By Alix Norman
Cooking and contacts and chat – oh my! It’s certainly a curious combination, but then who wouldn’t relish the chance to connect with fascinating new friends over culturally exotic cuisine? Picture the scene: it’s a Saturday evening and 10 relative strangers are seated round the table in a cosy flat, regaled by an intriguing guest speaker while sampling the delights of a peripatetic cook with a passion for world cuisine. So if, like me, you’re finding the idea of gastronomical networking highly appealing, you need to set about securing yourself a seat at one of Mary’s Dinner Clubs.
Run by native Austrian Mary Anglberger, Mary’s Dinner Clubs have been delighting the ravenous both in terms of appetite, conversation and information since 2011 on a weekly (and sometimes biweekly) basis. “I’ve had over one thousand people to dinner, including some really fascinating guest speakers!” laughs the joyful and positive Mary. “It’s mind boggling, especially when you see the size of my flat!” Charming in manner and full of fascinating facts about her unusual life, her job as an English teacher has taken her to countries as diverse as Burkina Faso, Costa Rica and Kazakhstan, all of which have influenced her culinary talents.
“I’ve always travelled in an awkward way,” she explains, “reading up on the place, arriving and only then looking for a job. If I like it, I stay!” And it’s this unplanned, almost accidental, style of life that brought this remarkable woman to the island, where she settled in Limassol in 2010. “Cyprus has been very good to me,” she smiles, fondly recollecting some of the many kindnesses she has been shown, the sense of community spirit constituting a concept that drives not just Mary herself, but also her well-attended weekly gatherings.
“The idea of a Dinner Club had been lurking in my head for some time,” she recalls, revealing that the difficulty of meeting new people prompted, in part, her first forays into the world of social gastronomy. But with a guest list now numbering over a thousand, finding friends is clearly no longer an issue! “It’s allowed me to meet like-minded people who share my love of travelling, socialising and good food; I love pleasing people with my food, but I also really enjoy promoting and sharing others’ talents – making people happy not only with food but also through building new connections, and learning about new things. We’ve had all sorts of talks from the most interesting people,” she adds. “Everything from Laughter Yoga – you must try it! – to Goal Setting with personal career coach Arthur Magoulianiti. In fact, he was so successful and inspired so many of the guests, he’s been back three times now!”
As well as the Saturday evening dinners, Mary often concocts a Sunday brunch, with speakers frequently from the more spiritual side of life, and is now even holding the odd, larger event in other venues. “On Wednesday I’m hosting an event elsewhere for about 40 people,” she says, unphased by the idea of cooking for quadruple her usual guest list: “It’s food from Nepal; I wanted to do something that didn’t need to be served hot, something unique but easy to make – a real crowd pleaser.”
Basing many of her recipes on this straightforward formula, Mary admits that her cooking is all about keeping things simple: “There’s’ nothing magic about what I make!” she grins playfully. “I often cook with Google, especially if it’s a cuisine from a country I haven’t visited.” With menus stemming from places as diverse as Burma, Tunisia and Argentina, and the wonderful vintages of the Tsangarides winery complementing the food, each of Mary’s meals is a delight to the senses. And when she’s not creating her culinary masterpieces or planning exotic menus, this ardent epicure is to be found updating her award-winning blog, polishing the second edition of her soon-to-be-locally-released book On Healthy Cooking, or photographing her exquisite creations!
“Taking pictures of food really goes hand in hand with the cooking,” she explains. “If you want to share a recipe then you write it up and take a photo. When I started my blog, I was warned that I needed professional looking pictures to complement the writing. Luckily, I took a course with the most incredible photographer, Vasos Stylianou, who has really taken me under his wing – it’s allowed me to see colours and ingredients with a totally different eye. In fact, my poor little kitchen is now also turning into a studio, with props and backdrops and all sorts!”
With so much on her plate, it’s a wonder Mary finds the time to keep the Dinner Clubs going, but in actuality, they seem to be moving from strength to strength. “As always in Cyprus, it’s mainly word of mouth, though I do get many enquiries through my Facebook page, website and newsletters. I’m very flexible about the guest list: each dinner is a good mixture of regulars and complete strangers, usually people who’ve travelled a lot and have interesting stories to share. And there’s always a wonderful combination of nationalities at the table: sometimes 10 different people from 10 different countries all sit down together!
“I like to think that the Dinner Clubs are a very safe and welcoming place for people to come by themselves,” she concludes. “And though I see my events getting bigger and bigger as there is more demand for guest speakers, I will certainly be continuing the small dinners. It may be hard work, but it’s super super rewarding!” Let’s not hope it’s too much to ask that this passionate gastronomic nomad may at last have found her place in the world. Keep your fingers crossed that Mary stays in Cyprus, and book your seat now for an entertaining evening of new friends, innovative ideas and fantastic food!
Mary’s Dinner Club
A three course meal most Saturday evenings at 8pm, and often a 10am Sunday brunch. Although there is a recommended contribution towards the cost of the food, Mary is very flexible with regards to those who have to pay babysitters or pay petrol costs from other towns. To find out more visit www.marysworld.org, the Facebook site www.facebook.com/marys.dinnerclubslimassol or www.marysblog.org. You can also email Mary at mary@marysworld.org or call her directly on 96589022. For further information about her book, On Healthy Cooking, visit www.blurb.com
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