Interest in starting a club in the Ann Arbor area

[Cindie]

I just read the article about cooking clubs and I was wondering if there was anyone in the Ann Arbor area who was interested in getting together.

I love to cook and often have dinner parties with my friends where I do all the cooking (most of my friends don't like to cook as much as I do, but they like to eat!) It would be great to get together and try new recipes with others who also like to cook!

[sprater1]

I live in Tecumseh (50 minutes south of downtown AA). I'm interested!!!

[klee]

My fiance and I love to cook too! We live in downtown Ann Arbor and would enjoy getting together with others who love to cook.

[Bernard P]

Hello

Me and my wife also love to cook and, at times, entertain our friends to a plate of food and wine. Ironically, we posted a thread just yesterday regarding a supper club in the Ann Arbor area; it's good to see others are interested in the idea!:p

-Bernard

[Cindie]

That's great to hear that there is some interest in an Ann Arbor club! Maybe we could get together sometime in September to get things started.

My schedule is a little hectic, since I'm a single mom, work full time, and I'm taking a class, but weekends are generally best for me. My 7 year old daughter also loves to help me cook and is an expert at setting the table.

What days are good for others?

[Bernard P]

Getting together somtime in September would be ok with us. Although, since we'll be out of the area for the first week of September, we wouldn't be able to meet until the week of September 10th.

[sprater1]

Weekends are usually the best for us....except during football season.

[cangoss]

I am also in Ann Arbor and would love to participate. I'm a Detroit commuter, so weekends are best for me too.

[klee]

The weekends are best for us, too (except U of M football Saturdays). I travel for my job and it's a hit or miss on when I'll be home during the week.

[Lilian]

I would be very interested in participating. Nothing better than making new friendships and eating fine food (and wine??). Please, keep me in the loop if something starts up in September.

Lilian

[Cindie]

It looks like we have enough interest to go ahead and set up a first meeting.

When and where does everyone want to meet?

Friday Sept. 14 works for me, as does the 21st. Maybe we could meet at an area restaurant or coffee shop initially.

[Maryliz]

Is there still time to join. I love cooking and would love to be part of the group. This is my first time with sending messages on the computer. Hope I am doing this right. The 21 st would be best for me. I am available weekends or weeknights.
Maryliz

[Lilian]

Either the 14th or 21st works for me. How about Cafe Zola on Washington??? or Liberty??? (up the street from the Grizzly Peak) I'm just trying to think of a place downtown that might have ample room as it sounds like there's a good response.

[klee]

Either day works great for us too. Just let us know. Have a great holiday!

[sprater1]

:( Both dates don't work for us! Guess we'll catch ya at another gathering!

[snapgin]

Glad to see other people are interested in a supper club. I like to cook but hate to always do for my lonesome and have enjoyed a similiar type of club in the past.

I would like to join. Weekends and some Fridays are best for me since I work in Toledo and live a little south of Detroit. Of the 14th and 21st of September. I could come to either, but would be there after 6:30 and would prefer the 21st.

[Cindie]

Well, it looks like the 21st works the best for most people. (Sorry sprater1 - but we can keep you posted!)

Since Cafe Zola was the only suggestion, let's meet there. How about 7:00 for our initial meeting? I think when we cook we will probably have to meet earlier than that, but if we're just going to get together to meet 7 should work.

[Maryliz]

The 21 st at 7 PM sounds wonderful. Look forward to the meeting.

[jbasil85]

Are there still openings for the Ann Arbor supper club? Can anyone join on the 21st? I live in Plymouth and would love to meet some new people in that area.
Thanks!

[Lilian]

Looking forward to meeting everyone on the 21st. In response to the last email, I would guess that it is never too late to join the group. We're just getting started and I'm sure that folks will not be able to make every event. The more the merrier.

[Bernard P]

:cool:

The 21st works for us, too.

We're not familiar with Cafe Zola's - Do they allow children? Is anyone else bringing their child(ren) to the meeting?

[Cindie]

Cafe Zola is on Liberty (I'm pretty sure, but it could be Washington) in the block between Main and Ashley. It's on the North side of the street.

Yes they allow children, and yes I'm bringing mine!

See you then!

[klee]

We're looking forward to seeing everyone on the 21st! See you then.

[Cindie]

It's been a while since we talked about meeting on the 21st and a lot has happened since then, but I just wanted to make sure that everyone was still planning to meet.

September 21
7:00 PM
Cafe Zola, Ann Arbor

See you there!

[klee]

We're still planning on it. See you then!

