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Photograph by Amir Behroozi
The Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater at the Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) has long been a place where movies come alive through towering visuals and heart-thumping audio that courses through theater seats. Now, it’s taking the experience even further by tying in a culinary component guests can partake in firsthand.
The OMNIMAX Dinner Date is an immersive spin on the classic “dinner and a movie” night out which includes a cooking class and OMNIMAX screening. The concept, which debuted earlier this year, invites guests to take part in the hands-on creation of a three-course meal through the scientific, historical, or cultural perspective of the movie.
Jessica Cunningham, the CMC’s executive chef, creates the themed menus for the Dinner Date series which are always inspired by a favorite OMNIMAX film.
“I really want [guests] to have fun,” she says. “We want to teach them new techniques and to engage in some history as well, but the most important thing for me is that they’re enjoying themselves.”
The program is in collaboration with the museum’s Cr(eat)e Culinary Studio featuring the Kroger Food Lab, which opened last November. In the kitchen-equipped studio, guests learn cooking skills and techniques by watching professional demonstrations at individual workstations. Then, they get to interact by putting some of the elements into practice, like learning how to pickle onions, braise beef, or plate and garnish the dish.
At the most recent event in May, participants explored vibrant Cuban flavors in tandem with the film CUBA: Journey to the Heart of the Caribbean. Guests learned to work with taro, balance and marinate ceviche flavors, toast cumin seeds, season beans, and soak sponge cake in a three-milk mixture.
Photograph by Amir Behroozi
Currently, the Dinner Date series is held four times a year. The third event will take place on July 18 coinciding with National Parks Adventure, narrated by Robert Redford.
Cunningham says the menu will be inspired by Indigenous food traditions, drawing a connection between the land and the ingredients that originated from it.
“I’m really leaning into Indigenous food as the foundation,” Cunningham explains. “To me, national parks represent preserved land—what these places were before it was populated and developed. I want the menu to reflect that.”
Sourcing locally is also a priority for Cunningham, who emphasizes the importance of using seasonal vegetables and fruits from nearby producers. She works with suppliers like The Shroomery at SA Farm and Roothouse Aquaponics to bring in fresh, regionally grown ingredients that reflect the local landscape.
Photograph by Amir Behroozi
While dinner and a movie is a date night classic, the event at the CMC becomes a chance to connect with new people and share the experience in an entirely different way. “People come in their pairs or their groups, but then they end up mingling and making new friends,” Cunningham says. “I’ve certainly made new friends. You start to get to know people and good energy flows.”
“Plus, there’s something magical about being at the museum center after hours,” Meagan Aylward, Manager of the Cr(eat)e Culinary Studio adds. “It’s just a special experience in itself. But I also think it’s a great connection for the community. It’s a great connection for education too, and for skills that people are going to take home with them.”
Photograph by Amir Behroozi
After cooking, everyone comes together for a sit-down, plated meal before heading over to the domed theater for the showing. Each guest also walks away with recipe cards so they can recreate the meal at home on their own.
But more than that, they walk away with a new culinary skill set and a deeper appreciation for the cultural traditions behind the food and the film. It offers an experience that lingers long after the credits roll.
Tickets for the next OMNIMAX Dinner Date can be purchased here.
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