Sunday Nite Dinner

What is Sunday Nite Dinner (SND)?

SND, pronounced as SNiD, was started in 2000 by my San Francisco friend, Jane. SND is a gathering of friends where we cook dinner, catch up and just hang out. It started out as simple, weekly gatherings on Sundays at Jane and Mark’s loft. Over time, as the Sunday Nite Dinner group grew larger, we rotated the SND location and took turns hosting SND.

The food prepared and served for Sunday supper ranges from simple home cooking to five course gourmet meals. There’s a wide array of cuisines cooked from classic American to Vietnamese and everything in between. SND can be an opportunity to cook a childhood comfort dish or experiment with new ingredients and recipes. Sometimes dinner is prepared as a group or cooked in advance by the SND host.

All the regular attendees of SND are not originally from San Francisco, so SND is our extended family meal. Anyone and everyone is welcomed at Sunday Nite Dinner from co-workers, out of town friends, parents or the random person just met yesterday. To most of us SND regulars, Sunday Nite Dinner represents a gathering of people to celebrate good food and friendships.

What’s This Blog About?

This blog is an attempt to capture the spirit of Sunday Nite Dinner. It’s a celebration of food and friends. The blog covers all things food related, which means SND meals, recipes, and an occasional restaurant review.

Who Are You?

My name is Chuck. I was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the States when I was four years old. I grew up in the kitchen watching and helping my mom cook our family meals. I was her pint-size kitchen assistant and taste tester extraordinaire. Food has always been a huge part of my life. It’s hard to avoid in Vietnamese culture.

Over the years, my relationship with food has grown stronger as I have developed my cooking and baking skills. I love trying out new recipes, preparing food for friends and combining Asian flavors with other cuisines. The food I enjoy the most is simply prepared with really fresh ingredients. I’m lucky to live in San Francisco and have an almost endless supply of amazing fruit and produce. In the end, I’m just a passionate home cook who really enjoys making and sharing good meals with friends.

When I’m not eating or in the kitchen, you might find me riding my road bike, following Penn State Football, running in Golden Gate Park, or working as a web consultant. And you’ll find me virtually at…

My websites…

• foodgawker | feast your eyes
• craftgawker | look to inspire
• weddinggawker | see the day

Who is Hungry Bear (HB)?

My girlfriend, a.k.a. Hungry Bear, is my cooking, eating and travel companion. She’s the editor, food stylist and occasional photographer for SND. I am an open book, but Hungry Bear likes to keep her life private, therefore the pseudonym. She has the talent of choosing the best items on restaurant menus. Inevitably, the dishes she picks are always better than mine. And you’ll find HB virtually at… oops, can’t share that because it’s all private.

How do the regular SNDsters know each other?

• Jane – started and formalized the Sunday Nite Dinner tradition
• Mark – goes with Jane, her boyfriend fiance life partner and master garlic chopper
• Garry – Jane’s brother, along with Karen hosted the inaugural Sunday night dinner
• Karen – Garry’s wife and trained pastry chef
• Howie – Jane’s ex-brother-in-law (it’s a long story) and former college roommate, mushroom hater
• Traci – Jane and Mark’s former downstairs neighbor, now in jolly old London, but still a SNDster in spirit
• Jim – goes with Traci, her husband and caretaker… literally, in a good way
• Hungry Bear – met Jane and Mark through their neighbor, Traci, a fellow Indiana Hoosier
• Chuck – met Jane and Mark playing floor hockey and started hanging out with Hungry Bear

[tags]snd, hungry bear, history, sunday night dinner[/tags]