cook(book) club update 6/28/2025
H1 recap, upcoming events, come dine with me, etc.
Time for an update! There’s lots to chat about, so we’ve got a fully fledged post on what’s past and what’s coming up for cook club.
Cookbook Club » Cook Club
In the last few months, I’ve been making reference to the events I host as “cook club” instead of “cookBOOK club”. “Cookbook club” refers to a potluck centered around a specific book and author. This is not an idea of my own conception and according to The New York Times, some have been running for more than 100 years. “Cook Club” refers to this broader online community of home cooks with offline gatherings including cookbook clubs, group volunteering, workshops, bake sales and more!
Collectively, we share much more than a love for cookbooks, so I want to explore that further. As promised, expect cookbook clubs at a quarterly cadence and sporadically whenever I have capacity to plan. Let’s recap the first half of 2025:
January - The Korean Vegan by Joanne Molinaro hosted by
February - Chinese Enough by
co-hosted withApril - My Half Latinx Kitchen by Kiera Wright-Ruiz
May - What Can I Bring? by Casey Elsass
June - Volunteering with Be A Bright Light and a workshop with Sitti’s House
That’s 4 cookbook clubs, 1 group volunteering event and 1 workshop! I prefer to underpromise and overdeliver :).
Save the date!
Look forward to more details closer to the date, but for now…here’s a little preview:
July 26th: Kimchi workshop with Jimchi Kimchi in Nolita. 4pm-6pm, 40 people @ $60pp (includes a light meal and kimchi to take home). JIMCHI is a new Korean meal and kimchi delivery service in Brooklyn/Queens. Everything is made in small batches to bring more traditional home-style Korean cooking and banchan to their NYC community! Partiful available July 10 at 12pm for paid subscribers and July 11th for everyone else.
August 17th: Luk chup (Thai marzipan) workshop with Ali Domrongchai in East Williamsburg. 2-4pm, 25 people @ $35pp. Proceeds will benefit SEARAC, a civil rights organization that empowers South East Asian communities to create a socially just and equitable society. Partiful available August 1 at 12pm for paid subscribers and August 2nd for everyone else.
August 24th: Salt Sugar MSG cookbook club with author Calvin Eng at Welcome to Chinatown. Organized by
/@Justine_Baking. 12-2pm, 45 people @ $20pp. Partiful available August 7th at 12pm for paid subscribers and August 8th for everyone else.September 14th: Soju Party cookbook club with author Irene Yoo at Orion Bar. 4pm-6pm, 50 people @ $30pp (includes a drink). Partiful available August 29th at 12pm for paid subscribers and 30th for everyone else.
If you’re interested in more community-organized cookbook clubs and events, please join the Discord server.
Come Dine With Me Updates
Inspired by the British reality television show where amateur chefs compete by hosting dinner parties for each other, we began testing and matching community members for rotating small group dinners. There are 3 groups of 5 members, each in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. Most groups are only on their second or third meeting, so I would like to see how these go and think through areas of improvement before rolling out to more people.
What’s working
Guests are making genuine connections - quote “would hang out individually with everyone who attended”
Hosts have been making delicious three course meals!
Areas for improvement
Scheduling. We all lead busy lives. What if one person can’t make it for the next month?
Accountability amongst strangers. How do we ensure people who sign up stay committed to their group for multiple weeks/months?
Safety. How do we get comfortable with strangers in our home? What safeguards can we put in place to do so?
If you have suggestions in these areas, email joincookclub@gmail.com or leave a comment below!
May / June recap
May 22 - What Can I Bring? cookbook club with Casey Elsass at Edy’s Grocer
"What can I bring?" is such a bit of a stressful question, and Casey’s book of the same name solves that problem with ease. With quick wins that come together as a full meal, it was the exactly what we needed for our first weekday event. This time around, there was a 50/50 split between newcomers and returning attendees. Food was plentiful and Edy’s Grocer items were 15% off! Thank you Casey for the smart, sassy cookbook and Edy for letting us gather in your space.
June 11 - Volunteer sandwich assembly organized by Be A Bright Light
Another first! I’ve been looking for volunteer opportunities in NYC, and it’s always nice to do so with friends. Together, we made 1,000 sandwiches in 35 minutes for Mainchance, which is a multi-service facility with an emergency overnight shelter. I don’t have an exact count but I think 40-50 of us were there. Because I didn’t organize this event myself, I made brownies and cookies for cook club volunteers so that I could identify who came from the IG broadcast channel. Thanks to everyone who joined!
In case you missed it, on July 9th, 7-8pm, Be A Bright Light is hosting volunteer sandwich assembly for Mainchance (a multi-service facility with an emergency overnight shelter) organized by . Sign up here.
June 22 - Sitti’s House Palestinian Knafeh Workshop
Last weekend, 30 of us learned how to make knafeh with Farah of Sitti’s House. Knafeh is a Middle Eastern dessert of phyllo dough, cheese, and orange blossom water. Perfect for those that love sweets that are a little salty! Proceeds benefitted the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund. They teach once a month in Brooklyn, travel to MA and NJ, and are also available for private events. Check out the Sitti’s House website for more info.
That’s all for now, folks. Let me know what you’re excited to attend and what other workshops and events you’d like to see next :) Happy weekend and stay cool out there!
you're so cool steph! can't wait to come to another cook club event
Love these updates!!!