Detroit area cooking clubs

[t fal laura]

Are you in need of some socialization, without a huge restaurant bill, or club music pounding in your ear?
Want to talk about life and get the best "dish" around?
Let's start a cooking club.
I am currently in the Detroit area looking to start or join in a club.
Vegatarian, dessert..whatever lets get together.
I have lots of ideas and I can not wait to hear yours..

[Molli526]

Hi!

I am a foodie as well and would love to be apart of a Supper Club. I am open to pretty much anything.

Molli

[Alba2]

Hello!

I am also interested in a Supper Club. I especially enjoy cooking foreign cuisines: Italian, Japanese, Middleastern, Indian, etc. Vegetarian, meat, dessert, bread; it all sounds yummy to me! :) :)

[Molli526]

Well, I must say that I am happy there are at least 3 of us. What do you think of planning a meeting at restaurant central to all of us after we get a couple more people- then we can talk about how we would like to set our club up and get to know each other. I look forward to meeting you!

Molli

:D

[dawnie_vu]

Everyone must have received their latest Cooking Light talking about Supper Clubs :)

I too am interested in getting together with a group of people who enjoy cooking and good food. I just recently lost my roommate and cooking companion to (of all places) San Francisco, and my current roommate is as uninterested in food as they come. So count me in... I'm very excited about this.

Ciao! Dawn

[Alba2]

Great, now we have four people! Hhhmm, Detroit, Farmington Hills, Royal Oak, and Rochester Hills. We are so spread out. Where could we meet? ;)

[Molli526]

Well, not that I am partial BUT Royal Oak is pretty central to everyone right now. There are some great places here but if anyone has suggestions to meet somewhere else, I am open to them.

Molli

[Ann1029]

Hi All,

I just received my latest Cooking Light with the supper club article, too! I think it's a great idea to have one in Detroit, so if you have room for one more I'd love to join. I live in Royal Oak as well but will travel!

Ann

[Molli526]

Well, I think we should figure out where we would like to meet and when!

[phantomcg]

Hi everyone:

My husband and I just moved to Waterford from Grand Rapids. My husband is not at all interested in cooking and eats a very limited number of things. I'm not sure how often I would be able to meet with all of you, but if you wouldn't mind a "part-time" member, I would like to join you. I think that it would be a wonderful way to meet some new people here.

Thanks!

Cheryl

[littlenyama]

I too would be interested in joining a club and helping to set it up. Moli mentioned perhaps meeting at a restaurant the first time. Does anyone have any suggestions? From the current postings it looks like people are located in Detroit, Royal Oak, Rochester, Farmington Hills, and Waterford. Perhaps someplace in Royal Oak or Ferndale would be a good initial meeting place.

[Molli526]

I will ask the first obvious question- where do we want to meet, and when?

Molli

[dawnie_vu]

I would be partial to meeting after work during the week - since the weekends always seem to be a whirlwind of activity. And since I work in Southfield, it would be a breeze to get to Royal Oak. Any day is as good as the next. How about the first week in September... like the 6th. Give everyone some time to get beyond the holiday, and it will give more people an opportunity to join in as they keep getting the Supper Club edition of CL and come here looking for a club to join.

It seems that whenever I go to Royal Oak, I always go to the same three restuarants, so I would leave it up so someone else to pick the place. Isn't there supposed to be a good Japanese restaurant somewhere on Main Street? And a healthy Mexican place?

That's just my two cents. I'm glad to see there is such an interest in doing this! I can't wait!

Dawn:p

[littlenyama]

There's a sushi place on Main just south of 11 Mile if that's the one you mean. I haven't ever been there, but I've heard it's good. The first week in September sounds good to me.

[Ann1029]

Hi,
The japanese place south of 11 Mile on Main is called Little Tree and it has sushi and thai food as well. I have been there once and I thought it was pretty good.
If you all meet on thursday or friday of the first week in September that would work for me but the first half of the week I'm out of town. However, if that's what works for everyone else go for it.

Have a good weekend.

