La Cena: The gateway ritual to One Parenthesis.
A closed-door dinner and 20 strangers
No phones.
No masks.
No rush.
A culinary and sensory journey to awaken the senses and spark inspiring conversations.
The gateway ritual to the "Inner Circle"—our private community of like-minded, inspiring professionals.
The true value is in the experiences, the risks you take, and the stories you create. That’s the only thing you take with you. Money is only paper.
Does that happen to you too?
Your diary is full, your reputation has been hard-earned, and you’ve built a life where (almost) everything is under control.
You wake up every morning, put on your superhero cape, and step right back into the role expected of you: the expert, the leader, the professional, the pillar of the family.
You tick off your commitments and head home feeling accomplished, yet with that familiar lingering sense: another textbook day, another predictable conversation, another box ticked.
And there is nothing wrong with that. Quite the opposite.
It’s what responsible people do—people who have built a solid life through hard work and dedication.
…But while you’re holding all of that together, you suddenly realize there’s barely any room left for you, and you think:
When was the last time I just let go without chasing an outcome, purely for the joy of experiencing it, of discovering something unexpected?
I love my life and the people around me, but I also crave a different space—new challenges, fresh perspectives, and stories that actually inspire me.
But when you think about taking the leap, you tell yourself: Yeah, but…
- Dating apps feel like an absolute chore,
- Traditional networking—handing out business cards—bores me to death,
- I want to meet new people, but at this stage in my life, just anyone won’t do.
So, what do I do?
If this resonates with you, then chances are “La Cena” is for you.
“La Cena” by One Parenthesis.
“La Cena” is an exclusive closed-door evening where 20 strangers gather around a great table to enjoy fine food, authentic conversations, toasts, laughter, and unexpected connections.
It is also your gateway to our Inner Circle: a private community where you can join exclusive or spontaneous plans, kick off a project over drinks, or build real friendships with people who are on your exact same wavelength.
Where? When?
Locations change.
The experience remains intimate.
Our gatherings take place in carefully selected, secret spaces—from private dining rooms and rooftops to hidden garden terraces.
The exact coordinates and dates are revealed to our circle.
Requirements to attend
1.Come alone.
No friends, no partners, leaving behind your usual roles. An opportunity to rediscover yourself and engage in conversations that are completely free and authentic.
2. Be in your 40s to mid-60s.
La Cena
1 Stage One: The Welcome
A selection of wines and bites to break the ice and dive right into the night.
2 Stage Two: The Fine Dining Dinner
A single table for twenty guests.
Your seat is no coincidence: it has been thoughtfully assigned after exploring what inspires us about you, seeking the perfect contrasts and affinities with your dinner companions.
While you enjoy a high-end local menu paired with curated wines, the evening will flow with great conversation, laughter, and toasts.
To remind that playing makes life infinitely more interesting.
To discover how others perceive us when we strip away our labels.
To connect through laughter and complicity, free from judgment or commitment.
You are seated there because your presence brings a unique value to the group.
The dinner is merely the catalyst; the story belongs to you.
It belongs to all of you.
I always wanted to live an intense life. I didn’t care what it cost, I wanted to experience everything the world had to offer.
You'll also find...
- The Threshold: A ritual action upon stepping through the door that triggers the social 'superpower' in your brain—the very first step to effortlessly becoming a more magnetic presence. (Based on the "Brain Drain" scientific study by the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin).
- The Catalyst: A quick prompt to break the ice with any stranger, leveraging a core principle from the world's most influential book on influence and human relations. (In under 30 seconds, you’ll watch them drop their shoulders, smile, and go from guarded to sharing something personal as if they’ve known you for years).
- The 4 Pillars: A simple 5-minute exercise to take control of the actual signals we send when meeting someone for the first time. (Spoiler: it’s rarely what you think).
- A simple group listening dynamic that sparks connection and laughter before saying a single word.
- The feedback: A reflection we rarely have the privilege to hear.
This is for you if:
You’re looking for a circle of like-minded people, but you run from dating apps and massive meetups. You no longer settle for “crowded loneliness.”
Or on the flip side,
You’re NOT looking to make friends or trade phone numbers. You just want to step off autopilot, break away from the same old conversations, and LIVE without the filter of your routine.”
