Embers 1871 in Peshtigo offers a little extra kick to the supper club experience
PESHTIGO, Wis. (WFRV) – On a recent Saturday night, dozens of Wisconsin Supper Club enthusiasts gathered for a 1920s-themed evening with prizes and raffle baskets.
The group that started reminiscing on Facebook during the pandemic-related shutdown has grown by leaps and bounds and now extends throughout the state and beyond.
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They are now branching out by holding regular gatherings to support locals, such as the all-women-owned Embers 1871 at W3529 County Road B in Peshtigo.
“We’ve been around a little more than four years now,” confirmed founding member Shawn Niemann of Luxemburg. “We are now at over 93,000 members, and we’re still showing good growth. People love their supper clubs. We’re not really doing anything special. The supper clubs are doing all the work. And people are loving what they put out, and it’s been working for us.”
Enthusiast Jill Paul of Appleton, who came up with the idea of the mini-orange cones so fellow members could easily spot each other, is the main organizer of the monthly get-togethers.
On this night there was a price-fixed menu including a cocktail and specialty dessert.
“I like to coordinate things,” Paul said with a hearty laugh. “I just decided it would be a good way to meet each other and visit supper clubs. We’re doing one in June, one in August, and one in September. This is the 10th supper club. It gets people to travel and try different places.”
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The choice when Local 5 News tagged along was a spot steeped in history.
The building was one of the first constructed after the great Peshtigo fire of 1871. For decades, it was a German-themed restaurant, but it lay dormant for five years until a Peshtigo native, Sherry Veriha, and her business partner and friend, Kari Bunting, took over.
Things are cooking Lobster Truffle Mac and Cheese Keith of the Enthusiasts with Local 5’s Michele Michele with staff 1920’s themed dinner
“So we figured this came from the embers,” Veriha said. “The actual bar and upstairs was built in 1872. It started off as just a house and became a supper club called Schussler’s. They closed. It was shut down for five years, and we reopened in 2017, and we’ve been open since then.”
Veriha who has a lifetime of cooking under her belt, likes to do small, medium, and large plates.
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“It’s not your standard supper club,” she noted. “It’s more trendy. Yes, we have a salad bar and we do bread service. But a lot of people love all the chef’s specials we do monthly.”
A big favorite among the supper clubbers that we noticed was the truffle lobster mac and cheese.
“I feel like those are things you don’t get at the supper club,” added Veriha. “It’s more fine dining. So, I’m crossing the two.”
The iconic bar is all in when it comes to a leisurely supper club experience. They hand-muddle the old-fashioned cocktails and also offer ice cream drinks. However, the smoking pineapple cocktail with two kinds of rum that Tara and Jenny were whipping up might also satisfy the sweet tooth. Yes, there are flames involved.
Veriha remembers how this location was traditionally the gathering spot for the community. She believes Embers 1871 is that again and reminds the public of their huge banquet space.
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“I’m always looking for fun events, different groups coming in. We seat over 400 people, so we’re the largest in the area.”
In fact, on May 20, the annual “Girls Night Out” with the Crivitz Area Woman’s Club is back for another of year of fun and fundraising for dozens of charities in northeast Wisconsin.
