Cookbook clubs offer metro Atlantans recipes for food-filled fun

These tasty gatherings first took off in the 2010s with the help of cooking websites and social media. In a postpandemic era where people voraciously seek out community, the following organizations and businesses fill that need with in-person gatherings or other offerings. Each has its own way of doing things, but the goal always is the same — to commune over food.

Credit: Melissa Haghighat

Credit: Melissa Haghighat

Press Shop

This business began holding its cookbook club meetings after relocating to Summerhill in 2021. “Our owner (Ashley Buzzy) wanted a way to engage with the community over food,” said Taylor Proctor, the store’s manager.

Press Shop partners with other local businesses, such as Little Tart Bakeshop and Wood’s Chapel BBQ, to run its cookbook club, which draws about 60 to 80 people a meeting. The quarterly events center on a theme — the next one on May 8 is “tapas and pintxos.” Buzzy and Proctor select three cookbooks to feature, then compile recipes for guests to prepare. Guests sign up to make the dish of their choosing (or opt to bring utensils or plates).

For details about upcoming gatherings, email hello@pressshop.com and request the cookbook club newsletter. Information also is available on the Press Shop Instagram account and at pressshopatl.com.

Credit: Julia LeRoy

Credit: Julia LeRoy

Slow Food Atlanta

The Atlanta chapter of Slow Food, a nonprofit that advocates local, seasonal food, frequently held cookbook club gatherings before the COVID-19 pandemic. “We decided to relaunch it and make it a potluck dinner where our goal is really to celebrate and build community within the Atlanta area,” said Julia LeRoy, a private chef and Slow Food Atlanta board member.

The most recent cookbook club gathering celebrated Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributor Virginia Willis and her rereleased book “Bon Appétit, Y’all.”

Events usually cap at around 30 people, ensuring a more intimate experience. The next meeting is set for March 9. You can find details about upcoming events or sign up for a newsletter at slowfoodatlanta.org/calendar.

The Book Bird

Since May 2024, Brittany Smith of the Book Bird in Avondale Estates has collaborated with Vivian Lee of Leftie Lee’s bakery on a quarterly Page to Plate Series, held at Olive + Pine. A $75 ticket includes a copy of the featured cookbook and dishes from recipes published in the book, prepared by Lee.

Sometimes, it’s more of a hands-on experience, where guests prepare different parts of the meal from the cookbook. The next meeting, scheduled for March 3, will highlight “The Blue Zones Kitchen” by Dan Buettner. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit thebook-bird.com/upcoming-events.

Credit: DeKalb County Public Library

Credit: DeKalb County Public Library

DeKalb County Public Library — Clarkston

Clarkston librarian Kady McFarlane introduced the Spice of the Month Club in January 2024 and it quickly became one of the library’s most popular offerings. Each month, visitors can pick up a kit that highlights a different spice — garam masala in February and baharat in March. The kits include a cultural history of the spice, a cookbook list, a vegetarian (or vegan) recipe card and enough of the spice — from ¼ teaspoon to 1 cup — to make the featured recipe.

Even though the kits are used individually at home, they reinforce the power of food in a community, especially one as diverse as Clarkston. Spice kits are provided on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. A library card is not required. For more information, visit events.dekalblibrary.org/event/12507970.

The Local Palate Cookbook Club

A subscription to The Local Palate, a Charleston, South Carolina-based food magazine, includes two email newsletters — one featuring cookbook-related content, such as author interviews, and another with a recipe from the publication’s database.

“Members are encouraged to comment on the recipes they’re cooking and share their thoughts,” said Erin Byers Murray, the magazine’s editor-in-chief.

Virtual and in-person gatherings are set to launch this spring, with cooking demos, author talks and weekend-long, immersive cookbook events. For more information, visit thelocalpalate.com/category/cookbook-club. The Local Palate is offering a $15 discount to the first 20 AJC readers who subscribe to any annual membership level. Use promo code CBCATLANTA.

Little Bear’s Foodin’ with Fernando

Jarrett Stieber of Little Bear recently launched Foodin’ with Fernando (named after his lovable dog-mascot). It’s a monthly digital cookbook in which Stieber shares three recipes he’s serving at his Summerhill restaurant. Stieber hopes to publish a cookbook one day, but since his dishes rely on hyper-seasonal ingredients that change frequently, he likes the idea of sharing his recipes in real time.

The recipes are complex, with several components, Stieber noted, but they offer insight into how he cooks at Little Bear. The restaurant’s bar manager, Charles Howk, also shares cocktail recipes as part of the subscription, which costs $10 per month or $100 per year. You can sign up at littlebearatl.com/foodinwithfernando.

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