A group of millennial women have taken TikTok by storm with their culinary take on the traditional book club.
Lydia Heerwagen, 35, from Chicago, Illinois, decided to gather her girlfriends and start a cookbook club in October 2023.
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Each member takes a turn to host and each chooses a different recipe book to curate a menu including appetizers, mains, sides, drinks and dessert—each attendee, including the host, provides a different dish.
"You don't have to love food or be a good cook to do a cookbook club, it's a super affordable way to hang out with people and meet new friends," Julia Bernardi (@juliakbernardi), 30, a member of the Chicago cookbook group told Newsweek.
In a video that garnered 1,212 likes and 26,800 views, Bernardi shared a snapshot of the city women's' Mexican-themed dinner party in May, using the cookbook My Mexico City Kitchen by Gabriela Cámara.
The footage showed each attendee and their dishes including: wild green tostadas, ceviche, salsa verde, tuna tostadas with leaks and avocado, quesadillas, roasted pumpkin salad, palomas, potatoes with roasted poblanos, sopes, refried beans and Mexican rice... Quite the mouthful!
"The host Abby has Mexican heritage so she loves Mexican and Spanish food. The book is from her favorite restaurant in Mexico City and I was really surprised.
"I have never been to Mexico City. When I think of Mexican cuisine, I think of Mexican food we have here [in the U.S.] which is more street food. It was really fun to have cuisine we hadn't had before."
"Our favorite dish from this was the bean tostadas that Abby made and the guacamole," Heerwagen said on TikTok.
In October 2023, Heerwagen reached out to her friends to see if they wanted to form a cookbook group. Eleven women accepted her invitation and they formed the new culinary sisterhood.
The first gathering was held that month. Lydia chose Half Baked Harvest Super Simple by Tieghan Gerard.
Other cookbooks used later included Molly Baz's Asian fusion book More Is More: Get Loose in the Kitchen; The Black Dog Summer On The Vineyard Cookbook by Elaine Sullivan and Joseph Hall;Modern Comfort: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten.
Whoever hosts chooses a date and if, for example, 80 percent of the girls are able to attend, the feast can go ahead.
Next, the host sends out a menu curated from the chosen cookbook with the accompanying recipes. It is up to the rest of the group members to decide which dishes they will choose on a first-come, first-served basis.
Bernardi hosted for Galentine's Day—celebrating women's friendship on February 13—and after struggling for inspiration, she browsed a thrift store and purchased The Black Dog Summer on the Vineyard Cookbook, with food inspired by island of Nantucket.
The menu featured beet, orange and feta salad, roasted eggplant and pepper salad, linguine with pesto, Buffalo wings, stir-fried sugar snaps, pecan-crusted chicken and blackout cake.
"It was good, it wasn't in our top three favorite cookbooks but we had really great fun. Everyone wore red and pink," Bernardi said.
"It was definitely the craziest of all of the cookbook clubs," said Heerwagen.
Bernardi shared on TikTok how she decorated for the romantic theme with thrifted decorations, including red gingham tablecloths and pink floral plates.
The resounding favorite for the group was Molly Baz's More Is More: Get Loose in the Kitchen.
"The food was amazing, it was the best we have had," said Bernardi.
That menu featured Brussels sprouts and green beans, cucumber salad, chicken wings, coconut cornbread, ramen noodles with mushrooms and leek pizza.
"This is one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, it's so good. If you don't know what it is, grab a copy.
"There is a leek pizza that is insane. It's so good. The chicken wings from this cookbook are amazing, and the bruschetta," Heerwagen said on TikTok.
The next cookbook meetup will be on July 27 and Megan is hosting with an Italian recipe book by Stanley Tucci.
Bernardi hopes to inspire other women to create their own cookbook clubs.
"All these girls, we weren't friends before, everyone just knew Lydia. Some were co-workers, some were friends from college and we have been able to make new girlfriends—we are all very similar.
"Cooking and trying new foods is super fun, I actually am not a good cook and that is the whole point, no one judges you. I botched my quesadillas when making the tortillas— they were still so good.
"It's a super affordable way to hang out with people, you only have to spend between $10 and $30 on ingredients for a dish and it's an enjoyable way to eat out for less," said Bernardi.
TikTok users felt inspired by Bernardi's video and said they hoped to form a group.
"I love this idea so much," one user wrote. "Cookbook club sounds like my DREAM," said Jadin.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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