As it prepares to complete a two month long pop-up series with a German beer dinner Friday night, the Kipper Club Test Kitchen is looking to grow with at least nine dinners in the first two months of 2015.
Next season's out of town chefs feature two big names in Dan Heinze, chef de cuisine of celebrated Charleston restaurant McCrady's (Jan. 16), and Michael Gulotta of New Orleans restaurant Mopho (Jan. 23). Kipper Club has also introduced a new $1,000 season ticket option that grants access to at least nine dinners as well as a butchery class taught by Bernadine's chef Graham Laborde and Hunky Dory chef Richard Knight and a fish class taught by Foreign Correspondents chef PJ Stoops.
"I'm particularly stoked about our out of town chefs."
Up and coming chefs will be featured at two "Contenders' Dinners" on Jan. 9 and Feb. 6. Kipper Club owner Treadsack will preview its three, eagerly anticipated spring openings — Bernadine's, Hunky Dory and Foreign Correspondents — at dinners on Jan. 30, Feb. 13 and Feb. 21. Additional dinners will feature Knight reprising last year's well-received Burns Supper (Jan. 24) and former Inn at Dos Brisas chef Zac Ladwig preparing an all seafood dinner (Feb. 27).
"I'm particularly stoked about our out of town chefs," Kipper Club manager Graham Laborde writes in an email. "Dan and Michael are both top tier chefs running kitchens that other chefs strive to emulate. These are the guys we had in mind when we started this project. We're lucky to have them."
The new series will also give Laborde his first opportunity to present Bernadine's to a paying audience. "There has been so much work involved just to get to this point that I can't wait to see how people respond to it. I feel fortunate to be in a position to benefit from that type of feedback," he emails.
By offering passionate diners the chance to preview upcoming restaurants and taste food by chefs from other states, Kipper Club has emerged as one of the city's most interesting dining options. The winter season only builds on that momentum.
The Kipper Club Test Kitchen will resume with a full slate of dinners and classes in January.
