Maybe the idea is entirely new to you, or maybe it is something you’ve been doing and enjoying for years. Whether it has an official name, or is just a dinner gathering of good friends and good food, gourmet dinner clubs are growing.

If life is getting too crazy with the kids and you’re wondering where all your friends have gone, it might be time to start a dinner club. There is no exact way to go about it, some clubs meet every month, while others meet four times a year. Themes can vary by season or culture or an event. Friends can take turns hosting the evening. Sometimes each guest brings a certain course, or everyone can get together to cook the whole meal at once. What ever the plan, the result is a personal evening with people who are close to you in a place you feel most relaxed.

Over the years, Dana and I have been in several different clubs. When we were young and dating, I lived in Rye NY and took classes at Peter Kumps’ Cooking school in NYC.  I would practice my homework assignments on Dana and one other couple.  I lived in a very tiny studio, and my friends were good sports to be my human test lab. Once married and living in Natick Ma, we expanded our group to 4 couples and had dinners to celebrate the change of season in New England. We had one rule, to try a new recipe and not worry about the results. Now having set our roots in Cape Cod we are in a wine club, pairing our dinner with fabulous wines and enjoying the company of our close friends.

I will be sharing our dinners and ideas with you in this section. I would also love to hear from you, email me your ideas and recipes. If you are published, you will receive a Gourmet Mom T-Shirt (they are really cool, as my 7 year old would say). There is a free newsletter published by Conde Nast called the Gourmet Club Network you can get on their mailing list by writing to them at: 500 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022