Members-Only Dinner Club Tasting Collective Expands to Nashville | Eater Nashville

"Operating as a private dining membership club, I see Tasting Collective taking over top independent restaurants on their typically closed or slower days to host six-course tasting dinners; it currently operates in Austin, Chicago, NYC, Philly, San Francisco, Oakland, and Washington, DC, and is launching in Nashville with its first event on Monday, April 1 at Peninsula. Founder Nat Gelb says the idea is to 'create a stage upon which executive chefs can experiment with new dishes and put on a show,' a concept rooted in his upbringing around farms in upstate New York where food was a human, communal experience. Gelb launched the company in NYC in May 2016, and it has grown to over 4,000 paying members across six chapters. Memberships cost $165 annually and tickets to dinners are $50; events seat 50–100 members who receive six-course menus presented personally by the chef, peppered with personal anecdotes and closing with a Q&A during dessert. Members fill out feedback cards during the event that are given directly to chefs afterward so they can get private, constructive feedback — the opposite of Yelp." - Delia Jo Ramsey