There are four days I look forward to each and every year: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
To you those might sounds like seasons. But to me they represent a series of perfect evenings that only happen four times per year.
See, three years ago my husband I were invited to join a Supper Club that would only meet quarterly. It was important to the founders that each member of the club be a self proclaimed “foodie” (we are), commit to meeting quarterly (we do), and be comfortable trying and preparing a variety of cuisine (yes. without question). Thus, “The Four Seasons” were born.
In a day and age where children have at least 3 scheduled activities per week and adults closely follow suit, the commitment to four evenings a year is nothing. And far beyond feeding my body, these evenings with 6 friends + my dear husband feed my soul.
If ever there were a recipe for the perfect supper club, this is it.
If you’re not already involved in something like this and you think you might like to be, let me encourage you for a moment by sharing the logistics of how ours works.
First, as I said, we meet four times per year; once per season. There are four couples involved and the date for each meeting is determined well in advance so that everyone is present. The Four Seasons must always operate at full strength.
Each couple is assigned a season to host and prepare the main course. Other members have designated dishes to bring for each season, rotating based on whose house we’re at. Generally we are either assigned appetizers, side dish + soup/salad, or dessert. Each participant brings wine that corresponds to their course (our local wine store loves us).
Although our supper club believes firmly in bringing it, so to speak, you might choose to put one together that’s not quite so, um, hoity-toity. The thing is though, when you’re talking about four times per year (and only once per year hosting!) pulling out your fine china and best linens is actually really fun. Particulary when the meal does not include anyone under the age of 18 (oh let’s be honest, or 30) and does include like-minded individuals who appreciate the extra effort involved. An added bonus of our supper club in particular is that while these friends are very dear to us, they’re not the ones we see and socialize with on a daily basis. By the time we get the chance to catch up at our dinners our conversations spill over well into dessert, making us feel very French in our hours-long mealtime. It is really very lovely.
A few more ideas for creating a supper club that enriches your life:
- Choose your dinner friends wisely. Invite those who share your perspective on food and will put forth an equal effort in thought and preparation (confession: I’m actually the “weakest link” in our supper club, but for some reason they keep letting me back in.)
- Mix up your meals occasionally by announcing a theme or a particular chef to emulate. We’ve had Greek nights, comfort food gone glam, and recipes from The Pioneer Woman before.
- Once your group is comfortable with one another, plan weekend getaways to explore cuisine outside your area. Our group is heading to New Orleans in a few weeks with no less than 5 meal reservations set in stone before we even arrive!
- Don’t be afraid to try something new. The best part of being in a supper club is venturing into new culinary territory with others who are willing to give things a try. Last weekend we experienced scallops seared on a salt block as an appetizer…a delicious first for all of us!
- Most importantly, however your structure your group, have fun. Laugh, tell stories, drink, pass the plates, try something new and, most importantly, enjoy the time.
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