Secret Suppers: Rogue Chefs and Underground Restaurants in Warehouses, Townhouses, Open Fields, and Everywhere in Between

In attics, garages, living rooms, warehouses, and wine cellars across America, underground chefs are taking the food scene by storm. They’re throwing dinner parties at the drop of a hat, evading the cops, enticing the food-obsessed, and making headlines. Whether it’s sophisticated fare in a funky Des Moines B&B or bacon-wrapped-bacon on a deck in Seattle, chefs and food lovers are circumventing the restaurant altogether, unconstrained by a written menu or a million dollar remodeling budget. In short, they’re reinventing the dining experience. Secret Suppers samples this brave new world of food. Author Jenn Garbee profiles ten of these outlaw eateries, offering up great storytelling, opinionated tastings, and fascinating profiles of rogue chefs and intrepid eaters. Also included are 30 fabulous recipes culled from some of the country’s most exciting, creative cooks, including Oatmeal on the Rocks, Carmelized Plum Salad, Date-Stuffed Hanger Steak, Wasabi Smoked Salmon Tartare, and Black Mission Fig Frangipane Tart.

Jenn Garbee is a culinary instructor, chef-trained impromptu hostess, and freelance food writer whose work frequently appears in the Los Angeles Times. The former owner of the renowned online bakery Doughgirl, she lives in Los Angeles.