You’re looking for good company, with no labels and no egos. You’re tired of artificial networking, forced small talk, and business cards. You’d like to connect the way you used to as a child: discovering fascinating people through their presence and their stories, not their CV.”
You want to live stories worth remembering and sharing.
You have a keen eye for beauty and detail, but you aren’t trying to impress anyone. For you, true luxury is quiet and simple.
You love the idea of putting your schedule on hold for an evening and just be yourself, without having to maintain the persona (whether you’re a Dad, Mom, the CEO or the specialist).
This is NOT for you if:
Your ideal evening is meeting up at a trendy rooftop, pushing your way through the crowd just to order a drink.
The words “improv” or “uncertainty” give you anxiety, and the idea of sitting at a table with strangers terrifies you.
You need your partner, your best friend, or a colleague as a “social crutch.” (We are here to dive in without a safety net).
You are here looking for your soulmate. No one knows what might blossom, but we come here to experience others from an authentic place, free of expectations. If you are strictly looking for a partner, other platforms might be a better fit
You prefer collecting business cards over listening to a compelling life story.
You cannot enjoy a sunset without posting a story, or a deep conversation without checking your notifications out of the corner of your eye.
People don’t react to who you are—they react to how they perceive you. And understanding that difference is what sets apart those who merely hope to make a good impression from those who take total ownership of their presence.
Who we are?
Ever been hanging out with friends on a seaside terrace, drink in hand, feeling like time just stopped?
We have. We were in Barcelona, just a few days before leaving.
The sun refused to set while we solved the world’s problems with Carlos, a friend of a friend of one of the event organizers we often worked with.
It was all laughter, drinks, and pulling up extra chairs to the table at the very last minute because someone else showed up unannounced.
We are Cote and Maria.
A foreign trade specialist and an architect who, one day, traded “secure” jobs for dance floors, teaching, and the adventure of entrepreneurship.
Many called us crazy for leaving “good” and “stable” jobs behind.
But we had our reasons.
Now, many are calling us crazy again for leaving a whole life behind and moving from Barcelona to Geneva.
Others say we are very brave.
We don’t know if we are crazy or brave,
But, just like then, we have our reasons for signing up for this adventure.
The main one: being close to our nephew.
Time flies, and we didn’t want to miss seeing him grow up and become a little man.
We also loved the idea of meeting people from different cultures and backgrounds,
And living by a lake, surrounded by mountains.
And order.
And Swiss precision.
Today, we are thrilled to live in this incredible place.
But…
There is something we miss. Deeply.
The warm chaos of the Mediterranean.
That timeless space of endless evenings, glass in hand.
The spontaneous plans on a random Tuesday at seven in the evening.
Talking to strangers and ending the night as friends with a friend of a friend.
If you haven’t been there, it’s hard to explain what it feels like.
The effortless way of making any situation lighter, closing distances, and discovering that, behind a stranger, there is someone genuinely willing to listen.
And so, one freezing evening with the thermometer below zero, as we huddled on the sofa of our new apartment in Eaux-Vives,
looking through photos of Barcelona in our laps, remembering that time when, at barely 28, and trembling, we agreed to take the lead of an international congress, we looked at each other…
– Can you imagine bringing our warm Mediterranean chaos together with this flawless Swiss precision?
We could.
That’s why, at every gathering, we open our finest wine, we play within a safe space, we laugh, and sit together around a table to listen to stories that strike a chord.
There is no script.
What happens each night is entirely unique, unrepeatable, and unpredictable.
Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.
They managed to turn a group of strangers into a real family.
And that’s not just a figure of speech; today, many of those people are still a genuine part of my life. That’s something not many teachers can pull off—not even many teams.
As educators, they had very different styles, and that was exactly where a big part of their value came from.
I’d say what sets them apart is that unique combination of high standards and their ability to truly connect with people.
They don’t just teach you how to dance; they build environments where you just want to stay.
Without or With a Stay?
LA SOIRÉE
(Only 20 spots available)
(from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM)
- Welcome cocktail with gourmet bites
- Icebreaker and dynamics to build connexions
- “Origine-Mediterranean” gastronomic menu with wine pairing
- Open bar (soft drinks) all evening
250 CHF
LA SOIRÉE + HOTEL STAY (Only 5 spots available)
(If you’d like to stay overnight at the hotel after the evening)
- Everything included in La Soirée
Plus…
- Overnight stay in a Hotel Suite overlooking the Alps and the Lake Geneva
- Breakfast next morning
550 CHF
You will never have this moment again. Do what makes you happy. Don’t wait for permission, don’t wait for the right time, don’t wait until you feel ready.
