59th Carnegie International Opening Night Dinner

Party Fri., May 1, 6 p.m.

When: Fri., May 1, 2026, 6–midnight
Where: Carnegie Museum of Art
Tickets: Dinner and Party: $2,000
Must be 21+ to attend

An event so big, it only happens once every four years!

The art world can be found in Pittsburgh at the highly anticipated 59th Carnegie International Opening Night Dinner and Party. Opening Night is a one-night-only preview of Carnegie Museum of Art’s famed Carnegie International exhibition.

Join the artists and curators of the 59th Carnegie International for a unique dining experience designed in collaboration with Pittsburgh’s most popular chefs, hosted in the museum’s historic spaces that will be transfigured by signature creative events agency LUXE Creative.

Dinner commences at 6 p.m. with cocktails in the Hall of Architecture, where guests have their first glimpse of one of many commissioned works within the 59th Carnegie International. At 7 p.m., enjoy dinner in Carnegie Museum’s grand and gilded Music Hall Foyer as the winners of the Carnegie Prize and the Fine Prize are announced.

Following dinner, the 59th Carnegie International exhibition opens, and the late-night affair begins at 8:30 p.m. and lasts until midnight. Cocktails, beer, and espresso will be served inside and outside the museum, and towers of delightful confections conceived by bakers across the city will be offered in Café Carnegie.

Your Ticket Includes

6 p.m. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres
7 p.m. Dinner experience designed by celebrated Pittsburgh chefs and presentation of the Carnegie Prize and Fine Prize
8:30 p.m. Opening Night Party with a preview of the 59th Carnegie International, plus complimentary desserts and drinks throughout the night
Dedicated entrance and complimentary valet

Get Tickets →

Tax-deductible contribution of $1,760 per ticket.

About Our Partners

Amboy

Rafael Vencio was born and raised in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States at 19. His upbringing in Quezon City, Manila, and his grandparents’ province of Nueva Ecija shaped his early culinary identity. Grounded in the centrality of food and celebration in Filipino culture, Rafael developed a cooking style that blends American cuisine, French techniques, and the flavors of his upbringing to introduce contemporary Filipino food to the local dining scene.

He continued his culinary path by opening the bistro Aubergine as part of the inaugural class of Smallman Galley and later expanded his interest in local agriculture through Amboy Urban Farm at the Hilltop Urban Farm incubator program. Rafael is now preparing to open Amboy Restaurant in late spring 2026 in Pittsburgh’s North Side, where he hopes to create a gathering place for the Filipino community.

Apteka

Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski are the chefs and owners of Apteka, which they opened in 2016 as a hyper-do-it-yourself exploration of Central and Eastern European food through the perspective of first- and fifth-generation Pittsburghers. Their entirely scratch-made vegan menu draws on ingredients common to both Poland and western Pennsylvania, emphasizing seasonal abundance, foraging, and preservation.

Apteka has been nominated five times for James Beard Awards, including recognitions for both the chefs and the restaurant’s beverage program. In 2022, The New York Times named Apteka one of its 50 favorite restaurants in the United States.

Black Radish Kitchen

Black Radish Kitchen is a queer-owned boutique catering company specializing in thoughtful, vegetable-forward dishes and customized event planning. Its chef-crafted menus highlight seasonal abundance and approachable classics designed to please a wide range of guests.

Duo’s Taqueria

Marcella Ogrodnik is the chef and partner at Duo’s Taqueria, a contemporary Mexican restaurant in East Liberty. Her background includes serving as chef-in-residence at Villa Lena in Tuscany, working at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, and operating Café Agnes, a popular pupusa stand at Pittsburgh farmers markets.

Fet-Fisk

Founded by chef-owner Nik Forsberg and creative director Sarah LaPonte, Fet-Fisk began as a DIY pop-up in 2019. The project’s intimate dinners—centered on regional produce, pristine seafood, and Nordic flavors—quickly gained momentum, earning Forsberg a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2023. Fet-Fisk opened its Bloomfield restaurant in 2024.

Forsberg’s background as a cook-turned-farmer-turned-chef grounds the menu in inventive vegetable and seafood preparations, while LaPonte’s distinctive visual sensibility shapes the restaurant’s atmosphere. In 2025, Fet-Fisk was named a finalist for Best New Restaurant at the James Beard Awards and received national recognition from The New York Times, Bon Appétit, and Eater. Today, Fet-Fisk remains a neighborhood gathering place committed to building community through food and hospitality.

Kate Romane Productions

Based in Pittsburgh, chef and business owner Kate Romane has been a cornerstone of the city’s food scene since 1997. She has cultivated strong relationships with local farmers, artisan producers, young entrepreneurs, and food enthusiasts, always prioritizing community connections, workplace safety, exceptional food experiences, and local sustainability.

Kate’s culinary journey began in 2009 with her first restaurant, e2, which quickly garnered local acclaim. In 2016 she launched Black Radish Kitchen, a boutique catering business. Beyond catering, Black Radish Kitchen offers small business coaching, kitchen and menu design, and event-planning services. The space also serves as an incubator for emerging food-based businesses, such as James Beard Award finalist Fet-Fisk and many other Pittsburgh ventures.

Lo Bar Cocktail Services

Lo Bar Cocktail Services is a women-owned private bar service specializing in craft cocktails, private events, and professional hospitality. Its seasonal specialty cocktail menus feature fresh, locally sourced ingredients, and all mixers and garnishes are prepared in-house in small batches. Lo Bar’s mission is to elevate any event with our signature cocktail program, refined aesthetic, and the highest level of service from its bar staff.

Alan Peet

Alan Peet is a Pittsburgh-based chef known for leading prominent kitchens, including his tenure as executive chef at Isabela on Grandview and Oakmont Country Club, before joining Culinaire at the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History. He has a diverse culinary background, having worked for big Burrito at Soba and Eleven, and as executive chef of Casbah and big Catering.

Before settling in Pittsburgh in 2005, Alan traveled the country, working in Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia; and across New England in his home region of Connecticut, Boston, and Block Island.

With his broad experience, Alan is known for preparing high-quality cuisine ranging from simple, hearty dinners to intricate, upscale tasting menus, with flavor profiles spanning classic American, Southern European, Mediterranean, and Asian cuisines.