House News
Meet six members revolutionizing the dinner party
Supper clubs are shedding their stuffy heritage in favor of exciting culinary experiments in interesting settings, offering an opportunity for people to come together, share ideas and enjoy great food. Below, hear from six members across our North American Houses who are putting a spin on eating out.
DIRT - Toronto
Toronto native and Dirt founder Sarah Best knew from a young age the importance of people coming together over a meal. “I grew up with a family who has always gathered around the dinner table — it’s our religion,” Best says. Having worked for years in hospitality and experiential production, Best decided to combine her passion for shared meals with another love — weed. “I loved that Canada was moving toward federal legalization. I launched Dirt to create a bit of an underground space where you didn’t have to compromise on good food and great weed.” Thus, in March 2018, Dirt was born.
Each Dirt dinner incorporates a standard microdose of cannabis (never over 10mg of THC per person) into a meal cooked up by a changing roster of chefs, coupled with a joint or vaporizer for those who want to up their high. The inaugural dinner featured a plant-based menu by holistic chef Tonya Papanikolov, followed by an Italian dinner party with pasta joint Famiglia Baldassarre and a deli-style dinner with Rose And Sons. “I am always blown away by the community that comes out and am always so impressed with each chef we work with,” Best says. “The food is truly incredible, even without the effects of weed.”
Look out for our Dirt dinner party pop-up at Soho House Toronto on Thursday, February 21
TBD - Chicago
tbd dinners are, as the name suggests, all about mystery. Hosted about once a month, each dinner is held in a different venue with a menu cooked by an up-and-coming chef. The team provides all the infrastructure and organization, allowing the chefs to focus on stretching their creative muscles. In the most recent tbd event, the team brought three chefs (and friends) from across the country to host a two-night dinner party. “One of the chefs even carried a bag full of citrus fruits from California for one of his dishes,” Zuleta says. The team has their eyes on expansion, with plans to host a sushi-based dinner in New York City in the coming months. Keep an eye on its Instagram for further clues.
To get involved, follow tbd on Instagram here
MOUNTAIN GATE - Los Angeles
Named after the gated community where Parsa lives (the first few dinners were also hosted there), Mountain Gate is a monthly gathering featuring a panel discussion followed by an offering of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern–inspired dishes (still cooked by Parsa’s mom). The event is invite-only, and new members are nominated by the existing 5,000-person community. Each dinner kicks off with a 45-minute panel discussion about rotating topics — like space exploration. “During that dinner, we were seated in my garden when it suddenly started pouring rain,” Parsa says. “Despite not having any sort of cover, everyone stayed put because they were so interested in what the panelists had to say. That’s when I knew we had something special.”
Today, Parsa plans to work on expanding Mountain Gate into a broader platform for the community. “This all started as a complete accident rooted in a personal need,” Parsa says. “Now it’s my passion project.”
To get involved, email mountaingateseries@gmail.com
FEED SUPPER - Global
After successfully launching FEED, an impact-driven lifestyle brand rooted in fair labor conditions, founder Lauren Bush Lauren realized that her customers were looking for more ways to help. FEED Supper was created as a way for them to turn something they were already doing — going to or hosting communal dinners — into a moment to give back.
FEED Suppers can take a diverse array of forms, from a 100-person formal event to a small group of friends gathering over takeout. All guests are asked to donate to the FEED Supper fundraising page prior to attending. As of 2017, all funds raised are being used to help provide meals for 40 million people in need all across America. “There have been so many memorable FEED Suppers over the years, like the one we hosted at DUMBO’s Empire Stores, where our shop is, to commemorate our 10th year being in business,” says Lauren. “But another favorite was the kid-friendly FEED Supper that Kid & Coe hosted in Malibu a few years ago. It was beautiful, warm and impactful — everything a great gathering should be.”
To get involved, sign up to host a FEED Supper here
VICTORY CLUB - New York
Today, these dinners have evolved into Victory Club, a roving supper club with art-inspired meals in spaces like museums, galleries and artists’ homes. “At each event, there is an art talk, tour or lecture and then guests enjoy bites or a meal prepared by me that is conceptually or visually inspired by the art.” With 100 subscribing members and thousands of guests, most meals are hosted in New York by Nass — nicknamed “Chefanie” by her younger brother — with pop-ups in Miami, London and Nashville.
To get involved, sign up to be a member here
MATT'S VEAL PARM - Chicago
Growing up in New York with a Brooklynite father, veal parmigiana was a staple throughout Matt Wachsman’s life. After moving to Chicago and discovering a shortage of the classic dish on local menus, Wachsman decided to start cooking up his own sandwiches for friends out of his one-bedroom apartment. It began with an Instagram account and two hungry roommates. A year later, he invited his friend, Jon Glaser, to help him turn it into the real deal. They decided to operate out of significant secrecy, in large part because space in the apartment was limited, asking friends to text for the address. Since then, they’ve started hosting in varying locations around the city and now accept RSVPs via DMs on Instagram.
Proceeds of the dinners go to Purple Asparagus, a nonprofit that helps educate kids in Chicago Public Schools on the value of nutrition. But beyond the charitable bent, Wachsman notes that people tend to return because they love meeting and connecting to one another in a relaxed and fun way. “Most people stay for far longer than it takes to eat a sandwich, and we’ve even had a few friends start dating after meeting at a gathering,” Wachsman says. “We’re just so happy to be able to interact with everyone since we’re not tucked away in a real kitchen separated from the guests.”
To get involved, follow Matt’s Veal Parm on Instagram here