Supper Club in San Diego

[mollyjarrell]

I'm just curious if there is anyone else in San Diego who would be interested in starting a laid-back supper club - maybe meet once a month?

Let me know!

-Molly

[TanyaMT]

I would be. We live in the west Clairemont area, by Mission Bay. Is that near you?

[kjunkins]

I would love to get involved in a supper club as well. I live in the Tierrasanta area and I know that isn't far away from Mission Bay. I love to cook and cook almost exclusively from Cooking Light. Though lately I've been trying to lose a few pounds so I haven't been cooking so much from them but I still love cooking light all the same :D

Kristi

[mollyjarrell]

I live out in San Carlos (east county) but I don't mind driving - especially if we're not meeting all that often! Such is life in SD.


Let's wait a bit and see if we get any more responses before we set an actual date. What do you guys think of when you imagine a good supper club? Would you rather cook at home and bring the dishes to a potluck, or cook the meal together, or maybe a combination of the two? Do you want dinner to include families, or just be us cooks? Does anybody have kids? What kind of foods do you like to cook?

:)
Molly

[TanyaMT]

I think a combination of cooking at home and cooking together is nice. If we didn't like one way, we could try other ways. I'm not set on any one idea personally.

I personally would like spouses/dates included. I would have a hard sell with just me getting to go to dinner and hubby having to stay home. I have a 2-year-old, so could go either way on including kids. It's nice to have an evening of just adults and focus on good conversion and food, but a big group of families together is good too if there is someone out there who wants to be included but doesn't have childcare or prefers it be family.

I'm open to just about any of the CL recipes. We eat a wide variety of styles. The only thing I don't too much of is deserts. I'm trying to lose weight. CL main recipes fit fine in my plan but too many deserts is not good for my weight goals! :)

[mollyjarrell]

Maybe for our first club meeting we could all just pick a recipe and bring it, and then while we are together we can decide what we might like to try our hand at together at the next meeting. It would give us more time to get to know one another without trying to concentrate on a recipe first time around.

I also would like to include dates/spouses, etc. (more people to cook for!) My husband is a music teacher who works nights and weekends, though, so I've given up trying to plan stuff around him since he is usually busy when "normal people" are home. But I'm very used to being a "band widow" and don't mind at all being the 3rd or 5th or 7th wheel as long as it doesn't bother anybody else. :) We don't have kids yet, but I love them and am more than happy to include them. I bet we would all benefit from all different types of dinners - maybe each one can be different so that we accomodate everyone's needs. It would give us an opportunity to try out different types of menus, as well.

We live in a moderate 2nd story apartment, so while I'm not opposed to the idea, having a lot of people over (especially if they have little feet and like to run!) doesn't always work, but smaller adult gatherings work fine as long as people don't mind the smaller space. We have access to a really nice clubhouse room with a fireplace, big screen TV and pool tables that is adjacent to the pool, jacuzzi and some outdoor grills; maybe as we get into summer we could do a family picnic/outdoor bbq there. The only drawback of the clubhouse is there is no refrigeration or heating/cooking capabilities, although there is a sink.

It also sounds like weight loss is a common thread (myself included!) so let's just skip dessert and try to pick the healthier of the recipes.

My schedule is probably the easiest to work around since I don't have kids, so I'm easy about what day to meet. Maybe we can pick one Saturday or Sunday afternoon a month, like at 3:00 or 4:00? Or every other month?

Sorry for my rambling on and on...I was reading through some of the other supper club threads and it sounds like for the most part people really enjoy them and get a lot out of them. I've always wished there was one I could join in SD, so if this works for everyone it sounds like it could be a lot of fun! I am excited.

[kjunkins]

You all have great ideas!! I too like a variety of foods and cook just about everything. I live in Military Housing as my dh is in the Navy and it would be so nice to get together with other people that appreciate good food and cooking. So many military wives are into total convenience food and think that I am such an oddball for liking to cook and eating a really wide range of fruits and veggies and whole grain products etc. I mean don't get me wrong, convenience items definitly are great sometimes but not all the time!

I have two kids ages 4 and 7 and would preferably like to leave them home LOL but that always doesn't happen when dh goes out to sea. I love getting out with adults and having "me" time as I am with the kids most of the time. Getting out doesn't happen a huge lot when dh is gone.

Let's see, I have a pretty big kitchen dining space so I wouldn't be opposed to having people over and we live in a cul-de-sac so if any of you have kids there are always some playing outside: basketball, baseball and we have a skate park just down the road with a big playground.

I am really excited about all this and think we will have alot of fun!!

Kristi

[TanyaMT]

I like the idea of a Saturday or Sunday afternoon once a month. Maybe we could do the first Saturday of the month or similar so we know ahead of time which weekend it will be? When we can just rotate homes.

We live by Morena and Balboa in a house there. I have enough room for three couples easily and a little more if I expand my table if some others join later. We also have a yard. If we finally get to buy some patio furniture it would be nice in the summer to eat outside.

I note some groups have their first meeting on "neutral ground," like a restaurant or such just to get to know each other and decide details of the first cooking. Do you all want to do that the first month so we can talk and get to meet each other without it being in someone's home or would you prefer to just start at a home?

[mollyjarrell]

Hi guys, sorry it took me so long to get back to you! I had a crazy day at work yesterday and was at meetings until late last night and couldn't bring myself to do more than fall into bed when I got home.

It might be nice to meet each other somewhere besides our homes for the first time. Any ideas for a location? We could meet for coffee or at a restaurant, or have a picnic at a park. As far as the date goes, I like the first or the fourth Sat. of the month. Another thought I have is that we might want to take our emails offline and just email directly to each other once we get down to logistics and places, locations, dates and such. My husband isn't too keen on me having those kinds of conversations on the web. :)

I just got my latest CL mag in the mail yesterday and I can't wait for my lunch hour to look through it!

Hope you both are having a good day.
-Molly

[kjunkins]

I do think taking all of this offline and doing emails would be a great idea. It would make it easier as well. And as far as getting together for the first time I think meeting in a restaraunt or for coffee is great.

I too got the new issue of CL and it looks great!! I can't wait to start cooking from it. I still have a week's worth of dinner menu's to do before I can start doing that though! But next week, look out!

Oh and do any of you know how far away San Jose is from here? I see that they are having one of the Cooking Light dinners and I would love to go but didn't know if it was possible from here.

Kristi

[TanyaMT]

I agree about offline might be easier and quicker at this point. I PM'ed you both with my email address. I didn't want to post it on the board.

[lisajane]

Hi Molly, I am looking to join a cooking/supper club. I live in Rancho Bernardo but don't minding driving out of North county. I work full time so evenings and weekends work well for me. We enjoy hosting get togethers and can fit 10-12 people in our dining area. Look forward to hearing from you,
Lisa

[mollyjarrell]

Thanks, Lisa - I sent you a pm.

Looks like we've got three people still interested and could probably use one or two more people...let us know if you're interested!

-Molly

:D

[mollyjarrell]

I don't want to discourage anyone from joining my little East County self...but I noticed that there was a group forming in North County (La Jolla area), too...so if that's more convenient to anyone just let me know.

Maybe we should join forces??

[mollyjarrell]

Hey, everyone -

It looks like our first meeting will be the morning of 5/29. Please send me a pm if you're interested in coming. We've established a meeting place, which I will send you offline.

So far, TanyaMT, lisajane, dneaves and myself are planning on attending (as far as I know!)

:o)

Until then, happy cooking!
-Molly

[johnkristie]

How many members do ya have?
I have wanted to start a club too.
Please e-mail back with details.
Thanks Kristie