Side gigs are fun. It usually means you’ve found something to add to your daily responsibilities that's worth the time and effort. In the case of Amber and Hunter Harris, both chefs working in the restaurant industry, launching a monthly supper club is a test of bigger things to come.

Amber is a local gal. Born in Mobile, she attended UMS before moving to St. Luke’s and graduating in its first class in 2013. From there, she earned her Culinary Arts and Business Management degree from the Culinary Institute of America.

Her emphasis was “Farm to Table” and she spent one semester in Napa, California, and studied abroad doing food and wine agriculture trips in China and Italy. She also did a 4-month internship at the Four Seasons Resort in Hawaii. After graduating, Amber worked as a chef on three different private yachts traveling from Maine to Ft. Lauderdale and throughout the Caribbean. Her final yacht was 197’ and had a crew of 15 on board.

“I’m a water girl and enjoyed being a private chef for families, but I was ready to get back on solid ground after 8 months of living on a boat.” She spent some time in Lexington, VA working as a chef and wedding planner at a wedding venue.

In 2018, she decided to move back home and began working as a cook with Pete Blohme and Nick DiMario. After four weeks she became the bar manager at Sunset Pointe in Fairhope.  Hunter Harris then enters the picture.

Hunter was born in Raleigh, NC, and moved to Mandeville, Louisiana when he was four years old. He started cooking at age 14 and attended LSU studying International Trade and Finance. “I still worked in the kitchen while attending college and decided to get my culinary degree at the Louisiana Culinary Institute.”

After earning his Associate Degree, Hunter began working with Jay Ducote who owns Gov’t Taco, a Latin-American concept. (He had beaten Bobby Flay in a cooking contest.) “I wanted to get exposed to all types of cuisine, so I moved around. One stop was at Meribo in Covington, Louisiana, which is the best Italian I’ve ever had.“ Then Covid happened.

“I was offered an intern position at Sunset Pointe to learn everything that happens in the kitchen.” That’s where Amber and Hunter met. “I was the “expediter,” the person who orchestrates the kitchen and calls the food orders.” Along the way, Amber moved to Squid Ink in downtown Mobile as the GM and Hunter became head chef at Sunset Pointe.

Hunter and Amber started dating and Hunter proposed to Amber at Steelwood Country Club in Loxley. Eventually, Amber began working as the Food and Beverage Director at Steelwood, where she is now. “Event planning is my big passion.”

Hunter is the Chef of Press and Co. in Daphne, a new establishment that is a cold-pressed juice and organic health cafe owned by Kimberly Cox. Then Amber and Hunter wanted to see how they could work together.

Amber’s parents live on the western shore of Mobile Bay in an area known as Mon Louis Island, just south of Fowl River. They have a beautiful home, a view of the Bay, and a long pier over the water. With her parents' blessings, Amber and Hunter decided to launch a monthly dinner called the  Mon Louis Supper Club.

The idea was to serve a unique themed dinner for up to 15 guests. “Our wedding reception was there. I planned everything and it worked out really great, so this seemed to be the perfect place to host a dinner.” The first dinner was in June, and they have had six more since that have all sold out.

Each Mon Louis Supper Club dinner has five courses including a mocktail. The first dinner included chargrill oysters from a local all-girl-operated oyster farm followed by BBQ Shrimp, Duck and Andouille Gumbo, and Cajun Toffee Pudding with Brown Butter Ice Cream. Sounds delicious!

Other themed dinners included A Real Tour of Italy, a Northeast Feast (one attendee from the Northeast commented on how authentic it was), End of Summer Harvest, and Mediterranean and Latin American-themed menus.  This month, Amber and Hunter are hosting a cooking class on January 29.

“So far, we’ve had a lot of repeat guests, and we are excited to see it grow. After each event, we post the menu for the next dinner four weeks in advance on our  Facebook page at Mon Louis Supper Club. People have been so receptive.”

I first met Amber and Hunter at the recent Bourbon by the Bay event hosted by Coastal Alabama Partnership where they were serving special Hors d oeuvres to guests. Mon Louis Supper Club is available for private party catering as well. Hunter and Amber can make any event special. Look for purple Mardi Gras Oysters in February!

Good luck! Keep us posted on your upcoming epicurean adventures. And thanks so much for sitting down with me to tell your story. Mon Louis Supper Club is another gem in the Scenic 98 Coastal community!