Smith College Chefs Showcase Culinary Skills at Monthly Meal Club

Ask Smith College chef Peter Masiero about his favorite food, and he’ll give an unexpected answer.

“I’m not going to say spaghetti or something like that,” he says with a laugh. For him, it’s more about the time of year and what it represents. “In the colder seasons, we start to get more into darker sauces, braised beef, maybe a cider-brined chicken, stuff like that. Not only is the food fantastic, but the season just takes it to the next level. It’s a time to shake off what’s been happening throughout the year, and all come together and enjoy a meal.”

That sentiment is the goal of the Smith College Meal Club, a new monthly dining experience for Smith’s faculty and staff. For $13, faculty and staff can enjoy a meal curated and prepared by Smith chefs.

“The President’s Office got feedback that folks really wished there was some sort of club environment on campus, a gathering space where we as a community can connect in a more social, non-work-related setting,” says Director of Events Jessica Masiero. “The idea was pitched to us about creating this community meal space where folks can get together, perhaps connect with people they wouldn’t normally interact with.” A faculty club had existed on campus for years. Now the Meal Club offers a similar environment with an appetizing new twist.

Meal Club menus have featured everything from jumbo grilled shrimp with roasted vegetables to chicken or eggplant cutlets with pasta to chicken dumplings, smoked salmon, and noodle salad with tofu. While the food selections vary from month to month, there’s one thing they all have in common: they’re delicious.

“It's some of the best food I’ve ever had on campus,” Masiero says. “[The chefs] are really picking menus that are near and dear to their hearts. The last [Meal Club] had an Italian menu that was better than most Italian food I’ve had at restaurants.”

For faculty and staff, the Meal Club has quickly become one of the most popular events on campus. Every month, 125 tickets are made available for each meal. According to Masiero, the Events Management Office receives anywhere from 80 to 100 registrations within the first 12 hours of tickets going on sale.

“This is exciting for the chefs,” says Events Specialist Marjorie Latham, who adds that at the end of each meal, the chef is introduced to the crowd and met with loud cheers and applause. “It gives them a chance to shine, to be creative and come up with a menu that they normally wouldn’t in the houses or at the cafe.”

Chef Masiero agrees, recalling that when the idea of Meal Club was first pitched to the chefs on campus, nearly 10 of them immediately raised their hands to participate. “It didn’t take much twisting of our arms to want to do this,” he says. “We all really wanted to do it from the beginning, to showcase a little bit of our talent and give a good meal to the Smith community.”

For his dishes, Chef Masiero tries to put a fresh spin on favorite menu items he’s prepared across campus. His November Meal Club menu, for example, included seared salmon with tomato fennel relish, fall-inspired vegetable risotto, and a baked apple crisp with pumpkin ice cream from Maple Valley Creamery in Hadley, Mass.

“You carry these recipes with you and just wait for that opportunity to present them and show them the love they deserve,” he says. “These types of [events] jumpstart your creativity again. I think they’re really important to help keep the creative juices flowing and to give Smith Dining a pulse.”

Due to their popularity, Meal Clubs have already been scheduled through May 2026. Masiero and Latham say they hope to increase the number of tickets available to better accommodate demand. In the meantime, Chef Masiero’s advice on how to get the most out of Meal Club is simple: “Don’t eat breakfast [on Meal Club] days. That’s what I can tell you.”