Past Event – The Alice B. Toklas Supper Club

To celebrate the publication of Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife by Francesca Wade, join us for an exclusive supper club at Toklas with a specially designed menu inspired by Alice B. Toklas’s eponymous bestselling Cook Book. Stein and Toklas’s apartment on the rue de Fleurus was a famed gathering-place for the early twentieth-century Parisian avant-garde, where Toklas – an accomplished chef – dazzled close friends with spectacular feasts. Written six years after Stein’s death, The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book is both recipe book and memoir, offering piquant anecdotes of life with Stein alongside mementoes of some of their most memorable dinners.

Guests will learn about the extraordinary lives of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas from biographer Francesca Wade, who will be in conversation with writer Jennifer Higgie and will introduce each course of dishes inspired by recipes from The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book. The menu will be created by Toklas head chef Chris Shaw in collaboration with guest chef Alex Jackson, formerly of Sardine and Noble Rot Soho.

Doors will open at 6.30 with a complimentary drink on the terrace, a Crème de cassis and a cassis shrub inspired by Alice’s recipe for blackcurrant liqueur, which she describes as ‘a very refreshing summer drink’. There will be an introductory talk beginning at 7.00, followed by dinner. Guests will sit at two long sharing tables – you will be seated with your party, alongside other guests, recreating the convivial atmosphere of Gertrude and Alice’s salon.

Tickets are £85 per person, with the option of a drinks pairing for £45 and a signed copy of the book for £20.

Sample menu (subject to change)

Mushroom Sandwiches / Oysters Rockefeller / Eggplant à la Provençale

Pink Pompadour Bass / Chicken à l’estragon with Green peas à la française & Pommes mousselines

Nougat ice cream with Alice’s Cookies

Please note due to the complexity of the menu, substitutions will not be possible.

Toklas is a Mediterranean restaurant with its own bakery, situated between the Strand and the river Thames in an iconic Brutalist building that has been transformed into a cultural centre, 180 Strand. It was opened in 2021 by Frieze magazine and art fair founders, Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover. The restaurant boasts a menu inspired by the seasons, featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Known for its relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, Toklas embodies a modern, artistic vibe, aligning with the creative community of its location. Toklas provides a distinctive dining experience, combining excellent cuisine with a striking architectural backdrop.

Jennifer Higgie is an Australian writer who lives in London. Her latest book is The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World and her BBC Radio 3 five-part essay on the subject was broadcast in January 2022, and available to listen to here.  The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution and Resilience: 500 Years of Women’s Self-Portraits was published in 2021. Jennifer was Frieze magazine reviews editor from 1998-2003; co-editor with Jörg Heiser and then Dan Fox until 2017; Frieze editorial director from 2017-19 and editor-at-large until 2021. She is the presenter of Bow Down, a podcast about women in art history.