Note: DCCC is not currently taking new members or functioning as a cookbook club. In the hope that the guidelines I developed for DCCC might be of use to anyone thinking of starting up their own club, I have left them in place as a resource.

Here are some general guidelines for our club.

• The ideal size of DCCC clubs is large enough to have a good discussion and for members to enjoy tasting a range of tested recipes, but not to so large that the members can’t sit comfortably around a dining room table, or be so large that there isn’t time for each person to have his or her say about the cookbook and the food. A range of between five and ten is ideal.
• The maximum retail price of the cookbook titles to be purchased, set by members of the original DCCC club, is $35, unless an exception is voted upon by all.
• The host is responsible for keeping the meeting on track. Meandering is okay, and sometimes off-track comments lead to more interesting discussion, but by the end of the meeting, the members’ thoughts about the book and the food should have been clearly heard.