One of my earliest childhood memories is of rolling up cold cuts and sliced cheese and placing them on a platter in the basement of a community hall in a small town in southern New Hampshire. These little rolled up slices of ham, bologna, and American cheese were destined for the buffet table at an old New England tradition, the bean supper.
Bean suppers, traditionally held on Saturday nights at churches, community centers, or grange halls, were either free or charged a small fee to cover costs or support a cause. Even today, many cost $10 or less for an all-you-can-eat meal. Volunteers prepared the main dish—usually baked beans—starting early in the day, along with sides like coleslaw, salad, and brown bread. Community members contributed additional dishes and desserts—I remember hoping that certain bakers would bring their signature pies or cakes.
Aside from the food and fundraising, these events did something else—they fostered community connection. It didn’t matter if you arrived alone or with friends, bean suppers provided an affordable way to have a meal in the company of those from your community. Because they happened regularly, people could look forward to the next one. While bean suppers may not be as common as they used to be, organizations around New England are seeking to revive the tradition of community suppers and the connections they provided for so many. One of these organizations is Community Plate, based in Maine.
Community Plate was founded by Margaret Hathaway and Karl Schatz and came out of their work on the Maine Bicentennial Community Cookbooks, written in collaboration with Don Lindgren, who has an extensive collection of historic Maine community cookbooks, and the Cooking is Community podcast. They found that people were very eager to share recipes and stories about food and realized there was something about the combination of food and storytelling that brought people from all different backgrounds together. Margaret and Karl were inspired to bring this connection “off the page” and into a place where people could share food and stories face-to-face.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Karl Schatz. Karl shared that the dinners have ranged in size from fourteen to one hundred people and have been held in communities across the state, including Lubec, Sangerville, Waterville, Damariscotta, Lewiston, Falmouth, Biddeford, and Portland. All dinners are hosted in ADA-compliant spaces and are free to anyone who wants to attend (though you do need to register in advance). The dinners are potluck, and folks bring a dish to share, though if you are not able to cook it is fine to buy something to bring.
A local partner organization usually sponsors the event and provides the space, while Community Plate brings the dishes, glasses, utensils, and linens. No single-use or disposable items are used at the dinners, and all left over food is collected to be composted. Each dinner has a theme and to foster conversation, there are story sharing prompts at each table. During dessert, a few community members stand to share a story related to the theme.
One of my favorite stories that Karl shared was about three women who met at one of the dinners in Waterville. People were asked to share what brought them to the dinner and an older attendee said she was there because she was very lonely. A graduate student in her twenties immediately offered her phone number so they could connect, as did another woman who had moved to the area recently and was having a difficult time meeting people. The three women came from different backgrounds and generations, but they became friends and have stayed connected ever since.
Community Plate recently became a 501(c)(3) and has plans to expand their events to other states in New England. But you don’t need to wait for Community Plate to come to your town. Chances are, if you do an internet search for a potluck or community dinner and your town, you will find that there are local groups of all kinds hosting similar events.
Here are a few organizations that host community potluck events around New England:
Written by Joie Grandbois, Sustainability Coordinator
This post is part of our Around New England series, which explores how New Englanders are building more sustainable, inclusive, and accessible communities.
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