How many people are you envisioning for your events? While you might have a few hundred members in your group, your cookbook club events will most likely allow for a certain number of participants.

Aim for a head count of 20-30 (or 6-9 for smaller gatherings). This amount ensures a good variety of recipes and is just enough food for folks to sample. More than 30 at an event can be overwhelming for some (unless you’re planning for an extra large event . . . I’ll be posting blogs on this soon). Plus everyone’s introductions, while they’re super enlightening, they can be time consuming.

Note: Starting out, you might not have 20-30 participants, and that’s totally ok. It will grow, I promise. At my first event I had 8 people show, and then it jumped 24 the following month.

Where are you going to host everyone? Is your home large enough to accommodate 20-30 guests, including parking? If so, then awesome. Kudos to you for opening your home and designing a welcoming space for all. If not, then continue reading.

Look for public venues within a certain radius of your home. Find places that have the space to fit everyone and everything: dining tables, chairs, and extra tables for your buffet of food.

Note: Don’t be surprised to learn that some spaces might charge a small fee. I’ve paid as little as $25 and as much as $125 for a venue. You can research this ahead of time before making any formal commitments.

Venue options may include your local library, school, historic house, church, temple, community center, local shop, hotel, country club, museum, or even a dance studio!

Having access to a microwave or stove/oven isn’t essential, but is important for the venue to have a sink, public bathroom, and electricity. Bring a heavy duty extension cord with you, just in case (another thing to add to the list of supplies below).

Basically, the more accommodating your venue(s) is, the easier it will be for everyone else . . . and the more likely you’ll get participants to show up. In other words, if the location is lacking accessibility and comfort, folks won’t want to come back.  

Get creative . . . think rooftop patio, art gallery, yoga studio, boutique retailer, local bed & breakfast, a boat, under the trees, in the sand, or whatever inspires you. It’s fun to surprise folks with a unique quirky venue. It makes for a more memorable event too.

1. 1. Shared Google Doc or Spreadsheet — Free
      
      This only works if everyone has a gmail account. Thankfully it’s free (and easy) for folks to create one. I suppose a spreadsheet would be the easiest way to track members, events, recipe postings, etc… Here’s a template you can us. Under File click “Make a Copy” to create a version that you can edit and share with others.
      
      I would enable members to VIEW the spreadsheet, but not edit it. To formally RSVP they must email you. Then it’s up to you to update the spreadsheet and add their recipe selections. You also will have to email folks when the RSVP list is full. Some members will ask if you have a waitlist too. Sounds like a lot of work, right? It is.
      
      The spreadsheet approach works nicely if you have less than 50 members. More than that, you’re going to want to seek alternative options.

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   2. Online invitation software like Minted.com, Evite, or PaperlessPosts.com — Free
      
      If someone wants to join your cookbook club, they provide you with their name and email. Then you create your digital event invitations and send them to your email list. Folks can RSVP and add a comment (with their recipe selection) on the event page.
      
      This approach isn’t too bad for larger groups. It would only work if you already have a community of contacts or a network of local foodie friends that want to join. Word of mouth is essentially how the group would grow.

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   3. Facebook Group — Free
      
      Obviously, your members need to be on Facebook to make this approach work. The beauty of the group is that you can manage a larger number of members. It makes it easy for everyone to share it and add their friends.
      
      You can create Facebook events within the group that members can RSVP to. Then in the discussion section of the event page, everyone can post their recipe selection. Make sure the event settings enable guests to post on the event page.
      
      As your group grows, you will most likely spend time monitoring it. People might post promotional stuff to the group. If you don’t want that, you’ll have to log in and delete their posts.
      
      Creating a set of guidelines for the group will be helpful. The guidelines can explain how the group works and rules on posting to the group. Food52 does a nice job of this with their virtual cookbook club.
      
      All in all, this approach to starting and organizing your group can work nicely. But what if you’re new in town and don’t know a soul?

