Inside Terrence J’s Thought She Was The One ABFF Welcome Dinner

There are industry dinners, and then there are nights that feel like they were written into the script long before anyone pulled up a chair. The kind of evening where the champagne is colder, the conversation is sharper, and leaving early is simply not an option. That was the energy inside Brooklyn Chop House Miami as Haute Living joined TIP and Terrence J to toast the American Black Film Festival premiere of Thought She Was The One, a welcome dinner that was far more than a preamble to a film. It was a declaration. Some stories deserve a proper entrance. This one got exactly that.

Photo Credit: Omar Vega

Photo Credit: Omar Vega

Guests were greeted with Armand de Brignac Champagne and D’Ussé flowing freely as the evening unfolded, with a four-course menu as thoughtfully curated as the film it honored. The first course set the tone with chicken satay with creamy peanut sauce, a classic Caesar salad with brioche croutons and aged parmesan, and spicy shrimp tempura with sweet chili aioli and lime zest. The second course arrived with wagyu gyoza in chili ponzu and toasted sesame alongside a spicy tuna maki with sliced peppers. A family-style third course brought baby bok choy wok-fired with fresh garlic and ponzu, vegetable lo mein noodles, fried rice, and sweet-and-sour chicken with fresh pineapple, peppers, and sesame to the table. The evening closed on a sweet note with a chef’s selection of assorted desserts.

Photo Credit: Omar Vega

Brooklyn Chop House Miami delivered the perfect backdrop: bold, buzzy, and unapologetically Miami, for a night that was equal parts Hollywood glamour and hometown celebration. Between the Ace of Spades on ice, the D’Ussé cocktails making their rounds, and a room full of industry insiders toasting to what promises to be one of ABFF’s most talked-about premieres, the welcome dinner was, as Terrence J himself put it, a vibe.

Photo Credit: Omar Vega

Thought She Was The One made its ABFF debut this week.

Photo Credit: Omar Vega

Photo Credit: Omar Vega