Ann :)

[phantomcg]

Well, I work in Birmingham so Royal Oak would be fine with me (as long as someone will give me directions - I know Royal Oak is down the road from here, but that's all I know :eek: )
The first week of September is all clear for me at this point.

Cheryl

[wlcjr]

Hello everyone,

My wife & I were discussing something like this recently, after we hosted a dinner party/wine tasting in June. When we received the most recent issue of Cooking Light we hoped there would be others like us in the area.

Regarding when to meet: Fridays & weekends are generally best, due to our work schedules. Although I will always make time for good food, wine & friends.

I agree with Ann, Little Tree has pretty good food (I have eaten there a couple of times). We would love to join you the 1st week in September, unfortunately we will be leaving for Spain on the 7th & will probably be pretty busy that week. Perhaps we could join you at the next club date. I will keep in touch.

thanks,
Bill

[dawnie_vu]

Okay - well shall we say 6:30 at the Little Tree Sushi Bar in Royal Oak on September 6?

I wouldn't be the best one to give directions, but the address is 107 S. Main Street in Royal Oak, and the zip is 48067. Mapquest or Yahoo maps would be able to map out the route from wherever you are coming from.

If there is an overwhelming opposition to the time or date, we can always change it.

TTFN :p

Dawn

[dbt]

I would be interested in joining as well, if it is not too late. I grew up in Royal Oak and think it is a great place. Is there room for me?

[t fal laura]

So it seems 6:30 on the 6th is good.
Anyone is welcome, just please everyone log in and RSVP on the 4thso we can call and warn the resteraunt.
Are we set on a meal type?
What might be good is to choose 2 different meals and agree on them and then everyone bring a suggestion of one dish from each meal.
Is anyone prepared to be secretary?
Do we want a spiffy name to our group?
And please someone bring a camera to record our first meeting :D
I am sooooo excited..
laura

[littlenyama]

Hi all. 6:30 on the 6th sounds good to me. For those of you who are not familiar with Royal Oak I'll offer a little advice on parking. Right behind Little Tree is the main downtown parking lot that most people use. Unfortunately, it's small and it's very difficult to find a parking space. Just the other side of the lot is the Royal Oak Public Library, which is on the corner of 11 MIle and Troy Street. You can park for free at the Farmers Market on the other side of Troy Street - across from the library. Most people don't think to park there but its free and only a block to the "downtown."

[phyllisd]

:) Hi,
I just read my new Cooking Light magazine and read about supper clubs. I live in Oxford. I, too, would be interested in joining a club. Have you already met or are you just in the talking stage? Do you have room for one more?

Phyllis

[JillMann]

If there is still room, I would like to join the club as well - as would a friend of mine, but she is having trouble registering to post a message.

Is there still room, or is this group getting too large where it would make sense to start another group?? Let me know....

Thanks

Jill

[Molli526]

There are 10 of us as of the last message, I say we have everyone go to Little Tree and from there we decide what we want to do. There may be some that have something different in mind than others. I vote everyone who wants to, come and we decide at the initial meeting.

Molli
:p

[t fal laura]

Wow what a great start to the club.
I agree all are welcome, who knows how many will actually arrive.
Could our motto be"If they serve it, they will come" ? Sorry I realize that is a bad joke, but I could not help myself
:cool:
Please everyone interested join in, and on the 4th we need a sort of final head count, and thanks for keeping tabs so far Mollie are you interested in a secretarial position within the club?
;)
I am looking forward to meeting all of you.
Should we do a little introduction on Thursday night a pre acquaintance type deal?
Let me know..
Laura

[JillMann]

Cool!! I am in for meeting on the 9/6/01 at 6:30 PM at Little Tree in Royal Oak.

[dawnie_vu]

I'm in too... I will bring my camera with me... food, pictures, it's all so great. And it's been so long since I've had sushi! Yum.

If need be, I would be happy to call the restuarant with our final numbers so they can accomodate us all.

I'm looking forward to this! Can't wait to meet you all.