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   4. Meetup.com — $15/monthWhether or not you know anyone in your community, Meetup is a lovely way to organize your cookbook club. It’s an easy way to streamline your organizational efforts, grow your group, promote your events, post images, and engage with members.The minute you create your Meetup group, they will announce your group through their website and app, in addition to sending an email to members who share an interest in food, cooking, dining, book clubs, etc…Meetup is a brilliant way to find your people. To find like-minded culinary lovin’ friends for your cookbook club. If you like meeting new people or if you don’t know anyone in your are, then I highly recommend you consider organizing your group via Meetup.I took this approach when starting my cookbook club 3 years ago. My goal was to expand my network of contacts in my local community and to meet new people. I waited a year before I announced the group to my friends.Meetup changed my life forever, and I honestly believe that this blog wouldn’t exist if I didn’t have my Feast Family. It’s because of them that I was inspired to write about running a cookbook club, and thensome.

I’m going to be straight with you . . . the last thing you want is too many cooks in the kitchen (pun intended). Having one person be the host or hostess (who’s in charge of organizing events) helps avoid confusion and creates for more consistency.

The host considers all the essentials — location, theme, featured cookbook, guest limit, beverages, decor, and dishware. Everyone else can help during set up and clean up. And the host is always be open to ideas and suggestions from fellow members!

Opening up the running of the group to multiple people can be risky. Not everyone will take the same approach to hosting and it can create confusion for members. They need a single point person to contact with any book recommendations or questions.

I don’t consider myself a control freak—at least not an extreme one—but believe the communal approach to leadership inhibits you from cultivating a tight knit cohesive group experience. No one’s going to care about the group’s growth and success as much you will. That alone is enough to convince me to run things on my own.

Is there a compromise?

Don’t want to organize the cookbook club by yourself, but want to avoid opening up the leadership to whoever? Then find a partner. Someone who shares the same level of excitement, and who isn’t afraid of the commitment.

Together you can plan out all the details, pick out books, reach out to venues, post events, and manage the group. You can even take turns hosting, if you’re schedules are super packed. But definitely host a few together in the beginning so you can get a feel for how things will run, refine any processes, and get on the same page. This way you can create a consistent group experience that enables members to get into the rhythm of thing, and it helps them to know what to expect.

This one is totally up to you. My only piece of advice is to be consistent with it. Every other month. Monthly. Twice a month. Whatever you have time and energy for. Once a month is a nice way to start. And when you feel ready, sprinkle in a bonus event every now and again. But the most important thing is having consistency with your events. It enables a rhythm of scheduling that everyone can adapt to, and look forward to.

With the variety of schedules amongst your members, it’s impossible to find a day and time that works for all. Since you’re in charge, I say pick whatever day is best for you.

For example, I opted to host my monthly feasts on the first Sunday of every month (unless there was a Monday holiday, then I schedule it for the following Sunday).

My events typically start at 2:00 PM. This gives folks enough time to prepare their dishes and travel to the venue. Everyone tends to skip lunch in order to save their appetites for the feast. Ending our events around 4:30/5:00 PM gives guest enough time to travel home and enjoy a quiet event before they start their week.

When I add bonus events to the schedule, I’ll experiment with different days and times to allow other members—especially those that can’t do Sundays—to participate in the delicious festivities.

This is the part of the fun! Start with your own personal collection or jump onto Amazon and check out the best selling cookbooks.

Sometimes I’ll visit a local bookstore and wander over to the cookbook section. Being able to flip through a book before featuring it. You can check the reviews online too, just to be safe.

Bear in mind that members while be delighted to participate in your cookbook club, but they refuse to add to their collection of books at home. More than half of my members get a copy of the book at the local library. Knowing that, I try to carefully select cookbooks that can easily be found at the library.

An alternative is to feature a particular author. This allows participants to pick a recipe from any cookbook by the featured author. It’s makes it fun for all and adds to the variety of dishes. Make sure members include which book they’re picking the recipe from when they post it.

Instead of a specific cookbook, you can also spotlight a blog!

I’ve done all of these and have developed a nice rotation throughout the year. Oh, and speaking of rotation, if you a percentage of your members are vegetarians, you’ll want to to feature a vegetarian (or vegan) cookbook every couple of months. There’s a lot of great options out there.

The smaller details, but hugely important.

1. Beverages — As the host of these cookbook club events, you’ll want to think about whether or not you want to provide drinks like coffee, tea, or hot cocoa. (Some venues allow you to bring wine too.) You’ll have to figure out how you’re going to make it and serve it. It’s perfectly fine to offer just water. Either way, these are details worth considering.
   