Take the trip, start the thing, tell the person, wear the outfit, try new hobbies, Go sit next to that stranger.
Life is happening right now. Not some 'one day', not when you are ready.
Right now.
Questions we'd ask ourselves before jumping in.
Is The Dinner a professional networking or a dating event?
Neither, really.
What it is:
An evening to (dis)connect: good food, good drinks, and real conversations with people you’d probably never run into otherwise.
An entry ritual into the One Parenthesis Inner Circle.
But…
Naturally, connections will happen.
Maybe a new romance, a career opportunity, or a genuine friendship…
Only life knows it.
Do I have to be single to attend?
No.
This is not a dating event.
You can be single, engaged or married.
We simply ask that you come alone so that your interactions with the rest of the guests are completely free, unbiased, and without prior labels.
What exactly is Oneparenthesis, and what’s the difference between joining the Priority List and being part of the Inner Circle?
Oneparenthesis is a private social club for professionals who want to step away from daily routine, transactional networking, and screen time, and reconnect in an authentic, spontaneous way.
To make sure everyone fits well together and maintains the right standard, joining happens in two steps:
The Priority List (The form): Filling out the application helps us get to know you a little. It comes with no commitment and doesn’t make you an automatic member—it simply gives you access to updates and the opportunity to request a seat at “The Dinner”.
The Inner Circle (The community): The Dinner is the threshold ritual. Once you share that first table with us and we meet in person, you can step into our Inner Circle.
Being part of the Circle unlocks a member-only calendar: from private tastings and collaborative cooking workshops with guest chefs, to food tours and weekend getaways.
Specific details are shared only with those who have crossed the threshold through “The Dinner”
What if I come to as a one-off event and not join the Inner Circle?
Then that’s totally fine.
You show up, meet great people, laugh, enjoy good food and wine, have interesting conversations, and enjoy a different kind of night.
When it’s over, we say goodbye and go our separate ways.
Attending The Dinner is the gateway to our Inner Circle, but there’s zero obligation to stick around.
Can I attend The Dinner without joining the Priority List ?
Short answer: No.
You can only attend if you’re on the Priority List.
To get on it, simply fill out and submit the quick form right here on the website.
What commitment am I making by joining the Priority List?
None at all.
Joining the list simply means you want to stay in the loop.
No membership fees, no obligations, and zero pressure to attend anything.
What it gives you is the chance to receive private invitations and decide if you’d like to reserve your seat at The Dinner.
If at any point you feel this isn’t for you, you can unsubscribe with a single click from any email.
No hard feelings, we simply go our separate ways.
I see that coming alone is required for "The Dinner" but, what if I show up and run into someone I already know?
In Spain, we have a saying: “Uno propone y Dios dispone”—(Man proposes, God disposes).
Which basically means that what we want is one thing, but what life decides is another.
And experience has shown us that while we get things wrong all the time, life NEVER makes a mistake.
Trust the process.
I’m a pretty reserved person, will I feel comfortable with the interactions?
We’d love to tell you yes, that you’re going to feel completely comfortable.
But the truth is, we can’t possibly know because it doesn’t just depend on us.
What we can promise you is that everything has been thought out and designed to make it happen.
That being said, if you’re having doubts, maybe this isn’t the right place for you at this moment.
When is the dinner? And the location? And how much is it ?
All details for each gathering (location, date, time, price…) are sent directly to our Priority List, so interested members can request a seat.
What we can tell you is that they always take place in and around Geneva.
We carefully select private, intimate, and charming venues to ensure a comfortable atmosphere and maximum discretion.
If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, your failure will be above everyone else's success.
You can close this page right now and get on with your day.
But on some random Tuesday, stuck in traffic on your way to the office, may be you’ll look out the window and feel a sudden knot in your stomach.
Maybe you’ll think about what it could’ve been like to meet new people, share a great conversation over a drink, and enjoy that effortless freedom of just being yourself—something you haven’t felt in a while.
And, maybe you’ll realize that, once again, you chose the safety over the risk of LIVING.
Maybe.
Or maybe not.
Only you can know that.