Dawn :p

[Molli526]

Hey Guys,

I will just need a little assistance at the restaurant. I have only had sushi once and it was an appetizer that wasn't "true" sushi.

This is going to be fun!

Molli:D

[JillMann]

Don't worry... I am not a sushi fan at all, but I hear they have great Thai food there.... and I am a Thai food fanatic!!!

[mariaper]

:D :D :D
This is just what I've been looking for!! I too lost a roommate that I used to cook with (to South Carolina). Now it's just me and my son, and he's not really interested in gourmet cooking. I live in Royal Oak, just a mile from downtown, and would love to join. September 6 is my last night of golf, so I will, unfortunately, miss the kickoff at the restaurant, unless it rains. Keep me posted on the specifics. I hope there's room for me too!

[Molli526]

Let the RSVPing begin!

[Molli526]

RSVP- Molli

[macdee]

My husband and I are interested in joining the Detroit area supper club, but we can't make it on the 6th either. I'll watch to find out how the first meeting went and when and where the next one might be.

[Leeanne]

Hi! :)
I am new to the message chain and am interested as well. I'd like to attend the 9/6 meeting in Royal Oak. Please include me in the head count. Thank you. See you Thursday.

Leeanne

[t fal laura]

Rsvp me plus one : 0 )
Can not wait

ps how do you get the little graphics under your name?
thanks
laura

[bdwehner]

Hello!

I am extremely interested in joining in the group. Unfortunately , I will be on vacation Sept. 6. Please keep me posted on the next steps from the Sept. 6 meeting.

Looking forward to meeting the group!! :cool: :(

[littlenyama]

I won't be able to make the first meeting unfortunately. I look forward to meeting everyone at future meetings.

[Molli526]

Laura-

Do you mean the picture under my name? Go to user cp, edit options, at the bottom is Avatar- change avatar, from there you will be able to select a graphic. They have many different pictures to chose from.

See you Thursday!

Molli

[Alba2]

Hello everyone! For some reason I didn't receive any emails about new postings, so I didn't check the board until today. Anyway, I would like to join you all for dinner at 6:30 at the Little Tree in Royal Oak on Thursday. Actually, since I need to get a ride from my husband, we will be three people: two adults and a three-year-old girl. Since my husband is Japanese and I am Italian, my daughter loves all kinds of food - sushi, pasta, Thai food, fish, Mexican.

How many people are we so far? How many people are meeting at Little Tree?

-Alba

:)

[Molli526]

Alba-

There are 7 of us so far- including you and your family.

Molli

[Alba2]

Thanks Molli.

I know a little about sushi because I lived in Japan for almost three years. "sushi" just refers to vinegared rice. This rice is typically served with other stuff: wrapped in nori (seaweed) and filled with veggies or topped with raw seafood (sashimi). My husband is the sushi expert. Ha ha ha :p :p

See you Thursday!
Alba

[Chalut1]

Hi! My husband and I are also interested. Unfortunately, we have a prior engagement for Thursday. (Love Little Tree, ate there about a week ago.)

Include us in the next event, we're on the eastside. Have fun on Thurs.:)

[dawnie_vu]

I'm in. Is someone calling the restaurant ahead of time? If not, I'll be happy to take responsibility. But I don't want to double book us. See you Thursday!

Dawn :cool:

[Molli526]

Dawn-

Thanks for calling the restaurant.

I am so looking forward to this!

Molli
:p

[phantomcg]

I'm looking forward to meeting all of you over at Little Tree on Thursday. I work in Birmingham and get out at 5:00, so if anyone wants to show up early let me know!

Cheryl

[kellie]

I also read this month's issue and was very excited to find other who were interested. I may already have plans on the 6th (waiting for confirmation), but would love to join. Since Laura seems to be the "leader" of the group thus far, I will email her my address and phone, so I can be included on any further plans.

[dawnie_vu]

Well I have counted 9 hard yeses. I'll go ahead and book us for a couple extras just in case. I'll put the reservations under the code name "Supper Club" so no one has to remember any names :p

So I guess I will see you all tomorrow evening at 6:30 at the Little Tree Sushi Bar.

