Join the club
Supper clubs offer chance for food, fun
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Go ahead. Plan or join a supper club. It’s more fun and can be less work than you think.
That was the advice The Advocate Food team gave the audience in a 45-minute presentation filled with ideas on how to entertain without a lot of hassle.
In her segment of “The Louisiana Party” food staff presentation, Cheramie Sonnier asked, “Isn’t it time to organize a supper club?”
Supper clubs don’t have to involve time-consuming cooking or fancy sit-down dinners, she said. They can be laid-back, casual affairs with participants sharing cooking duties. But, if supper club members prefer, the meals can feature special-occasion recipes served on fine china.
Sonnier noted supper clubs basically can be divided into two categories — those in which the member with host duties does all the planning and preparation of the meal and those in which the host decides on the menu, selects recipes and then assigns a recipe for each guest or couple to prepare and bring to the dinner.
In the latter format, the host usually prepares the entree and provides the drinks.
Most successful supper clubs recommend having at least six couples or 12 members so no one hosts a party more than once or twice a year, depending on how often the group meets.
And, Sonnier noted, it’s not necessary to meet on a rigid schedule. Just decide on a general time frame. Her supper club has two informal parties, one usually in late August or early September and the other in January.
At these parties, everyone brings his or her choice of either a savory appetizer or a dessert. Members schedule sit-down dinners only three times a year: in the fall, in February or March, and in April or May. The host calls or e-mails everyone to get a consensus on the date and time that work best for all.
Supper clubs should be fun, Sonnier said. Have an informal party one time and a fancier one the next.
Sonnier introduced some new products that might make hosting a supper club party easier. These included:
That was the advice The Advocate Food team gave the audience in a 45-minute presentation filled with ideas on how to entertain without a lot of hassle.
In her segment of “The Louisiana Party” food staff presentation, Cheramie Sonnier asked, “Isn’t it time to organize a supper club?”
Supper clubs don’t have to involve time-consuming cooking or fancy sit-down dinners, she said. They can be laid-back, casual affairs with participants sharing cooking duties. But, if supper club members prefer, the meals can feature special-occasion recipes served on fine china.
Sonnier noted supper clubs basically can be divided into two categories — those in which the member with host duties does all the planning and preparation of the meal and those in which the host decides on the menu, selects recipes and then assigns a recipe for each guest or couple to prepare and bring to the dinner.
In the latter format, the host usually prepares the entree and provides the drinks.
Most successful supper clubs recommend having at least six couples or 12 members so no one hosts a party more than once or twice a year, depending on how often the group meets.
And, Sonnier noted, it’s not necessary to meet on a rigid schedule. Just decide on a general time frame. Her supper club has two informal parties, one usually in late August or early September and the other in January.
At these parties, everyone brings his or her choice of either a savory appetizer or a dessert. Members schedule sit-down dinners only three times a year: in the fall, in February or March, and in April or May. The host calls or e-mails everyone to get a consensus on the date and time that work best for all.
Supper clubs should be fun, Sonnier said. Have an informal party one time and a fancier one the next.
Sonnier introduced some new products that might make hosting a supper club party easier. These included:
- Circle Kabobs — A set of four nonstick, dishwasher-safe skewers that fit on most dinner plates. The product, made by Charcoal Companion, was found at T.J. Maxx for $5.99. It is also sold at Goodwood Hardware & Outdoors.
- Microwave egg cooker — A Nordic Ware product that allows one to safely soft boil or hard cook up to four eggs in the microwave. The egg cooker is sold at Wal-Mart under its Mainstays house brand for less than $8.
- Cheese knife — This knife, available at The Panhandler for $12.99, has a blade made especially for cutting soft cheeses.
- Greek olives — Hit the gourmet sections of local stores to find prepared foods that can be kept on hand to serve as party appetizers, Sonnier said. An example she showed was a 7.5-ounce plastic container filled with olives stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes found at World Market for $5.
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