So is the secret finally out? This week The Sunday Times reported on the hijacking by professional celebrity chefs of supper clubs and the underground restaurant trend -- the one arena you might think remains chef-free. But no, the chefs are fighting back and hiring out their services or even hosting their own clubs in an attempt to gain back ground lost on the dining frontline. And they're not cheap either: According to reports, they are charging close to £100 a head; your non-pro supper club comes in at around £30-£40.
The underground dining scene is a relatively recent invention and – somewhat surprisingly – we conformist Brits have taken to the rebellion like ducks to sauce à l'orange. Supper clubs are springing up across Britain, where food lovers and amateur cooks host dinner parties in their own homes for [usually] complete strangers and charge a small fee for doing so: the food is oftentimes as good as any restaurant without the high price tag.
Naturally, restaurateurs across Britain are viewing the phenomenon with alarm; after all, they can hardly compete cost-wise and their only added value is service, which can a letdown. But isn't it just healthy competition? An invite to the battle for consumer loyalty, where a genuine love of food will win you hearts, minds and stomachs?
Although it would seem harsh to ban all professional chefs outright from the supper club scene, we do wonder what exactly they might gain from moving in on our fun? For them it's a cheap form of self-promotion and a name will draw the punters but ultimately , what's the diff from cooking in their own restaurant? The idea of professional chefs cooking underground seems to bastardise the essential ethos behind the grassroots movement and leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Are their egos really so super-sensitive that they need to muscle in?
What do you think? Is this one foodie trend the pros shouldn't dip their ladle in? Have you been to a supper club and would you rate it above formal restaurant dining? Or do you think the amateurs should leave it to the professionals – that's what we pay them for? Is there room on our foodie scene for both or can there be only one winner? And who is it?
Underground dining/secret supper club, where in Warrington? Thanks