Serving Up Supper Clubs

By Laura Williams

Soccer practices, birthday parties, PTA meetings, and homework are some of the thousand and one things that keep us focused on things other than our own need to connect with people socially. As important as all of these activities are, it is equally important to keep your social life in balance with your family life. 

Supper clubs are back and are a great way to stay connected with friends.

The great thing about supper clubs is that there are no set rules. I’ve heard of groups as small as four to as large as over 20. They can be as unique as the select group of friends that are getting together. They take place in restaurants, homes, and churches, or anyplace that is good to gather. And there is absolutely no reason not to join more than one supper club if more than one style fits.

Our first supper club was pretty simple. It formed over drinks out one night when we were living in Portland, Oregon. About every six weeks, we got together with one other couple to go out to dinner. We called it “The Epicurean Club” but the rules were simple – we picked a restaurant that no one had been to before so that we could all experience it together. The only other rule was that no one could order the same thing so we could taste a good sampling of the menu. It was a great way to find new restaurants and push our culinary boundaries to tastes we might not have considered when playing it safe.

We’re now in a slightly more ambitious supper club, this time with three other couples. With this club, the host selects a theme and the other couples are assigned to bring the appetizers, drinks, and dessert, all of which are supposed to fit within that theme. The theme of the most recent gathering was Cajun. The hostess sent out a Mardi Gras style invitation, each individualized to list what part of the menu they were responsible for that night. It turned out wonderfully, as everyone took the theme to heart. For appetizers, our friends brought steamed crayfish; for drinks Dixie beer and Hurricanes; for the main course it was jambalaya; and for dessert, the enterprising couple created Bananas Foster.

But not every supper club is quite so organized. Many are just a simple excuse to get together with friends. Some are pot luck, some are singles-oriented, and some are based on shared experiences like travel. I think one of the true joys of supper clubs is that they present an opportunity to socialize with people outside your normal circle of friends.

One of the more interesting themed clubs I’ve heard of, but haven’t yet experienced, is one that also doubles as a book club. Sounds like great fun to me! The particular theme I heard about was based on Chocolat by Joanne Harris. Everyone tried to make a different recipe described in the book. From what I heard, it was a sweet, decidedly decadent time.

Another interesting idea for supper clubs is one based on the goodies of famous chefs. One gathering could be based on recipes by world famous British chef Jamie Oliver, while the next could leverage recipes by Emeril or The Iron Chef. Just as each chef has created a name for himself or herself based on a certain style of cooking, so could this be the supper club for you. An interesting element to add to this club, or any other actually, is if the group comes together to cook the meal. Since every party I’ve been to recently ends up centering around the kitchen anyway, why not plan on one firmly centered there in the first place?

Now if you’ve read any of my previous columns, you can probably tell that I’m a fan of themes for most types of social gatherings. It’s not that you really need a theme, but it does help organize the event and forces members to stretch their culinary muscles or appetites. It also helps get people excited about the upcoming supper club if the invitation fits in with the theme.

But the supper club craze isn’t limited to events in your home. Supper club style restaurants conjure up nostalgic images of gilded ballrooms, Big Band music, and dancing cheek to cheek. This concept is enjoying renewed popularity as consumers – motivated by a growing desire to dine at theme restaurants and a craving for the romance and glamour of decades past – look for an upscale form of “eatertainment.”

While today’s supper clubs pay tribute to the clubs of yesteryear, they have also smartly transformed themselves to keep up with the times. These operations are likely to feature vibrant postmodern decors, menus influenced by the latest food trends, Latin jazz, and a sophisticated ambience that attracts diners of all ages.

There are two I’ve found in the Triangle that seem to fit the bill – Carmen’s Cuban Café and Lounge in Morrisville and The Supper Clubb in Raleigh. The Supper Clubb serves a twin bill menu of Caribbean and soul food in the old PieWorks spot on Atlantic Avenue. On Saturday nights, you can enjoy your jerk chicken, black beans, and plantains or fried pork chops and greens to the strains of live jazz, served up in a colorful venue described as a “New York-Miami-style supper club.” There’s even a dance floor, so be sure to bring your dancing shoes!

From my view, the value in supper clubs is they get people focused on entertaining and, more importantly, interacting with people socially. In today’s busy world, it’s too easy to zone out in front of the TV after a long week of work, school, baseball practice, and swim lessons. But it’s important to stay connected, if for no other reason than to learn to appreciate other people’s viewpoints, keep current on the neighborhood, local, and national issues, and of course, enjoy each other’s company over a good meal.

Laura Neal Williams owns and operates InkSpot Stationers located in Wake Forest at 223 South White St., as well as at 6675-115 Falls of Neuse Rd. in Raleigh. She may be reached at either 554-2634 or 844-9100.