Our friend surveyed the table last month and just sighed, “This is the best thing we did.” For about 12 years, we eight friends have gathered together every three or four months to talk, relax, and eat. We’ve named ourselves the “Gourmet Club” but I’ve served meatloaf and potatoes and called it polpettone al forno.

The idea came from two neighbors I had come to know through a bookgroup/playgroup. I digress, but we used to attempt to discuss novels while our toddlers would play. When that group fell apart for inexplicable reasons, we decided to indulge in adult evenings of food, wine and conversation. It has continued now for more than a decade.

What is the secret sauce?

• We meet about once a season and have stuck to the original four couples.

• We usually just choose the next dinner date at the end of each meal. A set date hasn’t worked for us given the travel schedules of several in the group, but we can usually find a date.

• The host couple prepares the entire meal (soup to nuts). This is just our preference and we have fun considering wine pairings or themed cocktails for the meal. It’s been a creative and adventurous enterprise for us.

• When we’re not hosting, it is a great surprise to see what our friends present to us for the evening.

Experimentation is heartily encouraged. So far, we have not had to order a last minute pizza. If it happened – no one would mind for a moment.

I do wish that over the years we had taken pictures! So many gorgeous meals, table settings, cakes and cocktails have passed before our eyes. We were so busy chatting and laughing, no one ever thought to pull out a phone or a camera. Maybe next month I’ll remember.