Inside Chennai’s secret supper scene: Where strangers meet over stories and flavours

CHENNAI: There’s something quietly thrilling about walking into an unfamiliar home on a Friday evening — the clatter of cutlery, the scent of garlic and cardamom drifting through the air, and a table full of strangers waiting to share a meal. Across Chennai, a quiet culinary revolution is simmering. Supper clubs — once a niche urban novelty — are now becoming the city’s most intriguing way to dine. These are not your average dinner parties; they are intimate, invite-only gatherings where home cooks, chefs, and passionate food lovers come together to celebrate creativity over comfort, and flavour over formality.

Each supper tells a story — of rediscovered family recipes, of global influences finding a Tamil twist, of connections formed over candlelight and conversation.

Chef Madhumitha Sriram’s vision behind Chennai’s first supper club, Casa Savore, began after she noticed that people were no longer creating memories associated with food. “I observed that people were just relishing the dishes and not creating any meaningful connections or memories,” she says. Having hosted around five supper dinners so far, the chef elucidates the initial awkwardness when strangers

gather for dinner.

“Once we settle down, we get along with each other as if we’ve shared a long-time bond,” adds the chef.

Talking about the significance of the trend, Dr. Shabnam Banu, food consultant, shares, “The supper club movement in Chennai has grown organically over the last few years, driven by a new generation of diners who crave authenticity, intimacy, and storytelling in food. Post-pandemic, there’s been a clear shift from dining out in commercial spaces to seeking experiential dining — meals that tell a story, represent a region, or celebrate a chef’s or a brand’s personal narrative.”

From a business perspective, supper clubs work best when treated as brand-building platforms rather than pure profit models. “These experiences allow chefs, home cooks, and food entrepreneurs to test menus, gather feedback, and build an audience base before scaling into larger ventures,” the food consultant notes.

With prices ranging between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 for a curated dinner, limited covers, pre-paid bookings, and collaborative partnerships with beverage or venue partners help optimise costs.

“When done right, supper clubs become an integrated marketing model - merging brand building, audience engagement, and proof of concept in one curated format,” Shabnam adds.

Some of the diverse supper clubs hosted in the city include Secret Sapad Society, Vizha, and Tasya, among others. Each of these formats offers something distinct — from intellectual curiosity to culinary craftsmanship — and together, they represent Chennai’s growing identity as a serious food city.

Ashok, a software engineer and an introverted person, broke his shell and participated in a supper dinner recently. “It was quite weird in the beginning. I was quiet, just observing people. As discussions went on, I found people who matched my ideology and shared similar thoughts. Then the conversations started building, leading to laughter and great memories. The best part is that we still continue our friendship and help each other with opinions and recommendations in various aspects,” says the 34-year-old.

For Chef Madhumitha, the concept of the supper club is like going back to the roots. Gone are the days when we used to visit our relatives’ and friends’ houses for dinner, sharing plates, thoughts, laughter, memories, and bonding. “But now, we barely have time to spend with ourselves. It is going back to the roots — but definitely with a modern touch.”

To bring an additional appealing element to the trend, Casa Savore’s supper dinners are based on different themes or cuisines, each taking place only once. The next on the cards is a five-course dessert indulgence.

“Trends like this are essential to build connections on both personal and professional levels. On one hand, guests get to relish flavours they have never tasted before. On the other, chefs can experiment with unique flavours free-spiritedly.”

In the long term, Shabnam believes that supper clubs hold the potential to shape how Chennai defines contemporary dining - intimate, intelligent, and identity-driven. “The supper club trend is not a fad. It’s an evolution. We’re witnessing a new middle ground between home dining and hospitality, where chefs and creators are building community before they build restaurants. The model will likely evolve into culinary collectives, collaborative residencies, and pop-up ecosystems supported by brands and tourism boards,” she affirms.

In a city that loves its filter coffee mornings and midnight biryani runs, these secret suppers are adding a new chapter — one that’s as much about people as it is about the plate.

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