How To Come Up With The Perfect People To Be In A Supper Club

Supper Clubs have no age limits. The general practice is for a Supper Club to be generational. Baby boomers stick with baby boomers and millenials stick with millenials. Personally I prefer to get a mix of generations.

Not being tied to one generation opens up the possibilities. This reminds me of a multi generational story. More than a few years ago, we were having dinner with our friends Terry and Jeff back in Greenwich Connecticut. While were waiting to get seated I ran into a childhood friend, Tommy Palumbo at the bar. It was great to see him. After a briefly catching up I rejoined my wife and friends at our dinner table. When I sat down Jeff asked me: Why that I was 45 and looked 55 and Tommy who was 45 looked 35? To which I responded: It could be the 25 year old woman he was with that isn’t his first wife”. The scar from where Susan kicked me has just about healed.

For the record, Tommy had also dyed his hair. Having had hair that is completely white since I was 30 probably leaves me sensitive and exposed to older than I look comments. Then again I can be glad that I have hair. Unlike my father who was bald and used to say: “God only made a few perfect heads, the rest he put hair on”.

We are lucky to live in a neighborhood that a lot of millenials are moving into. We have joined a wine club where the average age is closer to 35 than our age of 60. It is great. The millenials are a lot of fun and the dynamic for a Supper Club works very well.

If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.

What Should You Wear To A Supper Club Dinner Party?

Every wife will ask her husband: “What should I wear to the party?” Of course it depends. My cousin in Florida says “In Florida it’s simple it is either casual or formal. Casual means shorts. Formal means black tie.”

My experience is that Supper Clubs are pretty casual. The season is more a driver of what people wear. Closer to the holidays the ladies will dress up. The warmer the weather is, the more casual the attire.

One of the classic stories about what to wear goes back to a corporate event we hosted In Montreal years ago. Kraft hosted a Culinary event at the Research Chefs Association trade show. It was dinner for 200 people. It was winter. It was a corporate event that was pretty formal. During a prep meeting for the event the subject of attire was being debated. Discussion was going in all directions. Amanda our sous chef walked up to a flip chart and jotted “The attire for the event should match the elegance of the evening”. Wow!

A few weeks later my mom was visiting and I showed her the invitation for the event. She immediately focused in on the attire description and asked who wrote this: I told her about Amanda the sous chef. To which she said: “chef – she should be writing advertising copy”. Some people can really write. Amanda can cook and write.

Getting back to what to wear for Supper Clubs, casual, and comfortable works.

If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.

How To Have The Perfectly Cooked Supper Club Dinner And Impress Your Friends

Invite Paul and he will do the cooking. The word in our Supper Club is that having Paul at a dinner party can be intimidating. People must think one of two things:

1. I know what I am doing
2. I am an asshole

It must be number two because I certainly don’t know what I am doing. Trust me, I am winging it.

It reminds me when I worked out at a Maxwell House Coffee plant in California. We had a tour of General Foods upper management. One Marketing Manager asked the crusty old plant manager how many coffee beans were in the huge cooling device after the roaster. Without missing a beat he says 3,300,030 to 3,300,040. She wrote his comment down as gospel. I must have given old Bert a quizzical look because he turns to me and whispers: “Say it with confidence kid and they will believe anything”.

My buddy Joe Chaudoin figured out the “Invite Paul and he will cook” strategy years ago. He heard the Supper Club wives being intimidated having to host a party for the author of the menu. Like I really know what I am doing. Truth is that I am trying to figure out things like all the rest.

I will usually do a little research. The wealth of information on YouTube and Google is amazing. A little practice goes a long way. If there is something I haven’t made before I have been known to make a trial run. Actually, Joe has been a guinea pig for me more than a few times. What some won’t do for a free meal?

A favorite story of mine that says a lot about Joe involved a chicken dinner. Joe was once asked to pass a piece of white meat. Joe responded: “What do you mean white meat?” Joe was clueless. In his book, chicken is chicken. With all this said, he is one of the most appreciative guests I have ever had. And yes, the bar is not that high.

The moral of this Supper Club story is never be afraid to ask for help. Past that, research and practice goes a long way in realizing success.

If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.