Most supper clubs get started on our bulletin boards. What is a bulletin board, you ask? A bulletin board is a place to exchange and share ideas, thoughts and information. First, you register by creating a username and password. Then, submit a message that is posted on the Internet for all interested Cooking Light users to view.

Our Supper Club bulletin boards are organized by region to help members connect: West, Midwest, South, Northeast and outside the United States. Plus, on our Supper Club Exchange board, you can share tips for supper club menus, report your successes, and brainstorm ideas with supper clubs around the country.

Here's an example of a new supper club starting in Raleigh, NC. As you'll read, flexibility is key. Read the supper club thread.

Below are some step-by-step instructions to get you started, useful bulletin board terms, and success stories we've seen in newspapers around the country.

Step-by-step Directions to Posting a Message on the Bulletin Boards

1. Go to the Cooking Light Bulletin Boards

2. Click on the "Register" button at the top. Register a username and password to post a message on the Supper Club bulletin board. Once that information is submitted, you'll be sent an activation email that verifies your email account. Once that email is opened, you'll be ready to post a message.

3. Go to the Supper Club section of our bulletin boards.

4. Click on the region in which you would like to start a supper club. To post a thread starting a new subject, click "new thread." Type in a subject/title such as "Anyone have information on a Tucson Supper Club?" and then, type a corresponding message. Click "Submit thread" and wait for responses in the next couple of days.

Remember, if your bulletin-board post is slow to generate responses, try other venues. Circulate flyers at work, local wine-tasting events, your gym, or yoga studio. September is the best time to try, because it coincides with Cooking Light's annual entertaining issue.

Search. You can also try searching for existing supper clubs formed on the bulletin boards. Click on the search box and type in the city in which you would like to join a club and then under forum, click Supper Clubs.

Quick Terms

User/member - Someone who has registered or posted a message on the bulletin board. (example: JenniferCL)

Forum - A group of threads again usually on a certain subject. (Ex. Supper Clubs)

Category - Forums can be grouped into categories (Ex. Supper Club Connection - South)

Thread - A group of posts usually on a certain subject. Users may start new threads. (Ex. Anyone want to start a supper club in Birmingham, AL?)

Post - An individual message posted by a user. (Ex: I'd love to join the club. Can you give me some more details?)

PM or Personal Message – If you want to send a personal message but do not want to post your email address or the recipients email address is not available, use this tool. Your PM mailbox acts like an email account. It allows you to store and send messages via the bulletin board.

CookingLight.com In the News

"In June 2000, I posted this message on the bulletin board at Cooking Light magazine's Web site: 'I would be interested in starting/joining a cooking club in the St. Paul area.' A bit uninspired, maybe, but I received more than a dozen responses. Within a month, nine women gathered at a coffee shop, waving magazines for recognition."
–Jessica Griffith, St. Paul Pioneer Press, November 16, 2001

"My sister and I both had that college epiphany: Have you ever tasted fresh garlic?" says Marcie Rahn, who grew up on cream soup and Hamburger Helper. The mother of two small children, she now calls herself a Cooking Light "evangelist" and visits the magazine's computer bulletin board daily.

It was there (CookingLight.com) that this group and others met. The site includes posts from people wanting to start clubs in Englewood, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Grand Junction, all searching for like-minded foodies.
–Denver Post, February 21, 2001

The first meeting of the Baltimore-area club was in September. The group of five or six set some ground rules: They would rotate among member houses, cooking meals from Cooking Light magazines that revolved around a theme.

So far, people have been preparing the dishes at home and bringing the finished products to the host's house. But Maggi Smith of Pasadena, one of the club's founders, hopes the club evolves to the point where members of the club get in the kitchen and actually cook together.
–The Baltimore Sun, February 6, 2002