LOGAN SQUARE — What started as a change in one man's personal diet has grown into a community dining club that focuses on sustainable food.
Paul Sippil, the organizer behind Community Dining, started the club about a year ago and has been hosting dining events where groups of strangers come together about once a month since.
"My ultimate goal is to have farm-to-table dinners in each neighborhood on a regular basis to connect people more in the neighborhoods," Sippil, 37, said.
This month's dinner will be held at Lula Cafe in Logan Square on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Chef/Owner Jason Hammel will be speaking with group and sharing the story of how Lula Cafe got its start in 1999.
Sippil envisions his growing dining club to grow into a wellness-type event that will feature special guests to discuss topics related to teh food system.
Recently, Community Dining hosted Raj Karmani, founder of Zero Percent, to speak his company that helps reduce food waste. At another event, the co-founders of Rumi Spice, who are Afghan war veterans that buy saffron direct from rural Afghan farmers, spoke during an Afghan dinner at Local Foods.
“I'm hopefully trying to use community dining as a forum for community engagement so people can get their ideas out and focus on ideas that are important to them," Sippil said.
There is no fee for the Lula Cafe dinner, and guests will be able to order off the regular menu.
The number of attendees has ranged from 30 to 10.
While the main focus is on sustainable food and eating habits, a second health benefit is found in the friendships, according to Sippil.
"Even the most holistic doctors offices do not necessarily preach making friends to improve your health, but that actually does improve your health," he said. “I"ve come to learn that sharing all of this information with people and creating this community is itself therapeutic for me.”
Tickets for Wednesday's dinner can be reserved with a $30 deposit at eventbrite.com. That fee is refunded at the restaurant.
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