Kicking things off with a sold-out event, the debut of Slice & Dice welcomed social, one-shot Dungeons & Dragons campaigns to the adjoining venue at Leona’s Pizzeria (406 Galloway St., Eau Claire) on Saturday, Aug. 22.

Even with his official title as the group’s “Tavern Keeper,” organizer Luong Huynh just couldn’t resist bringing out his camera to capture the very first iteration of what he intends to become a seasonal event in Eau Claire.

While snapping away, he reflected on the vibrant energy in the room – especially how seasoned D&D players jumped right in to support the “newbies” through character development and collaboration.

“Multiple people specifically mentioned that they had not played in a ‘long time’ – ranging from five to 30 years – and how much they appreciated that the event removed so many barriers for them to be able to just jump into a session,” Huynh said. 

Measha Vieth, outreach and education coordinator for the Menomonie Market Food Co-op, stood in as the first “Very Important Player” – to share more about the cooperative grocer’s programming in Eau Claire.

As he witnessed small vignettes of excitement, joy and laughter from participants, Huynh said he felt confident in the momentum for future iterations of Slice & Dice.

Plans are already in motion for the next session to debut as early as October, he added.

Visit slicendiceec.com to learn when the next iteration of Slice & Dice will arrive to Leona’s Pizzeria in downtown Eau Claire.