Dawn :cool:

[Molli526]

Thanks Dawn!!

[mariaper]

I've just returned from vacation, but haven't heard of rain tomorrow. I guess I won't be at the restaurant tomorrow. Please keep me posted about how things go and what the next steps will be. I look forward to meeting all of you in person next time.:(

[jbasil85]

If there are still openings in the supper club, I'd be interested in joining. Unfortunately, I will be out of town on the 6th, but please keep me informed!
Thanks,
Judy Spicer

[Molli526]

I propose we start planning the second meeting for the Detroit Area Supper Club as a lot of people are unable to make it to this first meeting. I suggest October 18 or the 25th. ( I am getting married the 6th so the on the 4th I think I won't be in any shape to meet new friends and the 11th, I will be in Maui:cool: ). I think if we plan this second meeting far enough in advance, everyone can get it on their calendars.

Molli

[mariaper]

The 25th gets my vote. I'm already booked for the 18th (my birthday). Keep me posted.

[jbasil85]

The 25th would work for me. Please keep me informed about the place. Thanks!

[dawnie_vu]

Slight problem with the reservations - they don't accept them. And they won't seat large parties until the majority of the people are there. The person I spoke with said if we do get there by 6:30, we should be okay... apparently their busy time is after 7:00. (I guess this is a logistical issue that we should have determined ahead of time!) So - I guess try to get there as close to 6:30 as you can. I may go around 6:00 to see if I can fanagle my way into a table a bit earlier... but we'll see. I tried to make the reservations for 12, so if anyone gets there before me - that's my magic number.

So that's the scoop. Hopefully things will go super smoothly tomorrow, and not having reservations won't impact the evening. See you tomorrow!

Dawn :cool:

[Alba2]

Hello everyone,

what shall we do on Oct. 25? Meet at another restaurant or at someone's home? If at someone's home, then we need to choose a host/hostess and theme.

How are we going to run our Club. Will we cook at someone's home at times? Or, do we bring our dishes already prepared? We can begin discussing these issues tomorrow night, but since many members will be absent ...

Anyway, I'm looking forward to tomorrow night. See you there.

-Alba

[Molli526]

How are we going to run our Club. Will we cook at someone's home at times? Or, do we bring our dishes already prepared? We can begin discussing these issues tomorrow night, but since many members will be absent ...


I think our second meeting will need to be at another restaurant because so many people will be unable to attend. I think we could begin to discuss the formalities tomorrow, knowing they may change when we get more people involved. It sounds like there is a lot of interest so hopefully we can get everyone together the 25th and get this squared away so the cooking can begin- not that I don't like restaurants:p

Looking forward to meeting everyone tomorrow!
Molli

[JillMann]

All,

I am so bummed, I may not be able to make it this evening. I have a proposal due tomorrow and as always, not on schedule. I may be able to show up a bit late, but not certain. So don't wait for me. If I don't make it, would love to hear the progress.

Just in case I don't, I love wine and food. So if anyone is interested in this also being a wine tasting/supper club, that's my vote.

Hopefully see you later!

[phantomcg]

I hope that someone sees this before the meeting tonight. I will not be able to be there. I have had a migraine all day and I really would not be very good company, so I'm going to go home and go to bed. Hopefully I'll be able to make the next meeting. Sorry about the late notice.......

Cheryl

[klawson]

hi, guys,
i, too, saw the cooking light story on cooking clubs and think it's a great idea. i'm the food writer for the detroit news and i'd love to do an article on you once you get things going. would you be willing to talk to me? let me know how your 9/6 meeting goes and whether or not we can get together. also, if i can be of any assistance, please let me know. my direct number is (313) 222-6026. i'll be waiting to hear from you.
best,
kate lawson

[Leeanne]

I had dirt delivered today and the delivery person blocked my drive way!! Therefore, I'll be out clearing the way for my car instead of joining the planning meeting. I'm so sorry. I really do want to join in the fun. The 25th is good. The team may come up with a suggestion for that meeting tonight. I was thinking maybe Mangolian BBQ. There are several locations if we want to move from Royal Oak and they take reservations for parties of 6 or more. Just a thought. I hope all goes well tonight and I look forward to hearing about it.

