Wisconsin Supper Clubs Story
Cheese curds, fish frys, bratwurst—and supper clubs. Wisconsin has its culinary traditions, perhaps none of them absolutely unique to the Dairy State but prevalent compared to the rest of the U.S. Milwaukee documentary filmmaker and author Ron Faiola has spent the past decade exploring those traditions. Researching the colorfully illustrated Wisconsin Supper Clubs and Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Another Round, Faiola traveled across the state, eating well at every stop. His films Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old Fashioned Experience and Fish Fry Night in Milwaukee gained national traction on PBS stations.
Faiola returns with a new book The Wisconsin Supper Club Story: An Illustrated History, with Relish. Like all historians, he found that one event leads back to another and another before it. In Faiola’s case, the chain of cause and effect began in 19th century London, whose supper clubs were members only, and led to America’s East Coast at the start of the 20th century. During the Prohibition era, supper clubs around the country served liquor on the sly.
After World War II supper clubs assumed recognizable form as the special night out for the Greatest Generation—not the rich but the returning G.I.s riding the rising tide of middle-class prosperity. Supper clubs weren’t the place to experiment with European or Asian cuisine. It was American food—steaks, chops, fish and chicken, potatoes and a salad, preceded by a relish tray and a breadbasket. “It’s always been difficult to give an exact definition of a supper club, other than you’ll know it when you see it, which really doesn’t work for people who’ve never been to one,” Faiola explains.
The Wisconsin Supper Club Story was the perfect book for Faiola to write during the worst of COVID-19. “There was no way I could have done a third book profiling 50 more clubs during the pandemic,” he says. “Once the contract for the new book was signed in August of 2019, I started digging in the archives of the Milwaukee Public Library downtown, which turned out to be fortunate timing, since they closed down completely during quarantine. Eventually a few branch locations reopened in late summer of 2020 and I was able to get some final facts at the Tippecanoe Library.
“All other research was done online at home, which was great. There was such a huge treasure trove of information and new discoveries, that I often worked all day and night. I also did several phone interviews, including a few with Jimmy Jackson—head chef at Jackson Grill and son of Ray Jackson—who sadly passed away in February of this year.”
Faiola’s new book focuses on 35 Wisconsin supper clubs. “The only one that still exists is Ishnala in the Dells,” he says. “The Packing House in Milwaukee still has some elements of Dutch’s Sukiyaki House including the exterior and pagoda ceiling in the bar area. The rest are either demolished or became other businesses.”
Why have supper clubs survived? They’ve had lots of competition since the ‘50s from fast food, “family restaurants” and so-called casual dining.
“Supper club owners just continue doing what they’ve always done best—providing personalized service, delicious, scratch-made food, and great cocktails. In many cases, you’re in the supper club owner’s home, as they often having living quarters on site. Ultimately, supper clubs have a bond with the community that chains don’t have,” Faiola says.
Appropriately, Faiola will tour a circuit of supper clubs, not bookshops, to promote The Wisconsin Supper Club Story. His stops include Pinewood Supper Club (Mosinee, Dec. 1); The Packing House (Milwaukee, Dec. 2); Club Oasis (Sparta, Dec. 9) and HobNob (Racine, Dec. 15).
The dinners are by reservation with each participating restaurant. There will be a meet and greet at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7. Books will be available for purchase and signing
