Join the Club

Savor

Join The Club

Themed Tablescape Photography by John Toth, The Darkroom

The Southern supper club. It’s more than a simple dinner party, and it doesn’t have quite the same shared responsibility and hit-or-miss elements of a potluck. The focus isn’t necessarily on the food, but on the importance of friendship and fellowship. Dress it up or strip it down. Do it at home or take it on the road. You’re limited only by your imagination, space for seating, and budget.

While the term Supper Club might conjure up memories of Alphonso’s Old Plantation Supper Club and nightclubs that served up suppers with entertainment, that’s not what we’re talking about here, although the social gathering aspect definitely carries over. Our focus is the supper club made up of a group of people who gather together over a meal on a regular basis. Many clubs start with a bunch of friends or neighbors, fellow moms’ group members, groups of school alumni or sorority sisters, or even book club acquaintances. For each dinner, a different member of the group is designated as a host. They set the theme for the evening, select and provide the entrée, and ask others to bring sides and desserts in keeping with that theme. Whether you use the club as an opportunity to share your favorite recipes or to expand your culinary skills by trying out a new recipe every time, it should be understood by all members that supper club is a judgment-free zone. While you want to put your best food forward, there’s no need to show off or to “one up” other members. Friendship is paramount and what sets supper clubs apart from the average one-off dinner party.

The desire to start a club is founded on the goal of creating an ongoing social group, so you want to make sure you’re choosing people who get along and enjoy food. The “who” is really more important than the “what” here. Have a goal. Do you want the group to be just a bunch of good friends or coworkers having a laugh? A place for adventurous chefs to share their creations, or do you want to use the club to develop a support group for single moms, dieting friends, or maybe new residents? Logistically, it’s best to start out keeping the group small, less than 10 people, to better facilitate everyone’s schedules and to allow the group to be seated together easily, promoting conversation and interaction between all members. This can get lost if a group becomes too large. Keeping the same group together fosters long-term relationships and many supper clubs last for years, even if meetings become infrequent or limited to holidays. If the club is for women only, you may want to invite spouses or significant others to join for a holiday dinner or special summer barbeque.

Consistent commitment and participation is important. Keep the gatherings scheduled on consistent dates to establish a pattern that becomes routine (Third Thursdays, Second Saturdays, etc.) if you aren’t planning based on holidays or events. Make sure members understand that life happens and even if plans get up-ended, the club should still meet. If an entrée can’t be made because a meeting ran late or the oven broke, there’s no shame in bringing in something from a caterer or take-out to pick up the slack. If the roof leaks and you’re not going to be able to host everyone at your house, plan to meet at a new restaurant in town or show off your favorite local eatery. Don’t forgo the fellowship simply because the food won’t happen as planned. Turn your “Dinner in Tuscany” themed affair into pizza night if babysitters fall through or you get too busy to make your homemade pasta and sauce. Remember, there’s always wine!

Since a supper club will continue with the same members and guests will get to know each other early in the club’s formation, there won’t be much awkward silence like at some dinner parties where guests don’t know each other. It’s still nice to break the ice for each get-together with a signature cocktail and some yummy appetizers. This allows guests to chat while you add last minute touches to the meal and put guests’ offerings on the table. Create customized glasses (yes, even just drawing on a plastic cup is acceptable) or put special charms on each glass for a special personal touch. Conversation will flow easily and can be also be facilitated by the theme of the dinner, especially if prompted by favorite books, movies, or music. Have your guests tell you their favorite book or album. Place pictures of their choices at their table settings and see if the others can guess who they belong to. Great conversation starter!

So, let’s talk themes. This is one of the most fun things about the club, so you’ll want to be creative and encourage other club members to do the same. Whether you plan dinners based on eclectic backgrounds and heritage or common interests, your club should decide if dinner themes are something decided in advance by the group or are planned by the member hosting the dinner at his or her discretion. Plan out a year of themed gatherings or just leave it to each host to do what they want for the next get-together. Take a culinary trip around the world. Choose favorite movies and create your menu based on elements of the film. Think Breakfast at Tiffany’s: breakfast for dinner with guests adorned in black dresses in pearls. That would even make Audrey smile. How about dishes that reflect songs on a classic album or from a favorite musician or band. Have a Beatles theme with Strawberry shortcake for Strawberry Fields Forever, Long Tall Sally Iced Tea, Octopus Garden salad, Glass Onion soup or maybe a Vidalia tart, charred barbeque wings for Blackbird, Copper Pennies carrot soup for Penny Lane. The ideas you come up with are endless.

Vegetarian:

You can make some healthy vegan choices but don’t have to make it a lifestyle commitment by having your club be a vegan/vegetarian supper club. Farm to table ingredients and local fresh produce are the building blocks. Our local farmers’ markets and produce vendors have lots of available choices for fresh fruits and vegetables beginning in the spring. Corn on the cob, fresh tomatoes, berries, they’re all ripe for the picking! You and the other supper club members can try your hand at new vegetarian/vegan dishes to share. This may help you incorporate new items into your daily menus or inspire more creativity in implementing more fruits and vegetables in your diet. If you don’t want to do this all the time for your club, it’s also a fantastic theme for a single dinner.

