Hi Friends,
Can you believe that summer is almost gone? I can’t.
But, when the summer is done, it means gumbo season is right around the corner. It means fall. And for me, fall is fresh starts. It’s the beginning of something.
November’s Supper Club menu is a celebration of everything that fall brings — of boucheries (the traditional hog harvest where everyone pitched in and a feast was made after a day of communal labor), of community, and of tradition. I’m chasing down the cane syrup cake of my Dad’s memory, the one his grandmother baked and is dense but not too dense and has just a bit of nutmeg stirred in. We’ll be eating stuffed mirlitons, the chayote squash, whose traditional variety grown in Louisiana was almost wiped out after Hurricane Katrina but was lovingly restored after devotees realized that the varieties from Costa Rica needed altitude to grow and would never thrive in New Orleans.
I’m writing this to you from North Carolina where my Dad and I are looking at recipes written by my Mawmaw, some full of instructions, others just a list of ingredients. What does it mean to restore something? To remember? To preserve a memory when remembering itself feels difficult? That’s what the menu below will explore.
I hope we’ll see you there,
Laura
P.S. I hope to cook for you this fall — either here at supper club or elsewhere. After a year of supper clubs, I’ve opened my private chef company, The Lettered Shell. I specialize in retreats, intimate dinners, and small events.
The Lettered Shell Supper Club
Saturday, November 15, 2025
6pm - 9pm
Carlsbad, CA
MENU
BREAUX BRIDGE 75
gin, mandarin, sugar cane, bubbles
BOUCHERIE SPREAD
boudin, cracklin’, cheese, citrus olives, preserves, chow chow
CRAWFISH GOUGÈRES
roux, comté, holy trinity
MARINATED CRAB CLAWS
citrus, cane vinegar, fermented hot sauce
FRENCH BREAD
with radish butter
FALL HERB SALAD
radicchio, persimmon, citrus
SAMMY’S GUMBO
Holy trinity, okra, chicken, andouille
STUFFED MIRLITON
shrimp, pork, fermented hot sauce, breadcrumbs
CHICKEN CONFIT
with dirty rice & celery citrus slaw
GÂTEAU AU SIROP
with fig posset
Coffee & Tea Service
$75
RSVP to Laura at [email protected] to save your spot or by responding to this email by November 10th.
Guests are welcome to bring a favorite bottle of wine to share.
A curated French wine pairing is also available for $25 per guest.
*Menu may have slight changes.
*Seating is limited.
*We love meeting new friends; invite anyone you want!