ARC Broward Adds "The Traveling Plate" Supper Club to Culinary Institute

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ARC Broward's Culinary Institute has made a name for itself catering events with dishes like this salmon with polenta and a demi-glace.

​The newest supper club to hit South Florida has a new twist. Instead of the underground restaurants run out of a random kitchen by some foodie, this one's for a good cause.

ARC Broward, which helps people with disabilities and other problems, is starting a supper club called The Traveling Plate, which will meet monthly in different locations. Students and staff from the ARC Broward Culinary Institute will do the cooking, along with the occasional guest  chef.

ARC's culinary program is a 16-week program for people with disabilities, those getting over substance abuse programs, veterans, or simply down on their luck. The supper club will be an off-shoot of the institute's already wildly successful catering service, which is expected to do $200,000 in revenue this year.

Julie Price, ARC's vice president of program services, says the catering service has taken off due to the high quality of the food the institute has put out, and that will be the main selling point of the new supper club.

"The people who run this program are really highly skille, and they teach the students what kind of high-quality of food they're capable of producing," Price said. "They really do produce some top-notch things."

The institute's executive chef, Donarth Neil, was the executive sous chef at Sandals Royal Caribbean and worked at Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Neil will lead the first supper club, but Price says the hope is that celebrity chefs will serve as guest chefs in the future.

The first meeting of The Traveling Plate will be held February 8 at Allied Kitchen & Bath. It'll be set up as a progressive dinner, with Allied's kitchen displays serving as food stations with different offerings.

The idea came about as a project for the current class of the Leadership Broward executive training program. The Leadership Broward class will help with promoting the events, but Price said the hope is that this will last.

"This is something we want to be around for years to come," she said. "This is something that can help people who need a little push right now."

Details are still to be worked out, but tickets will be about $45 and seats limited to 30. Future venues being discussed include an airport hangar and a FAT Village art gallery. For information on how to RSVP, check back on The Traveling Plate's Facebook page.

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