By Susan Marquez, Magnolia Tribune
(Photo from Delta Supper Club Foundation)
If there’s one thing the folks in the Delta know how to do, it’s to create something from nothing and call it a party. The concept of “The Delta Supper Club” came about in 2015 when two Delta transplants, Stewart Robinson and Kimme Hargrove, connected with Delta-born-and-raised Chef David Crews.
The idea was simple: “Our ultimate goal is to preserve and celebrate the rich culture that our Mississippi Delta has to offer,” says David. “We are asking you to eat fabulous food prepared by an acclaimed chef, to drink paired libations from brew masters/distillers/sommeliers, and to attend these special events hosted at culturally significant sites somewhere along the plains of the Mississippi Delta.”
David was already giving talks on food.
“I love the Mississippi Delta, and I wanted to have a cultural exchange. We based it off the old school supper clubs our parents used to do.”
The first event was successful beyond their wildest imaginings.
“What started as a way to bring people together became something much bigger,” says David. “We were written up in The New York Times, Forbes, and Garden & Gun. That springboarded us into the stratosphere!”
When Covid hit, it was unclear how the Delta Supper Club would proceed. Sometimes God speaks to us in mysterious ways. “My pastor preached on Matthew 25:35 two Sundays in a row,” recalls David.
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.”
The sermons grabbed hold of David’s heart.
“I took on the responsibility.”
A slightly different Delta Supper Club emerged. It was still an event for cultural exchange and the celebration of what the Delta has to offer, but also a way to give back.
“The Delta is one big food desert,” explains David. “We wanted to give back with food.”
Thus, the Delta Supper Club Foundation was created. To attend a Delta Supper Club event, you must first join the Foundation. Fees start at $100 per year and will allow purchase of two tickets to any DSC event on a first-come, first-served basis. There are a limited number of tickets available to each event, and tickets go fast.
The Delta Supper Club will host four (possibly more) major ‘dinner’ events per year along with other smaller social gatherings, cocktail parties, and fundraisers ~ along with a new addition of the Foundation and a “Community Meal,” typically the day after the private dinner events.
“Friday night will be the same kind of party we’ve had in the past,” David explains. “We’ll feature a guest chef, and there will be surprises along the way. The new thing we’re doing is a ‘Community Family Meal’ on Saturday. We call it ProjectM25:35. It’s a pop-up, and it’s free to attend. We can serve up to 500 people.”
David is still fundraising outside the Delta, and all funds raised will be spent on food for people in the Delta.
“We encourage everyone to come together as a community to enjoy a meal.”
Past Supper Clubs have been held around the Delta, in places like Dockery Farms and The Babydoll House, and other historic venues in the region – some without the luxury of a kitchen. “We always make it work,” says David.
The relaunch of the “new” Delta Supper Club was held on July 17 at The Farm Rows in Boyle, Mississippi. The guest chef was Jim Smith of The Hummingbird Way, a Gulf seafood and oyster restaurant in Mobile.