{Sublime Supper, Underground Athens}
By Stacie Boschma
Photo By Anthony-Masterson Photography
A shotgun cottage, two dozen strangers, and a home cooked meal. Home cooked, if you grew up in a five star restaurant with locally sourced ingredients and paired wines, that is.
Welcome to the hottest ticket in Athens, Ga., where the Four Coursemen have been cooking up a magnificent storm for their twice-monthly dinner parties since early 2008.
The supper club concept -- a not-quite-private, not-quite-public event where chefs and food enthusiasts come together over a meal -- has been around for decades, and is experiencing something of a revival. As consumers consider the roots of their food chains and farmers markets spring up in neighborhoods nationwide, foodies both amateur and pro have access to the sorts of seasonal, high quality ingredients that elevate a collection of recipes to culinary works of art.
The Four Coursemen began simply in 2005: just two friends, Damien and Patrick cooking together for a few close friends. (The Four Coursemen are shy, and asked us to not print their full names.)
Those close friends, it appears were unable to not tell others about the excellent meals they experienced. Word spread, and so did the size of the dinners.
Over the years the group expanded to include some of Athens’ most renowned chefs. A sommelier soon joined them, and then they moved the operation from homes to the aforementioned shotgun cottage with its big kitchen and seating for 28. That’s when they started inviting guests.
The Four Coursemen, contrary to the name, is now eight people representing two genders and serving five-course meals twice a month. Oh, and they don’t like their last names getting out there. “We don't want to receive personal phone calls at work,” says Patrick, one of the outfit’s chefs.
Fair enough. So how does one arrive at a Four Coursemen dinner? Through the web, where potential guests are notified by email to make a reservation at www.thefourcoursemen.com at a given time for the next dinner.
From there it’s first come, first served. How fast do reservations go? “Technically, I think 11 seconds is the record,” says sommelier Nancy.
Nope, says founding member Damien: “If we want to be accurate, it’s actually 5!”
So what’s the magic behind the FourCoursemen mystique? Beyond the gourmet elements, their emphasis on local meat and produce has an intense appeal to their guests. “I think supper clubs have been around because people are excited about food and local food culture,” Patrick says.
nd in the spirit of experimentation and innovation, the FourCoursemen never repeat a dish. At least they don’t think so. According to Patrick, “The most unfortunate thing about collaborating with six people is it's next to impossible to write down all the components that go into a single dish.”
hat’s okay. Maybe part of the fun of the FourCoursemen’s approach to their dinners is that each meal is entirely a product of that particular evening, something that can only be enjoyed around two big tables, consumed among friendly strangers at an undisclosed location. If you’re lucky enough to make a reservation, the food is just the crowning element of an improbable Saturday night in Athens.