We gather together/ Dining clubs flourishing with a delicious

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Apr 24, 2002 | by Teresa J. Farney

Avid readers form book clubs. Impassioned gardeners form garden clubs.

And people who love to cook together, to eat together, to linger over meals with friends - they form food clubs. These get-togethers can go by any number of names: supper clubs, dinner clubs, lunch bunches, gourmet clubs.

No matter what you call it, the payoff is huge. No one person has to do all the cooking for the entire meal, and everyone can relax, have a good time and stuff themselves with scrumptious food.

"Regardless of the event, we usually share the cooking, the cleaning up and the camaraderie," says Judi Doherty of Colorado Springs.

And there's no trick to forming a food club. All you need are people who have a passion for cooking and are willing to gather regularly for conversation, entertainment and, of course, dining.

Doherty's Dinner Club started out about five years ago almost by accident, as an informal neighborhood activity.

"We started gathering as compatible neighbors as we moved into our patio-home community," she says. "Neighbors became friends, and our gatherings began in earnest."

Now, she says, the group might take cooking classes together, eat out en masse, or plan meals for birthdays and other events.

Rules for dining groups can be as flexible or rigid as the participants want. Doherty's group, for example, doesn't stick to a schedule, and often meets on the spur of the moment or just for special occasions.

Viola Hale and her neighbors in Monument, meanwhile, get together so often - sometimes weekly when the weather is nice - that they've named their neighborhood gathering spot.

"We call it the Beer Garden," says Hale. "We have a picnic table in a common area of our cul de sac. If someone gets in the mood to cook out, they call others to let them know we're getting together in the Beer Garden."

On holidays, they go all out, hiring a band and including neighbors' friends.

"We might have as many as 75 people bring food for grilling or side dishes," she says.

When the parties are held indoors, the group is kept to about eight. The host will select and prepare the entre, while others bring appetizers, side dishes and bottles of wine. If no one wants to cook, they get together and go to wine-tasting dinners.

"We went to an Iron Horse wine dinner at The Broadmoor in February," she says. "We all chipped in to rent a limo so we could all go together and not worry about driving home."

Wanda Skarke's Gourmet Dinner Group falls into the "highly organized" category of supper clubs.

As the primary organizer for the 10-person group, she uses their annual Christmas dinner to outline the coming year's dates and hosts, with names assigned for hors d'oeuvres, bread/soup, salad, vegetables, entre and dessert. Whoever is responsible for the entre selects the theme of the menu and provides recipes to the others.

"I plan it so we have just enough dinners for each person to be the host once during the year," she says. "The basic elements of the menu - hors d'oeuvres, bread, soup, etc. - rotate so each person only does them once, too. The host provides a cocktail to go with the hors d'oeuvres, wine for the dinner and coffee for dessert. They also decorate the table to go with the theme."

Her organizational skills have helped keep the group going. It was formed in 1984, and four of the 11 founders remain with the group.

"People have moved, divorced, died or lost interest in the group over the years," says Skarke, one of the original members. "We bring in new people as others leave and try to keep it to about 10-12."

One 18-month-old addition to the local supper club scene, the American Association of University Women's Wine and Dine group, brings about a dozen or so couples together for mostly themed meals. Each person makes a dish, and after dinner, the group reviews the recipes and talks about how the dishes were prepared and whether any changes to the recipes are needed.

"Some of our fun dinners have been a Swedish dinner with specialty items brought in from Lindsborg, Kan., St. Patrick's Day, Mardi Gras Festival and in May we will be having a Kentucky Derby party," says Joan Mikow, the association's president.

The Wine and Dine group also shares the expenses for its meals.

"We keep track of what we spent on our recipe or wine and divide it by the number of people attending the dinner. It usually runs about $6 to $9 a person," Mikow says.

Some dining groups prefer eating out to cooking.

Jack Hays, his two brothers and three of their friends go to lunch every Thursday. They call themselves the Lunch Bunch.

"We started getting together in October 1999," he says. "We take turns choosing the restaurant, and afterwards we vote with a thumbs up or thumbs down. The only criteria is that the menu prices must allow a person to have lunch for $10 or less."

By their very names, food groups put a heavy emphasis on the food, but for many of the participants, the camaraderie ranks right up there. Many of Colorado Springs' groups have been together through rebellious children, divorces, deaths, marriages and grandchildren.