Trafford Rape Crisis volunteer Kimberly teamed with sous-chef Anna Sogaard to host the women-led supper clubs to raise money for the charity.
This January one of our volunteers, Kimberly, teamed up with Sous Chef and friend, Anna Sogaard, to host two supper clubs in aid of TRC.
Kimberly is an ex-sommelier and Anna is the very talented Sous Chef at Erst in Ancoats. The pair were keen to work together on a female-led project and decided to organise a supper club with the proceeds going to TRC.
The first event took place at Trove in Ancoats; the popular coffee shop offered their venue free-of-charge for the evening. Anna prepared a forward-thinking Danish/North American inspired meal with highlights including Smoked Kelp Butter and Sweet Potato Pie with Blackcurrant Sorbet.
To accompany the 3-course Menu, Kimberly matched a flight of six wines produced by female winemakers. The supper club, aptly named supp-HER, was advertised as a ‘supper club powered by women’. Kim and Anna showed some amazing dedication and pulled off the event without any helping hands (they even washed all the dishes!).
supp-HER sold out in less than a week, so they made the decision to add a second date. supp-HER II took place at Anna’s gaff (and Kimberly’s old workplace), Erst.
If you haven’t been to Erst, you are missing out; the place is achingly trendy with an innovative menu of small plates served alongside a minimal intervention wine list. For one night only, the friends took over the space to serve a full house of women!
They were helped out by two more power-women who had volunteered their time after reading about the events on social media. Maya works at the M.E.N. and Jane is part of an organisation called Ladies of Restaurants, which puts on regular events for women in the hospitality industry. It was such a pleasure to see that so many people are passionate about what we do.
The second evening opened with a glass of Oloroso Sherry. The food and wine were exceptional; favourites on this menu included Jerusalem artichoke soup and roasted celeriac in miso glaze. Oh, and the Malvasia 2007 dessert wine was like nectar of the goddesses!
The most exciting thing about both events, though, was the buzz and chat that was generated. Guests were talking about women’s amazing achievements, like making wine and cooking a fine dining meal; about feminism and surviving; and overall, sharing advice and supporting each other.
The events raised £1000 for TRC. On top of the £35 ticket sales, bottles of wine were sold on the night and guests left extra donations!
Kimberly told us:
“These supper clubs wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support that we received from our colleagues, volunteers, friends and suppliers.
“Most importantly, huge thanks should go to Anna who forced me to get motivated and actually organise these things. It was so lovely to work with a friend on something that means so much to me. It was hard work but so much fun! And I loved seeing some of the TRC crew there enjoying themselves.
“I’ve got a feeling that a supp-HER III might be on the cards.”
Interested in supporting TRC or fundraising for us? The incredible work we do is only possible thanks to the donations and voluntary support we receive. To learn more, contact us for dates of our upcoming volunteer cafes.