[Maryliz]

Yes I am looking forward to it

[KarenN]

Room for one more on the 21st? I live in Ann Arbor and would love to sit in...Karen

[snapgin]

I am planning on coming and I think it would be better to get together in times of such trouble. I think people shouldn't isolate themselves.

[Cindie]

Yes, please do come Karen! The more the merrier!

See you all there!

[KarenN]

Thanks! See you at Cafe Zola tomorrow at 7:00!

[KarenN]

Greetings, All!

It was a pleasure meeting everyone this evening. I have just returned home and had a conversation with my frighteningly perceptive husband - which has led me to some new conclusions:

1) I'm looking around my kitchen and quickly realizing that it's not nearly big enough for potentially 12-16 people to prepare and eat a meal together. Is this even feasible? Is anyone else's kitchen adequate for such a task? Probably not! One possible solution is to split the group since we have so many in the area interested. If you go back to the article, the ideal size for one of these groups appears to be 4 couples max! Another possibility would be to change the format to exclude joint preparation of the meal, in which case we would either have to do potluck or put the entire burden on the hostess.

2) I'm still questioning the inclusion of children at these events. Given how large our group is, this would definitely heighten the chaos factor! I also must be honest - as an at-home-Mom and in-home-caterer, I think I'm seeking a group which would not include my children. I completely understand that this may not be everyone's preference, but it's definitely mine.

Due to these revelations, I shredded the e-mail list we made this evening, and want to reopen our discussion. I am still absolutely delighted to host a dinner on 10/12, but feel some adjustments to the original plan are in order.

Please post replies to this board, and let me know who would still be interested in getting together on the 12th! Should you all choose to change venue, I would certainly understand!

[snapgin]

It sounds like you had a lot of interted people. Wish I had made it but 5 minutes outside Ann Arbor I hit a traffic jam and did reach Cafe Zola until about 8:05. I am still interested and hope to make the next gathering.

Ginny

[snapgin]

Oops, I didn't read the post from Karen carefully enough. I just checked my calendar, and I couldn't make a cooking session on the 12th since I work that day (I work in Toledo). I might make a potluck. I would be happy to go to a potluck, but I hope that we can work out an arrangement for cooking as a group as well.

[Maryliz]

Karen, thanks for your honesty. I enjoyed meeting everyone the other night and look forward to our meeting on the 12th if there continues to be interest. I would be willing to try the 12th to see how it works. One thing I was hoping for with the supper club was a chance to cook together and learn from each other. I guess my focus in more on cooking than a social get together. I would love to meet new people and share a common interest. My fear is, if we all cook independently it will feel like another pot luck. I am not disturbed about the size of the group since it is likely as we go on not everyone will be able to make every meeting. I would not have a problem with four people/couples doing the cooking at a meeting and others coming to taste. We might rotate that part.
I am a pertty good cook and love the process. However I guess my bottom line is - wanting to be in a group where cooking is the focus and the social aspect secondary. I really do hope we can work something out. Ginny - sorry you missed us. Hope to meet you soon. Mary

[KarenN]

That's a great idea! It may be the way to have the best of both worlds - cooking together AND accomodating a large group. I'm afraid, however, that I'm still going to stick with my child-free preference. I will await responses from those who would still wish to attend on the 12th. Alternately, should the entire group wish to stick with the original plan, feel free to select a new location and continue on without me. I would certainly understand! K

[cangoss]

I agree with the no-children plan (especially since I don't have any). And the half cook, half eat plan sounds good too. But one thing I wonder is how many people could comfortably host a group of twelve? I know that I can't in my current living situation - our kitchen is crowded with two people, and we can "squeeze" about eight people in for a sit-down dinner - otherwise it's knee-balancing and floor-sitting, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. Maybe if we surf the other Detroit-area lists, we could pick up a few more people from the western suburbs (Plymouth, Livonia, and I know I saw a post from Brighton) and split into two groups of eight or so. Having some of the dishes be pot-luck wouldn't bother me at all either, especially for things that are easily done ahead, like desserts and appetizers. I don't think that would take away from the attractiveness of the group. I'm looking to try new things and meet new people, and I think we need to be realistic about the feasibility of so many people in one space. One thing we might try, just to get the group started, would be an appetizer party, where everyone just brought one appetizer. I'm still game for the 12th though, and I'd be happy to cook something to bring along, or however it works best.

[Maryliz]

I like the idea of an appetizer party to start. It would be a way for us to get together and sort things out. I am curious that there seems to be few people who are repsonding to our recent postings - I wonder it some people are having second thoughts. Regarding children -- that would be OK with me but my house is not child proff and I would worry about safety. When my children were young my kitchen looked very different!!

