Death Over Dinner at Elysian Fields Park
This isn’t a funeral. It’s a feast. BYOB.
A Death Over Dinner where we trade fear for laughter, last wishes for connection, and walk away with a deeper hunger for life.
Near Halloween, we gather to face the one thing we all share—our mortality—in the most human way possible: with food, stories, and laughter.
Join us for an evening of harvest-season abundance, candlelight, and meaningful conversation. Hosted by Arlette O’Rourke — Certified Green Burial Operator, Funeral Celebrant, and Death Doula. Together we’ll explore:
- How to make our last wishes known
- How conversations about death can bring families closer and help us live more fully
- How green burial offers a sustainable way to turn endings into new beginnings
What to Expect
Guests will be welcomed with a Halloween Harvest Display of meats, cheeses, and garden vegetables before moving into an evening of passed appetizers, seasonal soup, a hearty entrée, and an elegant dessert. Between courses, we’ll share prompts and reflections that invite us to talk openly about death, legacy, and the ways we can live more intentionally.
This is not a somber event — it is a gathering of curiosity, courage, and connection. Expect candlelight, good food, laughter, and moments of real meaning.
Evening Menu
Appetizers
- Halloween Harvest Display – an autumnal feast of meats, cheeses, and garden vegetables, inspired by the harvest and the shadows of Halloween
- Dove, Caramelized Onion Savory Pop-Tart with Rosemary Cranberry Gastrique
- Venison Tartare with Shallot, Capers, and Quail Egg
Soup
- Farm Grown Butternut Squash & Apple Velouté – a silken blend finished with sage brown butter
Entrée
- Local Roasted Pork with Spiced Apple Chutney, Celeriac Purée, and Braised Autumn Greens
Dessert
- Pumpkin Pavé with Spiced Poached Pears and Mascarpone Cream
Event Details
Date/Time: Saturday, October 25, 2025 · 6:00 PM
Location: Elysian Fields Park, 957 Bogey Lane, St. Stephen, SC
Reserve Your Seat
Space is limited. Bring your courage, your curiosity, and your appetite.
