Use tableware from the Common Ground installation and connect with fellow diners as you take part in an interactive culinary journey. 

As Nowruz and Passover arrive each spring, this Common Ground Dinner explores the rich intersections between Persian and Jewish traditions through food, storytelling, and shared ritual. Inspired by the symbolic language of the Nowruz haft-seen table and the Passover Seder plate, the evening invites guests to reflect on tradition, memory, and culture. Guided by conversation and seasonal flavors, music and poetry, diners will discover how these parallel traditions reveal surprising connections across histories, identities, and generations.

Tray-passed
Dolmeh-Stuffed Grape Leaves with Lemon and Rice (V)
Crostini with Green Olive, Walnut, and Pomegranate (V)
Persian Cucumber Cups with Feta, Lemon, Honey, and Dill (VEG)

Served in the bowl
Ash-e Reshteh (Noodle soup topped with fried onions) (V)
Ash-e Reshteh’s noodles (reshteh) symbolize the intertwined paths of life, representing the hope for clarity and guidance in the coming year.

Buffet
Ghormeh Sabzi (Beef, Beans, and Greens plus a Vegan version)
Kuku Sabzi (Herb and Egg dish) (VEG)(DF)(GF)
Its deep green hue symbolizes rebirth and nature, aligning perfectly with the themes of Nowruz.

Sabzi Polo (Saffron Rice with Herbs and Garlic) (V)
Many believe serving this dish ensures blessings and good fortune for the year ahead.

Mahi–Branzino with Bitter Orange

Dinner Rolls and Pita Bread

Dessert
Nan-e Berenji (Persian Rice Cookie) (GF)
Naan-e Keshmeshi (Persian Rosewater Raisin Cookie)
Cake Sharbati (Saffron Syrup Cake) (VEG)
 

PERFORMERS

Oliver Hakim is an Iranian-American violinist, kamancheh player, pianist, and vocalist born and raised in Los Angeles. He has studied music since the age of five and pursued his studies at the University of Toronto. Although initially trained in the Western classical tradition, Hakim discovered a deep passion for Persian traditional music (sonnati) at a young age. Despite never having been to Iran, he was determined to study the tradition rigorously, mastering radif and improvisation in both vocal and instrumental performance. He has maintained a profound connection to his Iranian heritage and continues to showcase it through his artistic and cultural identity. 

Alan Niku is a filmmaker, writer, and scholar of Mizrahi culture from San Luis Obispo, California, based in Los Angeles. A native speaker of Persian, he spends his time learning related Jewish languages, deciphering Judeo-Persian manuscripts, and interviewing community members about their stories. He is also a musician and an amateur chef, teaches history and Jewish heritage at various levels, and seeks to educate the world about the underrepresented cultures of the Middle East through his writing and films.

SPECIAL GUESTS

Tannaz Sassooni is a Los Angeles-based food writer who’s written for Food and Wine, LAist, The Forward, The Nosher, King Arthur Baking, Zaman Collective, Zócalo Public Square, and the Ajam Media Collective. Born in Tehran to a Jewish family, she explores Los Angeles’ global culinary landscape and collects regional Iranian Jewish recipes from mothers and grandmothers for a future cookbook project that aims to preserve Iranian Jewish food heritage. You can follow her on Instagram @tannazsassooni

Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh is a Los Angeles-raised leader rooted in the Persian Jewish community who blends tradition and modernity to create meaningful, inclusive Jewish experiences. Ordained at Hebrew Union College–JIR, where she earned a Master’s in Jewish Education and Hebrew Literature, she also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Boston University. At American Jewish University, she oversees the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys, the Miller Intro to Judaism Program, and the AJU Community Mikvah. Her previous roles include Director of Student Life at UCLA Hillel, Senior Jewish Educator, Jewish Emergent Network Rabbinic Fellow at The Kitchen in San Francisco, and faculty member at Milken Community High School.

Los Angeles–based artist Adam Silverman collected clay, water, and wood ash from all fifty American states, Washington, DC, and the five inhabited US Territories and combined them to create a set of tableware and ceremonial pots. The resulting 224 ceramic objects, titled Common Ground, is a community-activated artwork that celebrates American pluralism while also fostering human connection through shared meals and collaborative installations.