If you like to cook, love good food, and want an assurance that youll get a good meal with good friends at least once a month, a gourmet dinner club is in your future.
Gourmet dinner clubs are fun and easy to start. Gather together friends you like to spend time with, and start planning.
Many people enjoy gourmet dinner clubs because they have a standing date to get together with friends, something many adults put off and never get around to doing.
Most gourmet dinner clubs work this way: A number of couples will get together once a month at one couples house for dinner. The hosts will make the main dish and the other club members will bring an accompanying dish - either an appetizer, a salad, a side dish or a dessert. The recipes are usually just a little bit challenging, and use ingredients and cooking methods that may be new and exciting for you.
Here are four steps to start your own gourmet dinner club:
1. Agree on the purpose
The purpose of a gourmet dinner club will help determine how it will be run. Do you want to try new and exotic foods? Experiment with new recipes? Get together with friends? Experience different ethnic dishes? Decide why you want to be part of a gourmet dinner club and plan it so it serves its purpose.
2. Choose the members
Choosing gourmet dinner club members is important. Youll want people who have something in common, since youll be spending time together regularly. Choose people who are interested in cooking, are willing to accept a challenging recipe, and who will be willing to host the club at their homes.
The perfect sized gourmet dinner club is 8-12 people or 4-6 couples. Dont exclude singles, however. Theres nothing magic about even numbers and a single man or woman can add just as much to a gourmet dinner club as a couple.
3. Set a regular date
Most gourmet dinner clubs meet once a month on a regular weekend night. Set a standing day for your gourmet dinner club, for example, the first Saturday of every month, so your get-togethers will be first on your members calendars.
Members should be fairly committed to keeping the date, but emergencies will occur and there may be cancellations. It's a good idea to have some subs lined up to fill in.
4. Decide how menus will be chosen
This your club, so design it however you and your foodie friends want. There are several different ways to choose menus for your club.
Themes - You can have members choose a different theme for each month. A different countrys cuisine, a holiday, or a type of food.
Hosts choosing - When the host is in control, he chooses the theme, decides on all the dishes in the menu, and provides recipes for all other club members to make their dishes.
Brainstorming - You may want to end each gourmet dinner club meeting with a brainstorming session - perhaps over dessert - for the next meeting. You can all agree on a theme and menu, and have input on what you want to make.
Hosts choosing - When the host is in control, he chooses the theme, decides on all the dishes in the menu, and provides recipes for all other club members to make their dishes.
Keep it exciting - However you design your gourmet dinner club, keep it exciting and challenging. Rotate the hosting duties, as well as who makes the main dish, side dishes, appetizers, drinks and dessert. If your gourmet dinner club is casual, try meeting one month with dressy clothes, china, silver and candlelight. If youre normally more formal, spice things up with an outdoor gourmet picnic.
Where to get recipes
Scan the library cookbook section for gourmet recipes that youd like to try. Cooking magazines such as Cooks Illustrated, Gourmet and Epicurious Bon Apetit are good places to start.
Want to know how others are doing it? Check out this New Jersey gourmet dinner club site, with themes and recipes from the past year. These four couples have lots of great ideas!
A gourmet food club in Silicon Valley got together on meetups.com and have hosted wine tasting dinners, murder mysteries, and more.
Simple Home Basics has some ideas for starting a gourmet dinner club.
