The first clue isn’t the body. It’s the smell of roasted corn, tomatoes, and slow-cooked pork that greets you at the door. There are marigolds tucked into corners of the house, eerie music playing in the background, and strangers seated at a grazing table that looks like it has always waited for them. While someone laughs too loudly, some hesitate to put their thoughts forward. By the time the plates arrive, a murder has already occurred, and everyone in the room is a conspirator.
This is Olivia Daniel’s The Sunday Supper Club that commenced in December. Here food is equally about taste, and flavours and about conversations and creating bonds. Hosted in an Anna Nagar home, this once-a-month — as of now — gathering blurs the line between a meal party and an immersive experience. Guests don’t simply eat together; they participate. Last time it was Christmas games over a festive dinner. This month, it’s a murder mystery set against a three-course Mexican cartel, including role-play, hidden clues tucked into the décor, and a grazing table that mirrors the narrative unfolding across the room.
Home cook Olivia, on the club and its offerings, says, “It’s not a themed lunch. It’s a supper club where people come in as strangers and leave having actually spoken to each other.” That distinction matters. In a city where social spaces often orbit around existing friend circles, Olivia wants to create something different — a place especially for people who are new to Chennai. “I’ve been to supper clubs where the first thing everyone says is what they do for a living. We’re trying to stay away from that. We want real conversations to happen here,” explains Olivia, adding that cooking is her passion and she was encouraged by her friends to start this project.
At these events, guests are not introduced by their professions, but as conspirators, suspects, or witnesses. Each participant is given the essence of a character — what they must do in the story — while the backstory is theirs to build. The result is a room full of people talking without the usual awkwardness of small talk, sharing suspicion, laughter, and plates passed across the table.
But first, food
Olivia plans her menus before her themes, letting the activity grow around the meal rather than the other way around. The aim is to keep the experience for three to four hours — long enough for conversations to deepen, short enough for people to get acquainted.
In the future, she envisions book club lunches with author readings, quiet discussions over shared meals, and even IPL watch parties where strangers cheer together over home-cooked food.
While dinner arrangements begin in the mornings, lunch preparations begin a day prior. Behind the scenes, it’s a family affair. Olivia’s sister, Ophelia Bharathi, a pastry chef, handles desserts and breads. Ingredients are sourced from the Koyambedu market, and the prep usually begins well before guests arrive — Onions are peeled a day ahead, potatoes boiled, and stocks simmered.
Currently, this supper club accommodates 12 individuals and is priced between Rs1,000 and Rs 1,500 per person, occasionally stretching to Rs 2,000 depending on the theme, menu, and scale of the event. It’s still experimental, and growing. After four or five editions, Olivia hopes to host it twice a month, eventually weekly where she plans to offer food common among the marginalised communities.
At its heart, the idea is simple. “I hope at least one person goes back with one friend. I hope they feel heard. That they know they’re not alone in whatever they’re going through.” In a city that moves fast and often eats in a rush, Olivia’s Supper Club offers a seat at the table, a shared story, and the possibility that somewhere between dessert and the final clue, connection might happen.
A Mexican-themed murder mystery lunch by The Sunday Supper Club will be held on January 25 at 1 pm.
To register, visit: https://forms.gle/9dM1zCqtxu42yyfU7
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