Leeanne

[Sarah118]

I'd like to be involved in the Detroit Area Supper Club as well, but I realize I've joined the discussion a bit late... I think it would be great fun to share the experience of trying some new and different foods, so let me know if there is still room! I'm anxious to hear how things went tonight.

[mariaper]

Hello All,

Just checking in to see how the meeting went last night. I thought of all of you. I wish I could have been there. Did we make any decisions on our Club? By the way, I too would love to have a wine tasting added to the mix. I'm a huge wine lover and would love to expand my horizons. Keep me posted. Thanks!

[Alba2]

Good morning all,

our first meeting last night went well. Unfortunately, since only 4 out of a possible 14 interested members showed up, we could not decide how our Club will be run.

Some of our thoughts:

We want to cook, hang out, and eat together. We need lots of time for this. Meeting on the weekend would be good.

Some members have smaller homes. Perhaps, we should divide into 2 or 3 groups that meet more often. Then, we could all meet occasionally for a big party.

My thought: let's make sushi. (My husband, daughter, and I have eaten lots of sushi in Japan and the US, but we have never made any at home) Meal - miso soup, sushi, sashimi, cucumber salad, ...

Last night's meal was good, but the best sushi in my family's opinion is at Noble Fish Sushi and Grocery Store at the corner of Livernois and 14 Mile in Clawson.

So, what do you all think?

-Alba

[t fal laura]

HEllo to the 4 who showed up...what a bummer, I was one of the non present ones I won't even bore you with details suffice to say LIFE...
:mad:
Is the Ferndale/Redford area looking good for everyone? I ask this because I am really more Southwest/Downriver area and I am thinking of starting a thread for that area.
As much as I want to stick with y'all (and see the wedding pics Molli) I HATE driving (I am the person always broken down on the side of the road, cars hate me) and the closer to home the better, and I am getting the feeling that up "north" is better for this group.
Let me know please.
Also what do you think of the Detroit News writer. Why not have her come for a December meeting when things are a little smoother?
And again my many apologizes for missing the meeting.
laura

[macdee]

How did the first meeting go? I was so disappointed that I couldn't attend, but have marked my calendar for the 25th so I won't miss that one. I originally indicated by husband I and would both be interested in joining the club, but I'm not sure if others are planning to include spouses or significant others. Let me know and I'll decide whether both of us or just me will attend the next meeting.

Looking forward to meeting all of you next month.

[macdee]

Oh my, I just reread my last message (after submitting it of course) and was appalled by the poor grammar I used. I had a couple of thoughts going and apparently didn't merge them well...how embarrassing...especially for a Communications Major!!!! Yikes.........

[Sarah118]

In spite of the low turn out for the first session, I suspect there is still interest in trying to get a club going. For me the problem was simply not getting involved in the posting early enough. Is there enough interest in trying to meet again on October 25th? Perhaps at that meeting some of the other thoughts raised in these discussions can be addressed (geography, inclusion of significant others/children, menu planning, etc.). If we get a better turn out, we may find that there will be some natural groups that form based on food interest, group structure preferences and logistics. The other thought is that we could begin to hammer out some of those details now via these postings rather than waiting six weeks. Personally, I still support the idea of trying to move things forward!

[JillMann]

Unfortunately, I will not be able to make the 25th meeting, I will be vacationing in St. Maarten. I am still very much interested in starting/joining a cooking club.

I like the idea of doing some preplanning/organizing prior to the next meeting. Someone also suggested breaking into groups based on geography, club ideas, etc. I think that's a great idea as well.

As I stated in an earlier message, my interests/thoughts for the club not only lie in the food but the wine as well. So I would be interested is starting/joining a club that weighs thesen two equally.

Are there people out there that share these thoughts - a good dinner depends upon the wine that accompanies it!! If so my suggestion for one of the groups is a wine & dinner club. Any takers???

