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.

How To Avoid Supper Club Panic And be the Perfect Dinner Party Hostess

In writing Supper Club menus you have to take into account that some things you think are easy can be really challenging for others. I once wrote a menu that including steamed lobsters. I grew up on the east coast where boiling a lobster was considered simple. For others it was a real challenge.

I knew I was in trouble when I saw my friend Kathy having a panic attack in my kitchen. Our neighborhood Supper Club is large and involves 5 dinner parties of 4 couples each. To make it a little easier I ordered the 40 lobsters and arranged for the hosts to pick them up at my house.

Kathy stopped by to pick up the lobster and her anxiety started to show. Let me say that Kathy is a very clever lady. She grew up in Kansas City and had never cooked a lobster. Seeing the squirming lobsters in the bag set off a look of panic that reminded me of a lady I had seen having a panic attack in the Shannon airport in Ireland. Fear of flying is a real phobia. Fear of cooking lobster was apparently just as real.

I felt really bad. Kathy is one of my favorite people and I was the cause of her anxiety. My initial answer was to offer to cook the lobster for her. She would never have to see an uncooked lobster again.

Somehow we talked Kathy down off the panic level. I took her through the simplicity of boiling water. Dropping the lobsters in head-first. Cooking for 7 minutes. Checking for the lobsters to turn red. Explaining how lobsters have built in doneness devices. Sort of like the pop-up device in Roasting chickens that pops up when the chicken is done. Lobsters turn bright red when done.

She got through the evening and her Supper Club was a huge success. Has she cooked a lobster since? I wouldn’t bet on it.

When faced with a Supper Club challenge, do a little research. You can get a video on YouTube or several “How-to’s” via a Google Search. Another tried and true method is to invite the person that suggested the menu and tell them: “It was your idea so you can cook the Lobster”.