The Book Club That’s Trending in 2024: The Cookbook Club
Finally - a book club created for foodies. Cookbook clubs are the trendy new way to explore new recipes and cuisines with friends. Like a dinner party, but with way less work for the host and way more delicious food for everyone to sample.
What is a cookbook club?
A cookbook club is a group of people who get together regularly to share prepared dishes from the same cookbook - potluck-style. Here's how a typical cookbook club works:
Each meeting focuses on recipes from a single cookbook.
Each member signs up to make a recipe from that cookbook. Dishes are divided up so there is a variety - appetizers, mains, sides, desserts, etc.
Members prepare their assigned recipes at home before bringing them to the meeting to share.
As a group, they sample all the various dishes while socializing and discussing the book.
This allows everyone to try many recipes from the book, rather than just making 1-2 dishes themselves. It facilitates sharing cooking experiences, tips, and exploring the cookbook in-depth together while socializing with friends.
Tip: rather than everyone buying the cookbook each time, the host can purchase (or rent from the library) the cookbook for the next meeting and share the recipe index with the group. Each member can decide which recipe that want to make from the index, and the host can then send out the recipes to each member!
How do I start a cookbook club?
A cookbook club typically works best with 6-10 members. This allows for a variety of dishes to be prepared without being overwhelming. Offer to host the first club, sending invitations to gauge interest and set a maximum number of participants. You can host at your home or find a community space that allows potluck-style gatherings. You may want to establish a set day and time for the event to happen each month (such as “first Fridays”) to keep it consistent. You will want to rotate hosting duties among members'.
What do I need to host?
As the host, have a variety of drinks available to offer guests (or ask everyone to bring a drink to stock the bar). Ensure you have all the essentials: cutlery, plates/bowls, napkins, glassware, etc. You will need a large table/buffet area to display and serve what everyone brought. If you can’t seat everyone together at a table, that’s ok! Stick to small plates and keep it casual. Let guests roam and mingle while they eat, but offer some chairs for people to sit down as needed.
How do we choose the cookbooks?
There are many ways to choose cookbooks for your club. You could leave the choice up to the host, or you could put it to a member vote or draw from a hat. It’s especially fun to choose a new category or theme for each meeting.
Themes based on cuisine:
French, Italian, Korean, Mexican, Greek, Thai, Middle Eastern & Mediterranean, African, Vietnamese, Soul Food, Indian, Japanese, or cookbooks inspired by your own regional/local cuisine
Themes based on dish/ingredient:
Dips (savory and sweet), boards & platters, dim sum, plant based, tinned fish, cooking and baking with flowers
Themes based on concept:
Retro classics, holiday/seasonal, celebrity cookbooks (like Snoop Dogg’s cookbook!), Tik Tok recipes, Trader Joes ingredients, novel/movie inspired (like The Official Harry Potter Cookbook), or Blue Zone recipes
Cookbooks by authors you know and love
NEW cookbooks
Unique cookbooks
