We host supper and book clubs in local communities in order to talk about books, ideas and the creative arts in unconventional learning spaces: local restaurants, teacher's homes, farms and vineyards.  But why? In our age of connectivity  we have little time for face-to-face conversations and deep reading.  

Globally we have seen--in just one generation--a drastic decrease in all-important dinnertime conversations and a frightening rise in source illiteracy.  In fact, the next generation is part of an America that seems to have no time anymore for thoughtful conversation or complex reading.  The results are dire: non-readers have nearly tripled since 1978. The loss of social time and eye-to-eye group conversation conspires against today’s cyber-youth, as often they suffer from growing isolation and, understandably, are on the edge of a millennial mental health crisis.

This disengagement and dearth of "Basic Skills" does not go by unnoticed by irked businesses who complain of employees that “…do not know how to effectively carry on a conversation and are unable to do things like ask questions, listen actively and maintain eye contact.”  

We have provided hundreds of students, professors and community leaders with: (1) a free gourmet meal ; (2) opportunities for meaningful cross-cultural conversation about multi-dimensional issues, books and cultural art events. One student participant said, “It was an amazing experience, most of the time I am alone and it was really great to have conversations…. I valued how… at home it felt, it’s something...people should experience.”