Purveyor Supper Club offers Michelin star quality cuisine, creatively crafted cocktails, and ever-evolving themes within an intimate group setting in downtown Huntsville. Founded by Stephanie Kennedy-Mell and Matthew Mell of Church Street Family, the club has become a distinctive fixture in the local dining scene. When asked why they started the Supper Club, the answer was clear: "We believe dining should be an experience! Supper Club allows us to truly lean into that, with a small group of people who are craving that type of experience as well." The founders wanted to "encourage people to slow down, gather around a table, and experience food and beverage in a way they might not otherwise get to."
Each year, the pair designs every month around a unique and engaging theme, inspiring the culinary team to develop a multicourse meal accompanied by custom cocktails. "Purveyor has always been a place where our chefs and bartenders can be creative, and Supper Club gives them the opportunity to really push those boundaries," they explained. "Each dinner is an opportunity to tell a story through food, drinks and the overall experience."
Chef Abner Hernandez and Sous Chef Reid Goram have curated menus exploring everything from ocean delicacies to dishes intended to ignite the senses, as well as inventive interpretations of meals from beloved films. Bartender Matthew Ortega complements each course with thoughtfully paired cocktails, using ingredients that harmonize with the food and elevate the entire experience — including imaginative components like passion-fruit-flavored smoke bubbles, shallot-infused honey, smoked sherry, and black garlic. For non-alcoholic drinkers, the staff provides equally thoughtful alternatives, reflecting the team's attention to every guest's preference.
Naturally, some themes stand out as favorites. "Dinner and a Movie was definitely one of mine," Stephanie shared. "I loved the idea of immersive experiences — at our Dinner and Movie, each guest was put into the scenes, they had a part to play, while dining on the exact dish they were seeing on the screen." Another standout was Duck Study: Duck Reimagined, which "really showcased how creative our chefs can be when you give them a single ingredient and let them run with it. I think that's what makes Supper Club so fun — you never quite know what you're going to get."
Beyond the dining experience itself, each theme includes a participatory activity. Aphrodisiac Night featured a perfume-making station hosted by Mojana Soaps, a fellow downtown vendor. ‘From the Water’ challenged guests to collaborate on an ocean-themed puzzle and answer trivia about the marine life being served. Wild Game Night incorporated a card game. The Supper Club has always included a game component, the founders noted: "You are not just sitting down to eat; the entire experience is immersive, based on the theme."
Since its inception, the Supper Club has evolved primarily by leaning more aggressively into its original concept. "We've realized how much people value the experience just as much as the food, which has allowed us to up the ante and get even more creative with not only the menus, but the accompanying drinks, activities and atmosphere," the founders said. "We've also built a community of regulars who look forward to seeing what we're going to come up with next, and they are here for it. This has been one of the most rewarding (and truly fun) parts."
Looking ahead, the vision remains ambitious. "I hope it continues to evolve and surprise people," they shared. "I never want Supper Club to feel like we're just repeating the same formula every month. I would love for it to become something people plan their year around — a place where our guests know they're going to experience something they couldn't get anywhere else in Huntsville." As for future themes, "A dinner centered around the evolution of a dish — taking something familiar and showing how it has changed across different cultures, generations or time periods. It would be fun to start with something guests recognize and then completely surprise them with where our chefs take it."
The Supper Club will remain at Purveyor as "it has become such a unique part of what we do there." The team has plans for a similar spirit with their new Kingfisher concept. "We want Kingfisher to have its own identity and its own experiences, while allowing Supper Club to remain something uniquely tied to Purveyor. I think there's something really special about having these experiences evolve across our family of restaurants without making them all feel the same."
My advice to newcomers is to embrace the unfamiliar. The chefs manage to surprise even the founders: "Gosh, I am surprised every single month with what they create!" Take the July "Smoke" dinner — what could have been a straightforward smoked-meat affair became foie gras butter in the form of an edible candle, lit and served with caramelized focaccia and charred tomato consommé, slow-cooked pork neck roulade with smoked carrot purée, and a crêpe cigar with smoked banana and cognac fig syrup. I ate a whole octopus a few months ago and found it remarkably enjoyable — including the head, which I initially approached with hesitation. "The chefs approach these suppers with so much creativity that every month people are talking about them for weeks after, and the excitement for the next month is palatable."
Upcoming themes for the remainder of the year include a dinner experienced without sight, a celebration of Polynesian culture, and a mystery centered on a guessing game — each promising the same level of creativity and surprise that regulars have come to expect.