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Jonathan Gayman
The chefs pull double duty as servers
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Jonathan Gayman
The chefs often work from makeshift kitchens
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Jonathan Gayman
Roasted vegetables with hot sauce vinaigrette
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Jonathan Gayman
Pressure-cooked pork cheeks with molasses and sweet pea risotto, bacon, and oregano molasses jus
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Jonathan Gayman
Torched scallop with braised freekeh, herb aioli, micro kale, and charcoal salt
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Jonathan Gayman
Lamb tartare with nuk choy, soy sake gel, and black and white sesame seeds
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Jonathan Gayman
Tequila & Tea cocktail
“I was at a Starbucks, and a lady looked at me,” says Chef One. “She just goes [whispers conspiratorially], ‘Rogue?’ I just said, ‘Rogue.’”
If this sounds like a scene from a spy thriller, you’re getting a feel for life in the shadowy world of Rogue Underground Dinner Society Events. Rogue was established in late 2009 by two local food industry figures—let’s call them Chef One and Chef Two. In spite of occasional encounters with past attendees similar to the one described above, the chefs mostly remain anonymous.
The idea for Rogue emerged almost from the day that chefs One and Two met. “I always equate it to Lennon and McCartney,” says Chef One. “The harmony just works.”
Over the past nine years, Rogue has hosted more than 70 dinners in 49 locations. The very first dinner, held at Kirkwood’s train station, set the template for the series’ boundary-pushing choice of venues. “Basically you’re building an entire restaurant, then breaking it all down,” says Chef One.
Guests sign up for dinners by email, with fierce competition for places, and are notified by email if they make the cut. Apart from the date of the event, all other details are kept under wraps until guests arrive for the pre-dinner cocktail hour. Even the locations are revealed only a day or two in advance.
For the chefs, Rogue is largely a creative outlet. “Once we have something we think we like, we’ll completely challenge it. There are no limits,” says Chef Two. No two dinners are the same, but there are a few constants: Each dinner has a theme and a playlist, foie gras always features, and when you hear a Michael Jackson song, the party’s over.
Five dollars from every $80 ticket is donated to theater company RS Theatrics, with the remainder covering costs. As the series evolves, the chefs say, they’re exploring ways to give back more to local communities.
Newcomers are welcome—but with privilege comes responsibility. “We have this spiel at the beginning,” Chef One says. “If you want to maintain the integrity of this, and if you want to keep coming back, don’t tell too many people. We explain the rules like in Fight Club: You don’t talk about it.”
Interested in attending a Rogue dinner? Email roguediningsociety@hotmail.com.
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