A cooking club celebrates its 20th anniversary

When you find a great group of friends, the relationships can last a lifetime. The only thing better than finding lifelong friends is finding them through food. That’s what happened to a group of women in Montreal, Canada, who formed a cooking club in the mid-1990s. They were coworkers at a company, and even though most of them no longer work at the same place, for the past 20 years, they’ve been gathering every month to make a meal together.

The club works similarily to many others. One person serves as host, chooses the recipes and does the shopping, and the others come to her home to prepare the meal. After it’s over, the group posts the results, including recipe links, on their blog. Founding member Kim Chatterson says that in the beginning the meals were much more elaborate, but these days the focus is on quick, easy, and healthy recipes that they can make for their families at home. 

Although the food may have become lighter through the years, the friendships have become deeper. Members have celebrated joy and sadness alike. They provide each other with emotional support and offer relationship and child-rearing advice. Their time together is so special that people go to great lengths so they don’t miss an event, often cooking for their families prior to coming to the cooking club. Says one long-time member, “I have a busy life and I love meeting with my girls every month and really being able to decompress.”

(Note: the photo is not of the club discussed in the article.)