Cookbook Club Naarm Connects Individuals Through Shared Culinary Experiences
Cookbook Club Naarm is a monthly event in Melbourne where participants prepare recipes from a designated cookbook and then gather to share their dishes. One participant, Bridget, prepared gochujang orecchiette for a recent event. Saloni prepared a shredded potato stir-fry, and Abby contributed XO egg fried rice.
Club Establishment and Operations
Joan Tran and Dominique Lonsdale established Cookbook Club Naarm in July 2024. The 27-year-old founders sought to create an accessible platform for meeting new people. Unlike more expensive supper clubs, Cookbook Club Naarm offers $8 tickets, which reportedly sell out rapidly upon release.
Each month, Tran and Lonsdale secure a free venue. They manage a spreadsheet for approximately 50 ticket holders to select recipes, providing ingredient cost information to assist participants. The club aims to be inclusive, accommodating various skill levels and budgets.
Focus on Community and Inclusivity
The club frequently features Australian cookbooks and, when feasible, invites the authors. Kon Karapanagiotidis, author of Philoxenia: A Seat at My Table, was one of the first authors to attend. Karapanagiotidis, founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, discussed his book's theme of welcoming strangers and preserving family history through food.
Tran's family fled the Vietnam War and Cambodia's Khmer Rouge, while Lonsdale's mother left Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile. Both founders are children of refugees and migrants who resettled in Australia.
Tran and Lonsdale have declined commercial partnerships to maintain the club's non-monetized community focus. Participants typically consist of young professionals, though the club aims for broad participation. An instance of a father and daughter attending to prepare bánh cuốn from Thi Le's cookbook Việt Kiều was noted, with the dish receiving positive feedback from Chef Thi Le herself.
Participants report that the club environment reduces anxiety often associated with social events, as conversations frequently center around cooking and food.