[Alba2]

Good morning all,

I also think we could break up into smaller groups based on geographical or social reasons. Downriver, northern and eastern suburbs, western suburbs, people who just click.

Would it be possible to move the second meeting to a weekend day? Could we have lunch in a nice, quiet, non-smoking environment? Maybe more people could show up when there is less traffic on the roads.

Possible members of my group up north -
Cheryl
Nyama
Bill and wife
dbt (sorry, I don't know your name)
Phyllis

Please get in touch with me, and tell me your thoghts.

-Alba

[mariaper]

I am very excited about the next meeting, but would agree thatwe should try to pre-plan our group. That way, anyone that will not be able to attend that meeting, but is still interested will be able to send their imput before hand.
Also, JillMann, I am an absolute wine freak, and agree that it can either make or break a meal. I think it's great to incorporate wine tasting into our club. I don't know where you live, but if they break everyone into smaller groups, I hope you and I can be part of the same group.

[macdee]

I too have an interest in wine as well as food/cooking. My husband just joined the Merchant of Vino wine club and we're now trying lots of new wines. I would like to learn more about selecting wines for specific foods and a wine/cooking club sounds like a great opportunity for become more educated about wines/food pairings. Count me in the wine/cooking club.

I also agree that we should try to move forward before the next meeting. I'm available on the 25th and would probably be available on a weekend if that works out better for others. I am going up north the weekend of 10/27 so that wouldn't work for me.

[littlenyama]

Hello all. I too think splitting into smaller groups based on geography is a good idea. Especially if we do any weekday meetings. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to have to drive 30+ miles in rush hour traffic after working all day and then cook dinner. :eek: I can make the September 25 meeting if that still works out. But I can't do weekend lunches due to my school schedule. I'll keep checking back to see what happens.

Thanks, Nyama

[Sarah118]

Thought I'd check in again and am happy to see things seem to be moving forward. Breaking things down by interest/geography seems to make the most sense. Mariaper - you are in Royal Oak and I'm in Birmingham. I'm not sure who else would be interested in a club in the Woodward corridor area, but I'd like to propose this as a starting point. I'd love to incorporate wine into the supper club, so Jillmann if logistically this seems to work for you, maybe the three of us can start a thread for a club with Woodward corridor geography and the wine/food combo idea. I would encourage anyone else that prefers either the wine/food idea and prefers this area to join the thread. After we see the interest, then perhaps we can begin to work on structure (timing - weekends/weekdays, menus, etc.) - can you tell I'm an organizer ? :)

[mariaper]

I think you've got a great idea Sarah118. Is the 25th still a good day for you? Anyone else in our area that is just as interested in good wine and good food that would like to join this thread? I'd love to get the good times rolling, we just have to get past the planning stage. I hope we can do that on the 25th and at that time plan our first cooking party.
:)

[Alba2]

Good morning all,

if everyone is okay with it, why don't we divide our big group into two? People in the north and east suburbs (Troy, Rochester, Oxford, Waterford, Gross Pointe), please follow me to a new thread.

If this is not okay, then ..........................

-Alba

PS. I am not a dictator just a G.O. (gentile organizateur) :)

[macdee]

I'd like to be included in the Woodward corridor wine/food club. I'm in West Bloomfield so I'm close to Birmingham and Royal Oak. Sounds great.

[littlenyama]

FYI - I started a new thread for the North Detroit suburbs - North of 16 Mile tentatively. If you're interested, please check it out. Good luck to the other areas, and perhaps once we all get organized we arrange a get together of multiple clubs. Thanks, Nyama

[Sarah118]

I started a thread for the Royal Oak/Birmingham area. You need to page down quite a bit to see it on the main Cooking Clubs - Midwest index. I'll assume there is interest from Macdee and Mariaper - any others? If so, please look for the new thread!

Sarah

[ionew]

I have posted to the 2 threads north of Detroit.

If anyone is looking for a place to host the first meeting I volintear mine.
We have a great kitichen & dining room.

Comntact me by email to set up a time & date.