Secret Supper Clubs, Foodie Speakeasies, Underground Restaurants
This hit my radar after I saw a USA Today interview with Jenn Garbee, author of the book Secret Suppers: Rogue Chefs and Underground Restaurants in Warehouses, Townhouses, Open Fields, and Everywhere in Between. According to the Amazon.com product description, here's how it works:
"In attics, garages, living rooms, warehouses, and wine cellars across America, underground chefs are taking the food scene by storm. They’re throwing dinner parties at the drop of a hat, evading the cops, enticing the food-obsessed, and making headlines. Whether it’s sophisticated fare in a funky Des Moines B&B or bacon-wrapped-bacon on a deck in Seattle, chefs and food lovers are circumventing the restaurant altogether, unconstrained by a written menu or a million dollar remodeling budget. In short, they’re reinventing the dining experience...."I found the concept fascinating, so went on to read this piece in the NY Times, an older feature in The Monthly, and an amusingTime article from way back in 2006.
This was news to me (I guess I'm hopelessly uninformed). I'm not sure how I feel about it yet (still ruminating), but naturally my first thought was to find out what the Serious Eaters had to say...
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12 Comments:
Bourdain visited one of these places, either in the Los Angeles or Seattle episode of "No Reservations" (I believe it was Los Angeles). The one Chef made a cheesecake and Bourdain couldn't figure out what was "different" about the crust. She'd actually put Pop Rocks in it!
LunaPierCook at 3:14PM on 10/26/08
I run my own little underground spot here in Seattle. We've just now got started with two dinners under our belts. We do this in a house and we're about to convert the living room into more dining space. Right now we only do one dinner a month but we're thinking of doing more because we're booked for months just with friends.
It's a really great time. I have a lot of fun researching and testing recipes. Right now I'm thinking about November's dinner and chanterelle risotto. Having been a line cook for years and doing what the chef told me to do, the freedom of cooking and serving what you want how you want and getting paid (well, not much) for it is such a release. And it helps to not have to think about rent and labor and insurance and taxes, etc, etc. I don't want to say underground dining is revolutionary but it sure feels like it.
If you're in Seattle and are interested drop a line at tournant@gmail.com and i'll keep you posted.
sailordave at 3:25PM on 10/26/08
I saw something about these gatherings on Diary of a Foodie (I think). To me, it didn't sound as "underground" as they wanted to make it seem. Evading the cops? Oh come on. Depending on which version of it they're doing, it was either the chef and his friends having dinner at someone's house, or it was the chef doing what could be considered working as a personal chef or doing a catering job for someone else's party.
There might be an issue with money changing hands depending on local laws, but this is just an upscale version of something that happens all over the country, every day of the week.
dbcurrie at 3:40PM on 10/26/08
@dbcurrie, one aspect they talked about on "No Reservations" was that one of the Chefs smuggled ingredients from France into the U.S. in his baby's diaper bag. They're also able to create meals outside of health inspections, and are able and willing to use home kitchens to serve food for what's technically considered "public consumption". Seeing as, around here, we can't serve hot fogs, hamburgers, corndogs, etc. to the public during our annual city-wide yard sale without an actual $95 health inspection, I can understand what these "underground" organizers are talking about.
LunaPierCook at 4:11PM on 10/26/08
@Luna, flying under the radar only lasts so long. If these are just the chefs and friends, it's not much more than a dinner party, even if the guests are kicking in for ingredients. Nothing there to be regulated, or they risk regulating anyone who hosts a party at home. (It happened here. The county was trying to regulate certain types of gatherings and ended up making Tupperware parties illegal.)
However, once the guestlist starts including strangers, the risk increases that a disgruntled guest will sue over some alleged food-borne illness or will rat out the gatherings to the health department.
Or, if these things become too successful and start eating into the customer base of regular restaurants, it will be those restaurants that cry foul.
From what I've heard around here, that's often what happens with the start-up caterers that work from home. When they're baking birthday cakes for friends, no one says anything. But when they start quoting on bigger jobs and competing against the caterers who have commericial kitchens and insurance and have jumped through all the heath code hoops, it's the legitimate caterers that rat out the home caterers.
dbcurrie at 5:50PM on 10/26/08
Health and safety, right? I'd love to cater for friends and friends of friends, but to do so legally (in the UK) would mean an inspection of my kitchen. I have eaten really dreadful food at many functions, and friends have come to me and said, "Why don't you do this?" but although it seems like a good idea at the time, the legalities are overwhelming and just not worth it. Shame, though! Also, there would be those who would get jealous and call in the authorities if money were to change hands. Best not to go there!
snowmoonelk at 6:23PM on 10/26/08
I think it's important for those of us that do this to remember to fly under the radar.
DB's stories upset me. I would hope that fellow chefs and patrons would respect this kind of endevor, even if it means some competition. Though I've never seen an underground operation large enough or held often enough to really compete with any legit restaurant in any real way. But I guess business is business and we should expect that eventually some bastard will rat us out.
sailordave at 6:36PM on 10/26/08
I guess I don't have to worry about being successful if I can't give out the right email address. The correct one:
tournantseattle@gmail.com.
sailordave at 6:51PM on 10/26/08
I am a member of an underground dining group here in PA. It hasn't come to the Philadelphia area yet, so I can't make many of the dinners. It is by invitation only and the participants need to be comfortable dining with strangers and respect the privacy of the locations and events. Also, you pay for your seat in advance.
izatryt at 7:23PM on 10/26/08
If I remember right, from her autobiography, this sort of thing was the genesis of Chez Panisse ... Alice just started cooking meals for a bunch of her friends -- almost like a commune, I think -- and eventually, it just turned legit, with exquisit Prix Fixe menus.
DaveFaris at 12:00AM on 10/27/08
@sailordave then why do you not invite me to it or allow me to host one?
pjracz10 at 10:04AM on 10/27/08
For anyone that runs an underground restaurant, do you require your guests to sign a waiver or release form? How do you protect yourself from a lawsuit say if someone were to get sick or have an allergic reaction after eating your food?
tkinder at 5:36PM on 11/09/09