Birmingham, AL
Background: When Cooking Light Managing Editor Maelynn Cheung moved to Birmingham, Alabama, she thought joining a supper club would be a great way to meet people in a new city. But between a busy job and raising her son, Cory, the single mom thought she didn’t have time. “I saw how people have really developed strong friendships through supper clubs,” Cheung says. She was so inspired that she finally launched her own club.

“I’ve never entertained,” she confesses. “I’ve not had one party, ever. I didn’t feel equipped for it. I have enough forks and spoons, but none of them match.” After posting a thread on CookingLight.com’s bulletin boards to solicit potential members around Birmingham, Cheung posted a flyer at work. Eventually, she enlisted six coworkers to form the club, and it’s been going strong ever since.

Members plan meetings and menus (choosing recipes from the current Cooking Light issue) by e-mail, and meet once a month at a different house.

“I’ve met a lot of wonderful people in the company,” Cheung says of the diverse group of women, who range in age from late 20s to early 50s. It also provides a chance to sample recipes from the magazine.

Chicago, Illinois
Background: The five members of this club meet once a month, and “never, ever miss,” says Grace Trendel. Members range in age from early 30s to early 40s. The group includes a teacher, a salesperson, a Lufthansa employee, a homemaker, and a trend manager for Spiegel. Sometimes partners join the group, and occasionally they go out to dinner. Usually, though, they meet at a member’s house, and the host prepares the main dish, “always from the current issue,” Grace says. For this menu, the group decided to cook together, and although they usually meet on weeknights, this time they met on a Saturday.

Supper club twist: For this group, four members are too few, and seven people are too many. “We think five to six is the best size,” Grace says.

Houston, Texas
Background: “I would never have met these people but for the club,” says Amy Sonnenberg of Houston, about the four-year-old supper club she helped start.

“The members of our club live all over Houston—it’s a gigantic city. With the busy lives we lead, it’s so hard to meet and make adult friends. If you don’t have any of the standard group associations—church, pta, or carpool—it’s very easy to become isolated.” Career backgrounds wouldn’t have helped these couples meet either: Though three members work in the energy industry, there are three sales reps, a teacher, an attorney, a member in mergers and acquisitions, and a stay-at-home mom.

The club got its start when Sonnenberg posted an invitation on Cooking Light.com’s Supper Club Hub. It consists of five couples who meet every six weeks or so, rotating between houses and often including children in the festivities, Sonnenberg says. Club members appreciate a chance to make recipes outside their normal comfort zone. “Some of the husbands are very conservative in their eating, but even they have stretched,” Sonnenberg says.

The club’s buddies have occasionally sorted themselves into smaller, special-interest groups. “We went berry-picking one spring; three of us attended a knife-skills class,” she says. Some have even vacationed together.

Sonnenberg says she’s gained confidence and ease in entertaining since the club started. “My focus has gotten away from ‘Is the house/garden/food/hostess perfect?’ and on to ‘What would be the most fun thing to do or make?’ I’m enjoying the people rather than the event.”

Madison, Wisconsin
Background: Nearly two years old, this large club counts 15 female members, says Susan MacCall. Half are single, half are married, and members range in age from early 20s to late 50s. The club meets once a month, sometimes during the week and sometimes on weekends. Weeknight meetings are usually potluck. When the group met to test this menu, it was the third time they had cooked together.

Supper club twist: One member volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House, and the group has cooked for families staying there. They have agreed to do this once a year, Susan reports. “We do things together now, besides just the supper club.”

New York City, New York
Background: When Albert Lee, a staff editor at US Weekly, hosted a trio of friends at dinner last summer, the four had so much fun they launched their own supper club.

All residents of New York City, Lee, Farayi Wiley, Marty Kamen, and Tomás Amorim meet monthly, and since Tomás has the largest apartment of the group, the club meets there, with members taking turns playing host and preparing the food. Afterward, “dishwashing is communal,” Lee says.

Recipes from many sources inspired the group in the beginning. But after Lee asked his mom, a CL subscriber, to send him a copy of the magazine, the group fell for its food style. Amorim, the most serious cook of the group, first made the Chocolate Mousse with tofu featured on the cover of the May 2001 issue. Now, “the recipe is part of his repertoire, and he’s fantastically proud every time he makes it,” Lee says.

Supper club twist: Members of the club try to invite visitors to each meeting so there’ll be a mix of old and new friends. “It’s pretty casual,” Lee says, “really, it’s just a way to unwind with old friends and new.” And it’s a way to guarantee a home-cooked meal. “If I didn’t do this, I’d never cook,” he admits.

Redding, California
Background: This club is two years old, and meets monthly. The five female members range in age from early 40s to late 50s. This club always cooks together, taking turns at members’ houses. Members include a surgical nurse, lawyer, bookkeeper, biologist, and pharmacist/teacher.

Supper club twist: They like to pair wine with each course. Members prepare a dish and choose a wine to accompany it. For example, for one club meeting they served a Pinot Noir with the appetizers, Champagne with the soup, a Pinot Grigio with the entrée, and a sweet Pinot Gris with dessert.