think of a more exciting way to explore and share identity than through food.” - Joseph Gutierrez, API Middle Tennessee

Limited Availability. A portion of proceeds from both events will benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. 

The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee that is funded with charitable donations and proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week. The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund was inspired by the professional development provided by the Council of Fashion Designers (CFDA) through programs such as the CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund. The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund ensures that Nashville Fashion Week is not just a high-profile event to celebrate creativity, but also an ongoing, sustainable focus for philanthropic support of our community for years to come.

#WHYNFW