Notes From the Underground: The Good Knife Supper Club

The Good Knife is a collaboration between Andrea Lennon and Deborah Gorman. After graduating from the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, the former tested her skills under the acclaimed chef and restaurateur, Anita Lo, at the downtown New York restaurant Annisa. Gorman started her professional culinary career working under Dan Barber, of Blue Hill at Stone Barns. After mastering “farm to fork” organic cooking, Deborah worked at A Voce and Café Gray. The chefs’ philosophical approach was highlighted as they announced each course: their food is centered around being local, unrefined, whole and grass-fed. The chefs willingly answered any questions throughout the meal, and each made a point of spending personal time with guests to gather feedback and criticism.

With only 12 guests at the table, the opportunity to truly interact with the creators of the thoughtful, labor-intensive meal was one of the biggest highlights. We had a chance to discuss their future plans, and while little is set in stone in terms of the supper club, the chefs are planning on creating similar “private” dinner experiences via their catering business.

The New York Times describes the underground dining movement as the “stringing together of the farm-to-table movement with a bloggy kind of interactivity”. Many fear that like all things underground, the scene may be threatened by its own popularity. As it grows and gains mainstream acceptance, the lack of mystique might eventually lead to its demise. At Peep, we certainly hope it evolves, or resurfaces as something just as tasty…and that the invites keep coming, of course.