BY DEBORAH TRAINER
 

 
We call ourselves The Spoons. We’re a cooking club of 13 women who meet every two months to share great food and friendship.

The club began about five years ago when Ellen Rose, founder of the recently closed Cook’s Library, decided to gather together some of her diverse friends and devoted customers, all passionate Los Angeles cooks.

We take turns hosting the meetings in our homes every other month. We select one cookbook or theme and each person makes one or two recipes. (This month’s theme is cooking from the farmers’ market for fall; many of us are using The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook by Amelia Saltsman, who incidentally is one of our newest members). Unfortunately, we don’t cook together—that would be a logistical nightmare—but dishes are finished and beautifully presented on site.

Sitting down to one of these meals is a truly awesome experience, and we usually end by having an informal critique—discussing what worked, what didn’t, and which recipes need to be tweaked. Then we choose a book for our next event.

What’s really special about The Spoons is how close we’ve become over the years. As in any good marriage, flexibility is important, and egos are left at the door. Somehow we end every dinner by saying “This really was the best one yet.”           
 
 The Spoons name comes from one of my favorite possessions: a silver spoon from 19th century Philadelphia, which my mother-in-law gave to me. It’s perfectly balanced, a pleasure to hold, and I cook with it every night.
 
Check out the Spoons recipes for:

• Chicken legs with kumquats, prunes and green olives
• Farro Penne with Winter Greens, Potatoes and Cheese
• Rustic Eggplant-Tomato Bake
• Joan's Molasses Cookies