After deciding to host a Baton Rouge supper club event on a whim and putting it together in just two weeks, Jordan Ramirez wound up with a sold-out dinner.
Now, the 33-year-old owner and creator of Southern Wild Foods plans to host a supper club event at least once every month under the Southern Wild name, including the already-close-to-sold-out ramen noodle-themed dinner coming July 13.
Each supper club is a four-course meal full of intricate, unique pairings. The menu for the first event, which took place June 8, featured Indian curry boudin with goat cheese-stuffed squash blossoms, coconut chicken stew with popcorn rice, smoked porchetta with pickled jicama and deconstructed lemon meringue pie with cookie crumble crust for dessert.
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While other supper clubs are the results of careful planning by professional chefs, that’s not the case for Ramirez. He describes his process for creating dishes as “completely random” and despite crafting elaborate menus, Ramirez has never been a professional chef. He’s always liked to cook, and worked as a specialty team leader at Whole Foods for six and a half years, but he has never worked in a kitchen.
It turns out, the story of Southern Wild’s creation all started with hot sauce.
About two years ago, Ramirez decided to create his own hot sauce brand. He had longed to see his hot sauce—a distinct olive oil-based concoction unlike many typically vinegar-based hot sauces—on shelves. He made test batch after test batch until finding the perfect one, and he and his wife realized they needed a name. The pair came up with Southern Wild, and the slogan “Be Free. Be Wild.” Ramirez says the two went through so many proposed names, he doesn’t even remember how they got to Southern Wild.
In May of this year, as the process of bottling of his official line of hot sauce was underway, he thought it was about time to begin his pop-up supper club.
“I’ve always wanted to do pop-up dinners and continue the brand with that,” Ramirez says. “I don’t know if I’ll ever work in a kitchen, but I’ve always wanted to do this. The first one was fun and was received really well.”
A photo posted by Jordan Ramirez (@southernwildfoods) on
Now, business is booming for both of Ramirez’s endeavors. Customers will soon be seeing bottles of Southern Wild hot sauce on Baton Rouge supermarket shelves, and he will continue with Southern Wild supper clubs through the rest of the year. No matter what though, Ramirez says he’ll keep his hot sauce, and especially his dinners, reasonably priced.
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“I don’t like the idea of charging $75 to $100 for people to come hang out with friends and eat,” Ramirez says. “I never want to go above $45.”
The next Southern Wild supper club is Wednesday, July 13, at 7 p.m. at the Slash offices at 4556 Government St., Suite 2. Tickets are $30, and seating is limited. Ramirez says he’ll be crafting the menu will unique pairings and may even attempt a ramen dessert.
Purchase tickets for Ramen Night here. To stay up to date with Southern Wild supper clubs, visit the Instagram page.