[Cindie]

Well, I guess I was out of the loop for a little while there! I didn't realize that there was a second page started and I was just sitting here waiting for an email with my assignment!

Anyway, it is a good point about having too many people trying to cook at once. I do like the idea of either splitting the group or having only a few cook at each outing.

However, since I have kids, and I am not a stay at home mom, I was kind of hoping to involve them as well. My oldest daughter is a tremendous help in the kitchen and she is looking forward to helping. So..... if there is anyone with kids who would be interested in breaking out into a separate group, I know I can accomodate extra kids and adults in my house.

As it turns out, my kids will be with their dad on the 12th, so I am still open to continuing with our original plan of meeting on the 12th if that's still an option. Just let me know what you decide.

[Cindie]

I just thought I would ad that if we do end up with too many people for the 12th, I would be willing to host a second group at my house.

[snapgin]

I will add my two cent beyond what I said before. I could come on the 12th and just meet everyone, but I would definitely be arriving 7ish depending on where we are meeting (I would need directions). At the very least we could get together and decide what we want to do. I reread the article and basically it looked like it really depends on the individuals in the group. Some only do potlucks, some only do cooking, some only do restaurants, and some do a little of everything. Personally, I would opt for mostly cooking (my main interest) and an occasional break with a restaurant or potluck. I haven't decided on children (I am childless at present) and would prefer older children if we do decide to include them. I guess (as I am thinking on it) I opt for getting together on October 12th but more as meeting to decide what we want to do with this big a group. That way we will have more than just a few people who check in on the posts. I'll keep watching the posts to see what everyone thinks.

[Lilian]

Just wanted to put in my two cents, even though I won't be able to join you on the 12th. I am really interested in cooking with the group. I imagined maybe 3 or 4 people volunteering for each meal. These 3-4 could get together at one house and do the prep & cooking, or at least most of it. If there's too much to cook, then maybe an item could be brought in. I think most kitchens could probably handle 3-4 people. Then the rest of the group could show up later, around dinner time, and enjoy the fixins'. Doing it this way would probably mean scheduling dinners on a Saturday or Sunday evening since most people would be working during the day on Friday.

Even though a number of people responded to the initial posting, I would agree that only 50-75% are going to be able to make it to any given dinner just because of other commitments. If you are a host and can only accomodate a certain number of people, then you could sign people up on a first come first serve basis. My guess is that most people could accomodate at least 10 people. I think it would be a shame to break it up into two groups so early on.

Just some thoughts. Please, post for all to see if the date is indeed changed from Oct 12th.

[KarenN]

I think an "appetizer party" is a wonderful idea since we obviously still have several issues to iron out as a group. So here we go - I will now plan to host one on the 12th, 7:30ish. Anyone who wants to attend, RSVP to kfneuman@worldnet.att.net by 10/7. Also include a note as to what you'll be bringing - either appetizer, beverage, or light dessert. No kids, please!

[Lisadee]

Hi all,
My name is Lisa and I had e-mailed Cindie about joining your club. I have read the replies and would like to come to the appetizer party. Should I make the assumption we are going for "Cooking Light" appetizers? I'll have to let you know what I can bring in a few days--I'd like to try something I haven't made yet if you're game to be experimented upon! It sounds like lots of folks have different needs and/or expectations of what they'd like to do as part of a club; I agree that in having everyone come together to discuss this, we should be able to come up with various options that will please everyone. I look forward to meeting with you! :)

[Maryliz]

Karen, thanks for offering to do an appetizer party on the 12th. I am looking forward to it. I will bring an appetizer but am not sure what . Will let you know.

[snapgin]

Karen,

I will be coming with an appetizer, not sure what it will be but I will be able to make 7:30 pm. Could you send me directions to your place?

Thanks, Ginny

[snapgin]

Sorry, forgot to put my e-mail address to make it easier, either snapgin@aol.com or snapgin@tm.net.

Thanks again,
Ginny

[tnagy]

I don't know if my last message got posted, so forgive me if this is a repeat. But my husband and I would like to join the ann arbor supper club if there is room. We are in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area. my e-mail - tnagy@omnimediagrp.com

[klee]

Hi-

I just wanted to post a note to let you know when the next meeting of the Ann Arbor group will be. We will be meeting Friday, November 30th. We are planning on cooking soups that night, but I will send another post as we get closer with more details. At that time, we can divide up the tasks, etc.