Cookbook Club (How to start one!)

If you’re interested in starting a Cookbook Club, this post is for you! Learn what is it, tips for planning, and hosting your very own.

What is a Cookbook Club?

A Cookbook Club is a gathering of a group of people who enjoy cooking and have all prepared dishes from the same cookbook to enjoy together. The time together consists of enjoying food and drink while discussing the cookbook, and any other topic you enjoy! You might find yourself sharing about a new wine you’ve discovered, if anything surprised you about the book, or how you can’t remember life before Maldon flakey salt.

Cookbook Club Overview

I want to give you an overview of how my Cookbook Club works as a starting point for you to create your own! Of course, you’ll want to establish the structure of your own, and some of these elements might look different for you.

The People

My Cookbook Club is made up of five people. If you’re starting your own club, identify people in your life who enjoy cooking. This doesn’t necessarily need to be your closest friends, or even people who all know each other! It should be people that you think will vibe well together and enjoy conversing. Once you have a list of a few others who find joy in the kitchen, invite them to join you in your endeavor to start a Cookbook Club. Pick some ground rules to start with (remember, these can always change), and start meeting!

The Cadence

We try to meet monthly. Typically a Friday-Sunday night works best for our group, but this could certainly be a weeknight activity with some advance prep.

The Location

We rotate who hosts. Each of the friends in my group is a hostess by nature, so we enjoy the opportunity to plan out fun little surprises like a beautiful floral arrangement, cute place settings, or a new table runner.

The Cookbook

We typically select a cookbook together at our previous meeting. We try to make it a cookbook that one of us owns (we haven’t run into any issues here since we probably own a collective 50+ cookbooks between us), and can vouch for. Because we meet monthly, we have the month to look through the cookbook if we own it, or borrow it from another member, or the library if we don’t.

The Menu

We each select between one and three dishes from the same cookbook and let the group know what we’re making in advance. We loosely stick to a formula of one appetizer, two main dishes, three side dishes, and two desserts. This gives a nice sampling of the cookbook. The menu is selected first-come first-serve via our group chat, and usually the hostess selects first.

Day of the Gathering

We each prepare our selected dishes at our own homes, transport, and finish any last-minute assembly when we arrive. This might include dressing salads, warming any dishes meant to be served hot, and final assembly/plating. We keep the pace of our Cookbook Club unhurried. We typically spend between 30-45 minutes together before we eat.

Beginning of the Evening

Typically, the host prepares some kind of fun batch drink for us to enjoy sipping as we all arrive and put the finishing touches on our dishes. This could be a mocktail or cocktail, and isn’t necessarily from the cookbook.

We may opt for one light appetizer from the book to enjoy before the meal, but we’re always sure to pick something that isn’t too filling so we don’t ruin our appetite!

The Main Event

Once everyone has arrived and dishes are ready, we take some pictures, assemble our plates, and sit down to enjoy the meal together. Typically we drink wine with the meal.

While eating, we discuss each of the dishes and any other topics that might arise. Some examples of the things we like to discuss while we eat are-

1. What inspired you to pick the dishes you made?
2. Was there anything surprising or new about the preparation/cooking process of your dishes?
3. Have you made anything from this chef/cookbook before?
4. How did you learn about this chef/cookbook?
5. What have you been learning in the kitchen lately?

Dessert & Final Thoughts

After enjoying the main course, we clear plates and move to dessert.

We finish by discussing which dishes were our favorite and why. This part is always fun because sometimes there’s a standout favorite, or unexpected winner and sometimes our top picks are varied.

Planning for the Next Meeting

We are always sure to choose the cookbook, date, and location for the next meeting at the end of the meal. It’s easier to plan when everyone is together and helps us keep a regular cadence.

Cleanup & Leftovers

Before leaving, we help the host clean up any dishes, and dole out leftovers. We each bring reusable containers to take leftovers home with, and usually take some of each dish.

Book Recommendations

If you’re looking for book recommendations for your next Cookbook Club, here’s my picks-

I love anything by Allison Roman, so naturally I’d recommend either Nothing Fancy or Dining In.

If you’re looking for vegetarian friendly books, I love any of the Forest Feast cookbooks by Erin Gleason. I have all four and love both the simplicity of the recipes, and how beautiful the books are!

I recommend looking at your own cookbook collection or browsing your local library for inspiration as well. If you haven’t gotten lost in the cookbook section of a library, I highly recommend it! I oftentimes wander around, flipping through cookbooks, and leave with an armful of books that I can try before I buy.

Well friends, that’s it! I hope this inspires you to start your own Cookbook Club. Remember, “done is better than perfect” so even if your Club starts with you and one other person sharing a few dishes from a Cookbook, I’d consider that a win!