Exploring Life & Business with Courtney Adams of Kooth Supper Club

Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Adams.

Hi Courtney, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Courtney Adams and I am the Executive Chef and Proprietor of Kooth Supper Club. Growing up, my mom would always tell me I “had no couth,” so I created my own. To quote Helen Hayes, “Every expert was once a beginner.” When entering the world of cooking, I had to repeatedly tell myself this. I’m not classically trained, meaning I never went to culinary school and was never formally trained in French cuisine or French cooking techniques. Like most things in life, I just decided to “wing it.” If you’re looking for the part of the story where I reveal I spent summers in my grandma’s kitchen learning how to make biscuits from scratch, you won’t find it here or anywhere in my storyline for that matter. What compelled me to start cooking was actually after my Grandma died. I lost my Grandma and my Great Aunt (her sister) within ten days of each other.

To me, they were giant pillars in the history of my family. Unfortunately, I gained an appreciation for their stories of life after they both had passed. So maybe it was sheer guilt of not asking more questions or for family recipes while they were alive that drove me to find them or even keep their memory alive through learning to cook. I do want to make one thing very clear. They have a recipe they do swear by. A recipe each member of the family has passed down. A recipe my Great Grandma, Vela Mae (who was named after a neighbor who taught her mother how to crochet) to Virginia, my Grandma to my Dad, to me and it was biscuits with chocolate gravy. I simply can’t get behind this one. It ends with me. Gross. So, what you’ll find in my style of cooking is “elevated simplicity,” dishes you love and know with a creative spin. It goes beyond cauliflower mashed potatoes. Kooth Supper Club was born out of a passion for local, Georgia grown food. Growing up on a 43-acre farm in Griffin, Georgia, I experienced first-hand the connection between what you eat and the land that supports it. My family raised beef, poultry, pork and also had a seasonal vegetable garden. Being one of five children, I learned quickly how to cook for a crowd!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like most of my approaches to new things, I find myself always trying to out do myself with my dishes. So, in short, yes. I’m an adventurous eater. If I can’t pronounce it on a menu, I want to try it. I took that approach while curating menus for Supper Clubs in the early days. I would put Artic Char or Shakshuka with Nduja on menus and have guests scratching their heads. From there, I knew I wanted to have dishes from various cultures featured but make them more approachable to The South. It challenged me to be more creative in the long run.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We strive to bring the community together through seasonal, locally grown food. Because of this, our menus change with every Supper Club. Being a Georgia Grown Company, I love to focus on local produce and farms whenever possible on my menus. We offer a unique experience by providing a plated, coursed meal in a new setting with each event. With that being said, we are kicking off our Spring Farm Tour in late April! Our first stop will be at White Oak Pastures on April 24th. Also, White Oak Pastures will be offering discounts on their cabins located on the farm for anyone who purchases a supper club ticket! We will be traveling to four farms all over Georgia and will highlight the farm’s produce with each course in the menu.

The goal is to have the farmer at the table to bridge the gap between your food and where it comes from. There is also a short farm tour included. We want to celebrate Georgia farms, one menu at a time. To learn more about the farms we will be stopping at please visit KoothSupperClub.com . What makes me most proud about Kooth Supper Club is the inclusiveness. I want to show how food is a unifier, an equalizer. The guests who attend our Supper Clubs may be strangers. However, during the course of the meal, they leave as friends.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
My advice when it comes to networking is to know your field and your audience. With Kooth, I strive for “The Water Cooler Effect.” I want to make such an impact on my audience that they’re telling everyone they know about their experience at our Supper Clubs.

Contact Info:

• Email: Koothrestaurant@gmail.com
• Website: KoothSupperClub.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koothsupperclub/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/koothrestaurant