Meet the chic Columbus supper club operating out of a High Street apartment
The sweet aroma of an exquisite dinner wafting through the air. Magnetic conversations that plant the seeds of new relationships. The breakout of laughter. A new experience: Welcome to Hillcrest.
And it’s all taking place in a Columbus apartment.
Hillcrest Supper Club is a service from Joey Lyons, where he brings dinner to you or invites you into his beautiful apartment in German Village. And we’re not talking about just any dinner. This is exquisite cuisine, presented across multiple courses.
It all started when Lyons bid farewell to his hometown of Columbus in 2017 and ventured to Oregon.
“I just needed to change up my life,” Lyons said about his decision to swap the Buckeye State for the Beaver State. Before long, he was employing his photography skills to create professional images of food and cocktails for clients.
But then 2020 rolled around, and the world stepped into the pandemic. And we all know what happened to restaurants and other culinary organizations.
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“All my clients fizzled because of COVID,” he said. “Just everything shut down. Nobody could go anywhere.”
But then he came across MÄS, a nominee for the prestigious James Beard Awards. But this wasn’t a typical restaurant experience:
“They did a dinner at my house, and I was like, ‘Wow, I could also sell food out of my house,’” he said. “There were no restaurants. Nobody was going anywhere. Nobody was doing anything.”
But this was a path to explore that circumvented the shutdowns. Inspired, he began his own supper club.
“It was more like a social club,” Lyons said. “It would be a bunch of our friends coming together. I served up dinner and it was really fun. The first one I did was 10 courses, which was ambitious.”
He would go on to serve 20 dinners. But he soon ran into a brick wall:
“It’s been a weird past few years for the economy,” he said. “It forced me to leave there. The prices started skyrocketing out West. After COVID hit, it was just like groceries were three to four times as much money. And gas was almost at $9 a gallon at one point.”
Returning to Columbus in April 2023, he found himself missing creating those intimate dining experiences for people. He knew one thing: working in professional kitchens for unlivable wages wasn’t going to fulfill him.
“I was just like, ‘I’m going to start my own project again here in Ohio,’ which has its challenges because out West I’m surrounded by natural beauty and seafood. It’s just full of ingredients,” he said. “That’s where caviar, and rockfish, and halibut, and salmon, and Dungeness crab, and truffle… all that stuff is just there.”
And so, while Ohio has its many advantages, he would have to be thoughtful about sourcing his ingredients.
But there is one thing he did bring back home with him from Oregon: the name “Hillcrest.”
“Hillcrest is a road in Medford, Oregon,” he said. “It’s a very luxurious area full of vineyards and beautiful rolling hills and good food. There was Hillcrest Vineyard, then Hillcrest Barbecue and all that.”
And so, to honor his beloved time out West, he launched Hillcrest Supper Club here in Columbus, and it’s still in its early stages. In fact, there’s no website. To connect with Lyons, you’ll need to go to his Instagram page, which you can find under “HillcrestSupperClub.”
And, being Instagram, you’ll see a splendid array of mouthwatering, creative delicacies. Anyone who decides to take a peek will be equally impressed with the entrepreneur’s photographic skills.
“I set up a diffusing light, and I have a really big, expensive camera. I’ll just run one of the plates out and take some photos real quick and then just continue service.”
As for the food itself, here’s an interesting fact: Lyons rarely serves dairy products.
“Through my experiences, there’s lots of people that can’t do dairy, or there’s vegans or just different people that just can’t have it,” he explained. “And then they wouldn’t buy the tickets. And then for food cost, to make a version with dairy and then a version without dairy, it doesn’t make any sense.”
“I think it’s a lot more impressive if you can create a good dish without using a bunch of dairy products,” he added. “I’ve always been impressed by Comune and their ability to execute this fantastically. It opens the door for people who have a hard time finding a place to eat because of their diets.”
One of his favorite dishes is smoked trout roe, an everything pea relish, wild botanicals, and served in a rice tartlet, resembling a mini version of gravlax.
Another notable dish involved altering the chemical state of pectin and fruit and infusing it with seaweed to create vegan fish, such as nigiri and crudo. This method allowed the creation of vegan versions of traditionally non-vegan dishes, like grilled fish or salmon.
Lyons enjoys seafood and often includes it in dinners, reflecting his personal tastes. Of course, his aim is to create dishes that are approachable for everyone, even those who typically do not enjoy seafood. However, he works with all types of protein, not just seafood.
“I try to have a seafood, and then a white meat and a red meat,” he said. “And I try to feature a lot of vegetables,” he added.
He keeps it simple, avoiding distributors to the best of his ability. Instead, he sources ingredients through personal efforts, either foraging himself or relying on friends with greenhouses who supply farmers’ markets. He prefers to hand-pick his ingredients directly from farms.
When it comes to meat, he ensures he obtains it straight from the farmer, avoiding any intermediaries. He believes in going directly to the source for everything he needs. He also has a contact in Oregon who helps provide the necessary ingredients.
Of course, it’s harder to procure seafood directly, especially when you’re inland here in Ohio.
Lyons revealed he might rely on a coastal manager or, alternatively, Tentuku Market, which boasts an excellent seafood program and high-quality products.
He typically offers seven courses but noted there are some “secret ones” peppered in.
“I just keep the treats coming in,” he said. “I’ll do a little palate cleanser in there. Sometimes it starts out with something extra, depending on what’s going on with my prep. I try to create a small bite to say, ‘Hey, welcome in.’ It goes with a little glass of champagne that I pour for everybody. It’s just a fun little party.”
And parties like these aren’t quick affairs. They’re meant to bring people in connection, usually around 10 at a time, sharing not only food but fun and impactful conversations. The shortest dinner Lyons has pulled off clocked in at two hours.
“But then people are welcome to stay and hang out because mostly what I am selling is an experience, an evening of entertainment and hospitality,” he said.
And that’s all it’s meant to be, a meaningful evening of connection and conversation with less than a dozen guests around you eating a variety of incredible food.
Curious? Log into Instagram and find HillcrestSupperClub on Instagram. Shoot over a DM, and you’re on your way.
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