The reason why food and friendship is the best pairing

Luca Marchesotti
Jul 30, 2017 · 2 min read

8th of December 2011, 6pm Grenoble, France. Myself and Jean got together in my kitchen with a big block of fois gras. We started frying the french delicatessen and after a few minutes we were already eating directly from the pan: the Club des Sommeliers was born.

25 themed sessions later brought together 30 members from more than 15 different countries: the club is a winning formula that helped myself and my friends to share a lot of great moments in an unconventional and original way.

“We cook it together, we eat it together”

from https://www.instagram.com/jamieoliver/

The format of Club des Sommeliers (CDS) is very simple: a theme is decided beforehand, one of the members hosts the night and then everyone gets together. Eating and cooking is alternated until everyone is fed and happy.

There are several aspects that make CDS a great occasion for so many diverse and heterogeneous people.

It is convivial — the right way. The cooking experience brings another dimension to the dynamic of a group: you bond more naturally if you have to accomplish a task together. It is a shared experience that everyone loves.

It is a creative experience. Cooking together is fun and it is a creative experience where everyone brings something different. We might start with the idea of cooking fried aubergines and then a friend from Pakistan makes a twist based on a local recipe and a spice he brought of from a recent trip

It teaches you something about food, culture and life.

it creates new relationships.

CDS started quite randomly in France, it migrated to Dublin Ireland three years ago and it is now a monthly classic. Same formula, different people, different countries but same result: a lot of conviviality moments bringing together people that love food and sharing it with others.

    Luca Marchesotti

    Written by

    Founder @beautifeyelabs, researcher @Xerox, runner, ski junkie

    Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
    Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
    Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade