Right off the bat, I would like to thank all you who who have continually supported Tuesday Night Dinner. It is because of your continuous giving, that this culinary carnival is rolling strong three years after its inception. It is the spirit of community and the spirit of adventure that keeps us going. ‘Fearless Cooking’ we like to call it. It is the freedom to think outside the box, ensuring that endless achievements are not only possible but near certain. TND is not a business, or even a club. It’s a movement, a way of thinking about your interactions with your food, your peers, your world, and yourselves. When you give your donations at the communal dinners, or book us for a private event you are not buying a plate of food. Rather, you are showing your willingness to support and participate in an emerging culinary subculture. Essentially, you are redefining what it means to dine out in Chicago. 

Tuesday Night Dinner began as an experiment in advanced social cooperation. A group of roommates wanted to see if they could tempt their friends out of hibernation in the winter of 2007, with the promise of bread, soup, and of course beer. Since its humble and honest beginnings, TND has seen many faces, many homes, many phases in its evolution. We love and embrace the past, but we live for the moment, and gaze into the future. With the help of friends like Erica Gannett, Mike Palmer, Adrienne Dawes, and Willie Wagner we have had homes to visit, and the means to document and share our story with the world. This past month was Derrick Phillips’ final dinner with TND, a near perfect sendoff under summer sky at the Convent. It is during these times of great transition that I would like to express the vast gratitude we have for all of you who have found refuge in our little gypsy camp. I find solace in reconnecting with the founding ideals of TND: community, self-determination, and a commitment to fearless cooking and respectful dining. 

We are at a very exciting place in the legacy of Tuesday Night Dinner. Right now interest in our community has never been higher. The refinement of our craft has never been greater. Remaining true to our ideals, we are embracing the concept of inclusiveness and we want your help, your ideas, your contributions. There are several ways to get involved, both as a guest or as a volunteer. 

Communal Dinner: Our bread and butter, the heart of it all, will always be the communal dinners. This is where the magic started and we will remain committed to hosting large communal dinners in the most interesting spaces Chicago has to offer. We love the sense of community these large events bring. It is the collective participation that makes these dinners so successful. Whether you are donating a cheese platter, gazpacho, or just handing out buttons, the effort put into the dinners is returned 10-fold. We are committed to keeping these dinners low-cost and inclusive. 

Craft Dinner: While we are committed to keeping the communal dinners going each month, we are also dedicated to pushing ourselves as craftsmen in the kitchen. Simply put, there are things in the kitchen we cannot do for 60+ guests at once. That is why, beginning the month of September, we will begin a ‘Craft Dinner’ series. These will be seated meal events, a smaller guest count, with a pure focus of pushing the craft of cooking to levels we have not yet achieved. A smaller guest count means that a higher level of attention can be paid to each dish. Our first event in this series will be held at The Den Theatre on Sept. 18th. Guests will enjoy a four course brunch and paired cocktails. 

Collab Dinner: Part of our ‘fearless cooking’ mentality is about cooking without ego, supporting our friends and their fearless passions. We are committed to supporting Chicago’s underground movements. Whether it is artisanal, theatre, music, dance, social, political, or community based, we are all strands of the same cloth, attempting to enrich the cultural livelihood of Chicago. This month we will be creating small dishes that complement the performance pieces at Art@War on Sept. 16th at Treasure Town Loft.

This is just the beginning. 

There are so many new projects and ideas we hope you are ready for. We will never stop evolving. We will never stop pushing ourselves. But most importantly, the support has never been greater, and I just really wanted to thank all of you for that. 

Jeremy Leven

Chef, Co-Founder

tuesdaynightdinner3036@gmail.com