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Tastebuds

Tastebuds. That's what we named ourselves on a winter evening nearly four years ago. The witty alcohol-induced tongue-in-cheek play on words described then, as it does now, the commeradery the group of twelve of us felt from our first evening together; buddies who revel in good food, culinary challenges, and above all, laughter. Our experience in pulling together a gourmet club went like this: My friend Cathy and I each invited two other couples that we knew had an interest in good food. At our first gathering, a wine-tasting and appetizer menu, some people knew some people but no one knew everyone, and one fellow only knew his wife. But there was immediate chemistry and an interest in journeying together to learn more about wine and food. We meet about every other month, alternating hosting duties so that we each host once a year. Sometimes on our off months we'll dine out together. It's host's choice when it comes to the menu and it's execution. We've run the gamut-- cocktail parties, ethnic cuisines and local seasonally inspired menus. Sometimes the host puts together a creative invitation packet on fancy paper with each of the evening's recipes to choose from on a first-come basis. Sometimes it's a quick email- "Hey, don't forget Tastebud's is at our place next week. Please bring this dish and a bottle of wine. See you at 7!" Either way, we all come enthused and expectant. Whether it's a casual night on the deck or a formally set table, we always love, learn and laugh a lot. And the food is always fabulous. A highlight of our Tastebuds experience is our annual autumn winery tour. We each bring a dish to be paired with a wine at each of our stops, pile in a van and away we go. We huddle from tasting room to tasting room, soaking up all the knowledge we can from our local wine makers to take back and apply to our daily experience. And laugh and laugh and laugh. I wouldn't trade my Tastebuddies for the world. If you have an interest in starting a gourmet club I'd happily answer any questions.