Dinner Lab events charm Baton Rouge diners

Diners and chefs at the inaugural Baton Rouge Dinner Lab event in April. Photos by Lucie Monk/Courtesy Dinner Lab

A few months into its tenure in Baton Rouge, the Dinner Lab is off to a great start.

“The enthusiasm has been overwhelming,” says Zach Kupperman, Dinner Lab’s co-founder and chief business officer. “It’s one of the smallest cities where we operate, but it’s one of strongest, as well. Not just in terms of numbers, but the speed with which tickets have sold out.”

Founded in 2012 in New Orleans, Dinner Lab is a concept that checks all boxes in the world of gastronomic trendiness. Talented chefs who don’t yet have their own restaurants cook inventive menus in a spontaneous location—for one night only. Member diners buy tickets to one of two seatings and they gather around long group tables. Conversation is natural among Dinner Lab patrons, and the vibe is cheerful and interesting, Kupperman says.

The kick-off dinner in Baton Rouge was held in early April at the Old Town Emporium antiques store in Mid City, during which New Orleans chef Mario Rodriguez prepared a Pacific Rim fusion menu. Rodriguez has previously cooked at La Petite Grocery in New Orleans and Gramercy Tavern in New York City.

Kupperman says that about 50% of the chefs who cook in a given city for a Dinner Lab event are local chefs and 50% are from out of town. In all cases, they’re trying out new trends and flavors to see what diners respond to.

“Everyone wants to eat great stuff,” Kupperman says, “and they also want to try new things. This gives them a chance to do that.”

Kupperman says the frequency of Dinner Lab events intensifies as the program matures in a given city. Initially, events will be held monthly, but in more established markets, about five take place per month. He expects that will eventually be the case in the Capital City.

Currently, Baton Rouge’s Dinner Lab is staffed by the New Orleans Dinner Lab team, but by 2016, Kupperman says it should be a freestanding operation with its own staff.

“We’re looking to hire two full-time employees,” Kupperman says. “Baton Rouge has been great. It’s got this interesting, underrated food community.” dinnerlab.com