Scott Joseph Hosts First Virtual Supper Club with Soco Thornton Park on April 30

Photo by Tiffany Nguyen

Scott Joseph of Scott Joseph’s Orlando Restaurant Guide is partnering with Soco Thornton Park for their very first virtual Supper Club using the teleconferencing software, Zoom on April 30.

We spoke briefly with Scott Joseph about this virtual supper club via e-mail:

Tasty Chomps: What inspired you to start this event?

Scott Joseph: I’ve been helping someone learn Zoom for teaching online and got to thinking it would be a creative way to hold a Supper Club, since we can’t all gather in one place for the time being.

Is this your very first virtual Supper Club?

I once held a Supper Club in Dublin but this will be the first one in cyberspace.

What is the program going to be like?

Greg Richie of Soco has put together a three-course dinner paired with two wines. Guests will pick the food up at the restaurant on the day of the event between 2pm-6pm then, using Richie’s instructions for reheating the entree, gather the meal in front of their webcams and log in to my Zoom room at 7pm.

All the participants will be able to see and hear the others. Richie will come on and talk about the food (I’ll probably show a video of it being prepared in the Soco kitchen); and we’re hoping to get the winemakers, one from California and one from New Zealand, to Zoom in and talk about the wines.

We’ll also have the usual dinner conversations, hearing from everyone about how they’re adapting and what they’re looking forward to once they’re able to get back out.

How long do you think we are going to be social distancing? Any words of encouragement for restaurants out there right now?

I wish I could be more optimistic, but I’m afraid we’ll be in some sort of distancing for several more months, perhaps through the end of the year. I think it’s great how so many of our local restaurants have adapted to become takeout operations, but I know it isn’t enough to keep their full staffs on payroll. It’s going to take more creative thinking to adapt further and make the current situation profitable. Better distribution of government funds to small businesses wouldn’t hurt, either.

Cost for the food is $45 per person; the wines are priced at $20 per bottle. So cost for a couple would be $130. For an individual, it’s $85 (but you have the wine all to yourself). Tax is extra and so is the gratuity (recommended a minimum of 20 percent to support the staff). Tickets are first come, first serve.

There is also an optional “welcome cocktail” you can order to sip on while we wait for everyone to join the Zoom room.