Forget Networking. Go to Scandinavia House.
Forget networking. The best membership in New York might be the one that comes with Swedish history, Bon Bon candy, excellent wine, and a room full of people who actually want to talk to each other.
Okay, forget the social clubs and happy hours that never go anywhere. Everyone needs a Scandinavia House membership immediately.
Ulrika Bengtsson throws the most fantastic events. Seriously, it’s like going to brunch with the friend who has the best taste. The open bar didn’t just have your basic white wine, red wine, and water options. There were delicious wines, strawberry and cucumber-infused water, and non-alcoholic mixers. Delish! Plus, there was an utterly incredible variety of bites from Björk Café, which were basically a full meal. Add to that a crowd of people actually going around and meeting new people without making it awkward. Just great people, great conversation, and a genuine willingness to get to know one another. Always fantastic.
In celebration of Swedish National Day, the event centered around the incomparable Jenny Lind. A legendary 19th-century Swedish soprano, she was brought across the Atlantic by P.T. Barnum, the circus king himself. He heard about her from Europe and knew she was the kind of “high” culture America needed to see next. And Lind essentially said, sure, but on my terms.
Barnum offered her $1,000 a night, first-class travel, expenses, and the kind of promotional machine that could create full-blown Lindomania before most Americans had even heard her sing. She understood branding and secured her bag as one of the earliest performers to sell merchandise. Generating receipts that reached $712,161.43, or roughly $24.5 million today, she directed much of her fortune toward charities and schools, packed theaters, and helped popularize assigned seating. Thank God for reservations.
Respectfully, that is some bad-ass bitch behavior, and I LOVE to see it.
To celebrate one of history’s great women in business, the event featured a gorgeous Jenny Lind Candy Bowl and an absolutely breathtaking performance of “Casta Diva” from Bellini’s Norma by soprano Sara Beth Pearson.
The bowls were made by AO Glass in Burlington, Vermont, owned by Tove Ohlander of Småland, Sweden, and her husband, Rich Arentzen. Ohlander comes from one of Sweden’s great glassmaking regions and studied at Orrefors Glass School. AO Glass still uses Swedish raw glass material from Glasma in Småland, tying these Vermont-made pieces back to the glass towns and factory traditions that have shaped Swedish craft culture for generations.
After learning more about the incredible glassmaking process and the story behind acquiring the antique Jenny Lind mold used to produce these bowls, it was time to fill them with BonBon’s latest candy.
Sweeping us away on sweet music and exceptional craftsmanship, BonBon helped us land softly on its newly launched Candy Clouds: BonBon x Moomin Strawberry & Blueberry Candy Clouds. They are the perfect combination of flavor, bounce, and chewiness. And they look hella cute in my new glass bowl.
As usual for Bengtsson’s events, the afternoon was relaxed and pleasurable. A little live music, a little history, a little craftsmanship, a little candy, a lot of laughs, and great company.
This is what Scandinavia House does so well. It makes culture feel alive, like you are actually visiting and interacting with it instead of viewing it embalmed behind glass. You do not just sit in a chair and receive information. You eat, drink, ask questions, meet people, and learn just enough that your brain doesn’t feel like it’s melting.
So yes, get the membership. Go to the events.
And if you want a taste of what you’re missing before taking the membership plunge, absolutely go to the Swedish Midsummer Festival at Rockefeller Park on June 20. There will be dancing, food, flowers, children’s games, music, and me, emotionally overcommitting to candy and herring while drunkenly dancing around the maypole.
See you there.