A Gruyere donut with creole sauce, chives, and pickled green tomatoes was the first of six courses served at a Detroit dinner inspired by rapper Lil Wayne. 

The sold-out dinner at Spotlite, a gallery and record store on Detroit’s east side, is part of a new music-inspired series gaining momentum.

A year-and-a-half ago, Detroit chefs Jermond Booze and Amber Beckem began hosting what they’ve coined “Vinyl Tastings” approximately once a month. The first dinner started out small, with just 12 attendees at one seating. But on Nov. 19, the chefs sold 92 tickets, marking a new milestone for the dinner series. 

“I really wanted to figure out a way to define myself as a chef,” said Booze, who is also a DJ which inspired his idea to pair his love of food and music. He informally posted the idea on Instagram, and, soon after, Beckem joined. Their first dinner was based on the album “The Low End Theory” by A Tribe Called Quest. 

The unique menus are created each month, based on an album, with vegan and vegetarian options as well. Each dinner is offered with a wine pairing ($95) or without ($75). 

“It takes a while,” Booze said of creating each menu. 

Past dinners have been based on albums from Usher, Michael Jackson, Erykah Badu, and others. Before the meals are served, Booze and Beckem walk diners through each offering, explaining the flavors and inspiration. Each course is served as a live DJ spins the song that inspired it. Throughout the night the DJ keeps the festive, party-like atmosphere going. 

The November dinner was based on Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III”, and Lil Wayne’s origins in New Orleans, Louisiana. For Booze the album holds personal significance; it came out at the same time that Booze started DJing to finance his way through college. The album holds immense cultural significance as well, he said. 

“This particular album, in my opinion, was the peak of southern hip-hop shifting from being a wave that people were getting into, to it being the dominant force in hip-hop,” Booze said. 

“Tha Carter III” was released in 2008, selling 1 million copies in its first week and debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album won Best Rap Album at the 51st annual Grammy Awards, and earned Wayne two additional Grammys. In 2022, the album was certified 8x platinum. 

“Wayne was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He was that peak, that crest of like, Southern hip-hop is taking over,” said Booze. 

From barbecue sauce to smoked cornish hens, and rice grits, the tasting was rich with Louisiana influence. 

The fourth course of the night, a jambalaya crispy rice with chicken andouille tomato and Tabasco vinaigrette, cilantro, and lime was Detroiter David Parnell’s favorite. 

“I enjoyed the textural contrast and the spice in it,” he said. The dish made with “a million grains of rice” was a play on Wayne’s song “A Milli.” 

Some of the courses were slightly cold, but that didn’t put off Parnell, who attended a prior Vinyl Tasting and has watched the dinners evolve. 

“They’re working out the kinks or whatever, but for them to have a space this size with two seatings, I love to support it,” he said. “I enjoy the fact that people from the city are growing things organically.”

The first dinners were held in a much smaller space, The Kitchen by Cooking with Que. Then the dinners moved to Freya and now to Spotlite, which has even more space and embodies the music, art, and culture relationship similar to Vinyl Tastings, Booze said. Spotlite will host the Vinyl Tastings for the foreseeable future.

Krystal Dunlap, 40, was attending the dinner to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

“I love Lil Wayne, he’s one of my favorite artists,” she said. “I love the concept, I liked that the different wines were paired with each meal. This is my first event and this will not be my last. I definitely want to come back for some of their other artist-inspired dinners.”

The evening concluded with a strong Louisiana finish, smoked chocolate pecan pie with banana custard sauce and chicory coffee whipped cream. The pairing of chicory and coffee was popularized in New Orleans, while banana trees are a common part of the landscape.

It’s the thoughtfulness in each dish that attracts diners for the special experience.

“It’s an experience more than just the food,” said Parnell, “I really enjoyed the story behind the food.” 

In 2014, Detroit chef Kyle Hanley did a similar one-off event, pairing a Radiohead album with a 10-course meal and playing the corresponding tracks as diners ate. 

December’s tasting will feature multiple artists and possibly more of a strolling appetizer dinner rather than a pairing, chef Booze said. 

“We’re going to do something different in December,” he said. “We’re looking to do a holiday edition.”

And, in January, they plan to make a big announcement. Follow on Instagram to stay up to date or follow Vinyl Tastings on Eventbrite.