The term “supper club” ranks up there in being passé along with the Tupperware and Home Interior parties that our mothers used to throw on Saturday evenings.

Who would have thought a form of entertainment and social gathering that has been obsolete for nearly 20 years would reemerge as the newest trend in foodie circles? But, now just change the word “supper” to “cooking,” and you are well on your way to forming a hip network that every foodie who is any foodie wants to be a part of.

It’s estimated that there are several thousand cooking clubs in the U.S. They range from small, intimate gatherings to large show-stopping affairs.

Gaining popularity, these cooking clubs have been showcased in specials
on NPR and the Food Network, just to name a few. As the magazine Cooking Light says, the cooking club “phenomenon continues to spread — around the globe, and around the clock.

“The idea is simple,” continues the magazine, “Because all members share a common interest in cooking and meal planning, creating the menu — and the meal itself — is a team effort.”

One such club was started in New York by a group of women who wanted to trade in their book club for a cooking club. They’ve since turned their Sunday night cooking parties into two cookbooks: “The Cooking Club Cookbook” and “The Cooking Club Party.”

In San Francisco, Marco Flavio Marinucci, a visual artist by profession, used his blog two years ago to bring area foodies together once a month. The Cook Here and Now club has since had more than 500 participants with members ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s.

Members select what they want to make based on Marinucci’s menu theme (past themes have included sustainable seafood and wood-fired oven pizza), which he posts to his blog. He always leaves 10 spots for newcomers at each dinner and says typically slots fill up in
less than a day.

There are many ways to start a cooking club. Aside from a blog like Marinucci’s, options include neighborhood bulletin boards, church groups, professional networks, friends’ circles and just word of mouth.

For more information on starting your own cooking club, visit: http://www.cookinglight.com/entertaining/supper-clubs/how-to-start-your-own-club-00400000001164/.