Do Want To Entertain Your Friends? Tell A Good Story

Everyone loves a good story. Particularly one that will make you laugh. Somehow, in today’s world, the art of story-telling, isn’t what it used to be. There is nothing more engaging at a dinner party than a good story. And, as my wife accuses me of quite often, you don’t need to let a few facts get in the way of a good story.

The best stories are about people. Stories about people that other people can connect with. The following story is about a guy that had self-doubt. At one time or another we all have had self-doubt. It is also about how sometimes self-doubt snowballs in your mind. Amazingly, with a little, very simple, good advice, something that seemed insurmountable can become insignificant.

Several years ago, Ron Iles, my college roommate, called me up and said he knew someone that I had to meet. He told me that he coached his daughter’s softball team with this guy and that my father had changed his life. Well that certainly got my attention.

My dad was a college dean and had the chance to make an impact on quite a few people. I remember thinking at his funeral where lots of people attended, that as an educator my dad was lucky to have touched so many. Me on the other hand, being in business working for Kraft Foods, I doubt there will be many to show up at my funeral. What are they going to say about me: “I remember Paul Kenny, he was the guy that screwed me out of few cents a pound on the price of Velveeta”.

A few months after Ron’s call, I was in NY on business and made arrangements to meet with Ron and his friend Bill Robinson, who my dad was able to help out. After ordering dinner I asked Bill how my dad had changed his life. Bill explained that he was freshman in college and was on the verge of flunking out. It was during the Vietnam Nam era and Bill was questioning his ability. Whether he was smart enough to be in college.

After flunking a class, Bill was required to meet with the dean, my dad. This was where my dad gave the life changing advice. After introductions my dad asked Bill what course he had failed? Bill told him History 101. My dad laughingly said, the solution is simple, take the class again. Well Bill did take it again and did well and went on to a successful academic and business career.

The irony of the story and maybe the reason my dad laughed, was that I was a history major in college. If his slacker of a son could pass History, anybody could. The ironies abound as my dad once advised me that whatever you do in life don’t go into education. Complaining that “Everyone in this family is a teacher. Someone has to make money”. As a dean at a business school he told me that: “I see all these business guys who aren’t that smart, making all kinds of money”. His point, even you can do well. I went on to get an MBA, did ok in business, but my dad will win the funeral headcount competition.

Dad was also the master of dinner party Story telling. He could also tell a good joke. Back in the day, before the internet, when people actually told jokes, dad was a master. He also had a rule that he never used profanity. He would have loved jokes like these:

A man called his mother in Florida. “Mom, how are you?”  ”Not too good,” said the mother. “I’ve been very weak.”  The son said, “Why are you so weak?”  She said, “Because I haven’t eaten in 38 days.” The son said, “That’s terrible. Why haven’t you eaten in 38 days?” The mother answered, “Because, I didn’t want my mouth to be full in case you should call.”
A Jewish man said that when he was growing up, they always had two choices for dinner – Take it or leave it.
 A Jewish boy comes home from school and tells his mother he has a part in the play.  She asks, “What part is it?”  The boy says, “I play the part of the Jewish husband. “The mother scowls and says, “Go back and tell the teacher you want a speaking part.”

A good story that people can connect with will always be a hit at a supper club dinner party. Throw in a little humor and a bottle of good wine and you will have good evening.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

Signature Drinks That Sparkle

Try serving your signature cocktail with an ice chunk if you want it to sparkle. The purpose of a signature drink is set the mood for the evening. Offering guests a cocktail that taste great and looks exciting will let them know that they are in for a fun evening.

In two previous blogs we have talked about alcohol at supper clubs:

1. Signature Drinks

One of the keys to kicking off a Supper Club or dinner party is getting guests a drink as quickly as possible as they arrive. It doesn’t need to be a “signature” drink. It doesn’t even have to be alcoholic. There is just something welcoming about giving guests a drink.

The Recipes for Two Classic Signature Cocktails

Manhattan

Old Fashioned

2. Pick Your Poison – Adult Beverages of Choice?

Wine has always been the adult beverage of choice for supper clubs. The increased popularity of Craft Beer and the fact that hard liquor (without mixers) presents a low/calorie/carb option has brought the wine choice into question. A deeper dive into the data might suggest otherwise.

