cookbook club

How To Start:
The idea for our Cookbook Club bubbled up, appropriately enough at a birthday lunch in 1998. Six friends who loved to eat and wanted the excuse to cook more and enjoy good food together.

How It Works:
Gather enough to fit at one table (we started with six). Pick a cookbook. Cook out of it as much as possible for at least six weeks. Then meet over a cooperative meal and share what you have learned.

The Meal:
Each member brings a pre-assigned dish (appetizer, salad, side, dessert) while the host is responsible for the main dish. The previous host is off the hook and brings the wine. Usually, we bring dishes ready to serve, but if a dish is better made on-site we do it that way. The meal is where we discuss, review and critique the cookbook over a usually, but not always, delicious meal. At the end of the meal we pick our next book.

The Rules:
The club can be all girls, all boys, or co-ed. It’s your choice. Include a variety of cooking lifestyles to guarantee spirited conversations, interesting cookbook selections, and a variety of entertaining styles. Cooking comes naturally to some and less so to others. You do not need to be a star chef to start a club. Open a cookbook as if it were the start of a new adventure. Each club member will approach the journey in a different way. Some will read the introduction, some will cook the easiest recipes, and some may let the book just sit on their counter.