Since the 13th century, dining groups have created community, honed cooking skills and cemented friendships. In today's rushed world, where many meals are eaten on the run, the greatest luxury is an intimate dinner with friends. To that end, many people are forming supper clubs.

"It's like the next generation book club," says designer Kelly Griffin. For the past six years, her group has chosen a single cookbook to use for a year.

Across the United States, there are church-based clubs, gourmet societies and casual groups dedicated to cuisines such as Asian cooking, raw foods or to historical dishes. The glue of all these clubs is a shared passion. "Our group meshed so well, we've taken several trips together," says Griffin. They travel to eat and learn.

To start a club, solicit members by posting notices in gourmet grocery, health or cookware shops, or in the cookbook section of a bookstore. You can also advertise in your local community newspaper.

Once you've formed your club, you can choose a menu and cook together or have each person bring a prepared dish. An organising principle – a single ingredient, a cooking style or cooking for a cause – builds community quickly.

In most groups, members take turns to host the evening in their own homes.