When Nobu Toronto called about hosting a party to welcome Kawhi Leonard home, I didn’t need much convincing.
Fresh off the Raptors’ home-opener win over the Chicago Bulls, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Vinay Virmani, producer and CEO of Uninterrupted Canada, brought together friends and family at Nobu Toronto for an intimate celebration of Kawhi’s return to the city. It was a night of signature Nobu cocktails and bites in the dark, moody bar on the ground floor at the front of the restaurant, and the night was covered by the Toronto Star and blogTO.
Amanda Cohen and Noah Segal at Nobu Toronto, with me at the decks behind them. Photo: George Pimentel
Setting the vibe
There was no music brief for this one. The only assignment was to read the room and build the night as it happens.
I opened with something loungier while guests arrived and settled into the bar: amapiano and future house remixes that keep a room warm without taking over the conversation. As the energy built, I moved into 2000s hip hop for nostalgia, then I landed on current hip hop and Latin tracks once the party was fully on.
Kawhi Leonard, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Vinay Virmani. Photo: George Pimentel
The song of the night
There was one clear winner: “Jumpman” by Drake and Future. It’s a basketball song, and it name-checks Nobu. In a Nobu bar, at a party for a Raptors legend, it was an easy choice, and it got the reaction I hoped for.
Sean Cohan, Serge Ibaka and Jennifer Goldberg. Photo: George Pimentel
Why this matters for your event
A celebrity homecoming and a wedding at Casa Loma have more in common than you’d think. Both come with a room full of people from different worlds, a moment that matters to the host, and no second take. My approach is the same at both: start where the room is, build gradually, and save the songs that mean something for when they’ll hit hardest.
That’s also why I take one event per day. Whether it’s a private party at Nobu, a corporate gala at the AGO or a wedding at Hotel X, you get my full attention and 15 years of reading Toronto rooms.
Planning a wedding, private party or corporate event in Toronto? Check my availability or see how I approach weddings.
All photos by George Pimentel, used with permission.
