...starting a dinner group

Every time I post something about my cooking club, I have a few people who email me or comment asking how we do it, how we have kept it going for so long or what we do. I have written them all individually until I finally decided that it would be more time efficient to write a post.

Cooking Clubs/Dinner Groups are so fun! It is a great getaway for women who love to cook and eat. I started mine a little over two years ago with a couple friends, and I think we have learned a few things along the way. Here are my tips for you if you want to start one yourself:

01. Choose a capacity. Initially, we started with 6 people. With a low number like that, it is easy to have a beautiful place setting and use your nice dishes. It is fun to decorate for the night's theme. Because we had a demand for membership in our cooking club, we now have 12 members. Having that many gives it a whole new wonderful atmosphere. It is harder to have a formal sit-down dinner since none of us have a table that large, and most of us don't have dishes for 12. We usually sit on a circle of chairs and use paper plates. Having a large group, however, lends to a lot gabbing and interesting conversation. Both sizes are great. You just need to decide what you want and set the limit or it could get a little out of control.

02. Choose a consistent meeting time. (We do it the 2nd Tuesday of every month.) Without a consistent meeting time, some months will fall through and the group will eventually dwindle. It is too hard to coordinate a date that works for every person every month, so this makes it easier on everyone. Every December, we reevaluate the date in case someone becomes the new PTSA president, or something of the like, and can no longer make it because of conflicting meetings. We also send around a calendar at the end of the year and everyone signs up for a month to host.

03. Decide who and where. Every cooking group does it differently. I have heard of some groups where the host does everything; all the food, decor and location. In our cooking club, we take turns hosting. When it is our turn, we are in charge of choosing the theme, providing the location and making the main course. We are also in charge of assigning everyone else a course to bring. (The host usually tells us what courses are needed and we sign up.)

04. Communication is key. Another reason for dwindling groups is that members don't know what the plan is. You need to make sure you are all in contact and that everyone knows what is happening and where. We do this in 2 ways: we have a google group to email each other and we have a blog to post updates. The Google Group ensures that no one is missing out on the emails between each other and the blog helps us keep track of recipes, past themes and signing up for courses. This works great for us because we are computer savvy and/or bloggers. You will need to choose the best method of correspondence for your members.

05. Choose fun and exciting themes. This is one of my favorite things about cooking club! Being challenged to cook something I haven't before and trying new foods other people make. You can choose a country (e.g. French, Mexican, Thai), an ingredient that has to be in all the dishes (e.g. chocolate, cranberries, anise), a course (e.g. appetizers, cookies, soups) or anything your creative head can think up. We have done all of the above. Here are some of the themes we have used if you need some ideas:
Thai, Ice Cream, Raclette, Wraps/Rolls, Eggs, Brasil, Sultry Foods, Salads, Holiday Finger Foods, Cranberries, Black & Orange, Farm Fresh, Copy Cat, Gourmet Roulette, Food on a Stick, Semi-Homemade, Mediterranean, Dinner in Tuscany, Chocolate, Pupu Platters, Brunch, Kid Friendly, Soup Sampler, Anise/Fennel, 10 Ingredients or Less, Parisian, Cinco de Mayo, Summer Garden, Favorite Dishes

06. Find a good way to share your recipes. We post our recipes on our blog, but other groups bring a copy for all their members. Do whatever your members prefer.

If you have any other questions or more tips to share, leave a comment letting me know. If you start cooking club blogs, please leave the link. I would love to see what your group is doing and compare ideas!