Flavors:

Another fun idea is to choose a single flavor or seasonal ingredient for your dinner. We chose sunny lemons because the yellow makes for a bright and beautiful tablescape with floral centerpiece and citron accent pieces. Now the menu for the meal invites fresh squeezed lemonade (easy to spike with citron vodka as the evening progresses) and salads dressed with a citrus vinaigrette, lemon chicken or grilled fish with lemon butter, and classic lemon merengue pie or lemon pound cake for dessert. We can’t emphasize enough that you can be as creative as you want to be. Plan a decadent chocolate dinner with chicken mole and a dessert fountain, a cheese dinner with a fondue pot; see how creative you can get with watermelon or avocados. Heck, go bananas!

International:

Cuisine from different countries and cultures is a popular supper club theme because there is a whole world of flavors to explore! While a Mexican meal is a simple go-to, don’t be afraid get more creative than the typical taco and burrito bar. With the help of the internet or some great cookbooks, you can dig a little deeper and serve up regional specialties. Introduce dishes from the Yucatan like chilaquiles, papdzules and poc chuc, or set the table for an ancient Aztec feast that includes mixiotes and cups of sweet atole. There’s a 16th century tlahco (yes, that means taco) recipe with some interesting history about Aztec food at passtheflamingo.com. Or you could create a dim sum buffet or Spanish tapas bar on your kitchen counter or banquet table. Compare the specialties of Northern and Southern Italy and assign each guest a country and a course and take a mini world tour in one meal. There are so many wonderful ways to experience the flavors and culture of other countries and people.

Seasons:

If you choose a seasonal theme, summer is a no-brainer. Flamingos, flip-flops, boat drinks, and tiki torches. Backyard cookout with burgers or a pig in a pit, your entrée can be as easy or complicated as you want. Dine indoors or outdoors. Make it more of a potluck by having everyone bring their favorite picnic sides or summer cocktails. Make sure to have plenty of ice and non-alcoholic cold drinks on hand. Remember fly screens for food that will be sitting outside on tables. A tip from the experts: you may also want to take the extra step of calling your local mosquito control professional to do an overnight treatment before the gathering. If this party is held poolside, float some candles in the water and grab some fun inflatables to add to the festive theme. There can never be too many flamingos! For a slightly skewed twist on things, make this your winter theme in the spirit of “We Can’t Wait for Summer” and make your summer dinner theme a “Christmas in July” party. Round out the year with a flowery Spring Fling and a German-inspired beer garden complete with sausage and soft pretzels for a Fall Oktoberfest.

Literature: 

If you have avid readers in the group, recreate meals from your favorite novels or inspired by beloved books. How about beef stroganoff and Russian tea cakes to accompany Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow? In fact, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to create a truly authentic dish suitable for the count with the author’s own blessing, Towles shared a recipe for a Latvian stew made with pork, apricots, and prunes on bookclubcookbook.com. Just think what delicious dinners you can create drawing from Eat, Pray, Love, Like Water for Chocolate, or maybe some Southern fare and desserts from The Help. (Don’t worry, you don’t have to eat THAT chocolate pie!) Embrace your inner child and host a Harry Potter feast complete with butter beer, Guinness stew, and cauldron cakes. Or take a Seussian turn and carve up a leg of roast beast with some green eggs and ham. There is endless inspiration in the literary world!

Events

Events and holidays are easy go-tos for a quick supper club theme. For example, this month there’s not only Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, but Derby Day too! Create the Churchill Downs experience by decorating with roses, colorful silks, horseshoes, and other equine touches. Invite guests to wear Derby hats or provide hats at each place-setting and have guests select their seats by choosing the hat they want to wear. Serve mint juleps, Kentucky Hot Browns, and Derby pie or put your own spin on those traditional dishes. Turn on the race, set out the food, and they’re off! Other sporting events like UGA football games, bowl games, and baseball opening day are also perfect supper club opportunities. Don’t limit yourself to sporting events though, plan an Oscar, Grammy, or even Westminster get-together, a first day of school celebration for moms, a hurricane party for the last day of an uneventful hurricane season (we’re optimistic); the possibilities are endless! And when it comes to holidays, don’t forget you can always throw in more obscure “holidays,” such as National Margarita Day (February 22) or International Chocolate Cake Day (January 27) or World Bee Day (May 20).

We hope we gave you some inspiration to take time this year to start your own supper club. If you don’t have time now, start it in the summer or fall. All you need are a few willing folks, an open mind, a working kitchen, enough seating around a table or two, and an adventurous palate. There’s nothing better than good food shared with good friends!