The Tapas Tuesdays tradition began when Chicago's COVID response suggested that outdoor dining was a safe place for friends and communities to gather. Our building had just launched a repair project to update the older, wooden decks, but we felt ours could safely support 4 guests at a time.
Our garden yielded little bits of something fresh each day - and so small plates seemed like a great menu. Guests had also discovered a local/online source for rumba-themed costume jewelry*, and the concept of "tacky jewelry and tapas Tuesday" with "so much food you'll wonder if the deck can hold it all" was born ...
'Cause Everyone Loves to Rumba! "
More photos of our earliest events can be found in the original location archives.
TM
check out the Internet Archive for a look at what was for sale back then.