We went to a great bar in Denver The Green Russell that did an amazing job with cocktails. They serve all their cocktails with hand sculpted ice chunks. Their chunks are cut from blocks of ice that are custom made to produce clear pure ice that dilutes the cocktail in perfect proportion.

(Ice block before sculpting)

(Gr

(Green Russell bartender Alex and his ice block)

Using Green Russell Ice Chunks in your signature drinks at a supper club is a great idea with a few caveats:

It takes a little work to get that perfect ice chunk and perfect cocktail.

My eyes started to glaze over as Alex of the Green Russell was telling me how he made his ice chunk and how to prepare the perfect Old Fashioned. What is simple for Alex would mean quite a bit of work for your average supper club host.

You don’t want your guests to get hammered

If you offer a guest a great tasting drink that they are not used to drinking, there is a good chance that they will want more than one and then things can get a little dangerous. You want your guests to socialize, not get wasted. You certainly don’t want your guests to get a DUI on the way home.

I still think that the ice chunk is a great idea for supper clubs, you just need to be selective. My sister and mother love to put ice cubes in their Chardonnay, especially during the summer. While this has historically been a sacrilege from my viewpoint, I hate to say it, but maybe wine with an ice chunk is a good idea. It certainly is different. It shouldn’t increase the risk of getting your guests hammered. You certainly don’t need to serve your best wine with ice.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW, ice in wine is a BAD IDEA! Unless you like ice in wine, ice dilutes and takes away from the flavor. I am still scarred from Christmas dinner years ago where my sister put ice cubes in my special cabernet.

However, There is the old mantra that:

You should do whatever you want with your wine as long as it makes you happy! That’s what wine is for, after all.

Doing something that is a little different and adds excitement and flavor at supper club is a good thing. Give ice chunks a try. I will be testing it out and will probably be selectively using it.

Roasted Corn Ravioli With A Light Cream Sauce or …You Have To Suffer If You Want To Sing The Blues

One of my mantras for Supper Clubs is to keep it simple. That isn’t always easy for me. I have been accused of saying one thing, and doing another (Guilty!) Sometimes it takes a little work to get a really exceptional dish. Making ravioli is more than a bit of a production. As the great American philosopher Ron Iles* would say: “Sometimes, you have to suffer if you want to sing the blues”.

The inspiration for this dish comes from the Patio Restaurant in Westhampton. The Patio has been there for years, but last summer they got a new chef. His pasta dishes are the best I have had outside of Tuscany. Last summer we had a great young waitress and before we ordered, I asked her what her favorite dish was. She started out by saying: “You are going to have to trust me on this as it might not sound great, but boy is it good”. Corn and ravioli together might be a bit of a disconnect, but this is a phenomenal dish. The chef uses a little cream and a truffle oil to get a phenomenal sauce. The combination of flavors is amazing.

Making ravioli is more than a bit of a production. Having a decent pasta maker and a ravioli form make it a little easier, but you are going to have to commit a couple hours to the process. With that said, there is something about making your own pasta/ravioli. The good news is that if you are making ravioli, you might as well make a quantity to freeze. My plan is to build a supper club menu around this dish where I will make the pasta and sauce and share it with the other hosts. While making ravioli is fun for me, it is probably above the salary grade of your average supper club cook. I may be a jerk, but sometimes there is a benefit to having a friend that can cook.

Here is the recipe.

The fact that the recipe and instructions are over 700 words is a testimony to the complexity of this dish. It is not easy, but trust me, you will delight your guests.

*For those of you who Googled the famous philosopher Ron Iles and found nothing, I will have to explain. Ron was my college roommate and is famous in my family. Ron and I went to school in upstate New York long before we moved to Memphis. The line “You have to suffer if you want to sing the blues” has special meaning as we now live in Memphis, the home of the blues. We were planning a menu at Ron and Amy’s apartment in New York City with a menu built around corn ravioli. It may not be simple, but it was good and the evening was all sorts of fun.