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2. Dishware — If this is going to be a long term endeavor for you (which I hope it is), please consider investing in reusable plates and cutlery. Nothing too expensive, but make sure it’s definitely dishwasher safe.
   
   I ended up getting light-weight tempered glass dinner plates, dessert plates, and bowls from Ikea (less than $1 each). Three years in and I’m still using all them! For cutlery I invested a few extra dollars at a local Walmart (or two) because I wanted a certain design.
   
   Check out thrift shops to get the most bang for your buck. Plus it can be fun to mix and match the dishware for your table setting.
   
   For cups you can use mason jars. The cheapest and best option for drinking glasses.
   
   If you prefer to purchase disposable plates, cups, cutlery, and napkins, I encourage you to get brands that are biodegradable or compost-safe.
   
   The goal is to accumulate as little trash as possible.
   
   Want to go above and beyond? Bring a canister to take home food scraps for your compost bin. If you don’t personally compost at home, maybe another member does?

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3. Tablecloths + Napkins — Just as I encourage with the dishware and cutlery, invest in machine-washable napkins. Or lightweight tea towels are nice (I scored at Ikea with their 75 cent tea towels). Otherwise, these biodegradable (compostable) napkins come highly recommended.
   
   With the tablecloths, I encourage you to have fun with. Stock up on some colorful ones that will make for the most delightful backdrop to your photos. An no, they don’t all have to match. In fact, I encourage you to mix and match them all. It creates a more homespun feel that others feel comfortable in.

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4. Labels for Dishes + Name Tags — Doesn’t have to be super fancy, but they are super helpful for a larger group. Sticky notes or index cards work nicely. For name tags, you can use a package of white mailing labels and a sharpie. Easy peasy.
   

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5. Photography — There’s no better way to document your experience than by snapping some pictures. It gets members excited and inspires more people to join the group. Get closeups of the dishes and overview shots of the table settings and buffet. I love getting pictures of people happily serving themselves at the buffet.
   
   If you can swing it, commission a local photographer to come and capture the event. It will be good for you to be in front of the lens, every now and again. Be the warm welcoming face of the group. Nothing is more inviting than that.

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6. Containers for Leftovers — Encourage participants to bring in a container or two for leftovers. You’re guaranteed to have the best lunch the next day.

What actually happens at your events? The flow?

Events generally last for about 2-3 hours (not counting the time it takes to set up). The more seasoned members come in 15 minutes early to prep their dishes. By 2:30 the buffet is ready for a couple of quick shots, and then everyone lines up to fill their plates.

I encourage folks to start eating as soon as they sit down. That way they can enjoy whichever dishes are meant to be served warm.

Once everyone sits, I stand up to welcome everyone and introduce any new members. I take a moment to express my gratitude to for everyone that took the time and money to prepare all the wonderful food. Any announcements the need to get made, I make them. Then I wrap things up with explaining next steps.

Each person is invited to briefly introduce themselves and share where they’re from. They state which recipe(s) they brought, why they picked it, and what their feelings were about it. How was the process of making the dish? Any disappointments or surprises. Did they learn anything? What changes would they make? Would they make it again?

1. No need to double the recipes. There will be more than enough food to share.
   

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2. Encourage folks to follow instructions exactly (this can be really hard for some people, like me.)
   

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3. Having the dinner tables put together is a beautiful way to say, “Welcome” to your guests. If I’m ever running short on time, I’ll hold off on setting up all the chairs. When folks get there, they’re always eager to help. So I let them bring out the chairs and set them up. It’s a win-win.
   

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4. If you have a couple events planned out ahead of time, remember to bring a copy of the featured cookbooks with you at your earlier events. Folks can get a sneak peek of the recipes and pick one. They usually snap a picture with their phones. Is saves them the hassle of tracking down a copy of the book, while getting them excited at the same time.
   

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5. Have a plan in place for transporting and storing all of your supplies. It’s helpful to keep everything separate from your home kitchen equipment. Sturdy bins will make it easy for carrying everything to the car. If you can, have an extra one for collecting dirty dishes in. And the minute you get home, fill that sucker with the hottest soapiest water. Let it soak overnight before cleaning.
   

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6. If you wind up hosting your events at the same location, see if there’s a way for you to store supplies there! It doesn’t hurt to ask.