"You just pull up a chair, but gain a neighborhood family": Johanna organizes a monthly supper club in the Jordaan

Johanna Hagen organizes a monthly dining club at Café R. de Rosa in the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam. For 15 euros per person, small groups of eight to ten residents gather to share a home-cooked meal and build community connections. The initiative aims to move beyond a typical café experience by fostering a welcoming environment where locals of various ages can interact and support one another.

Participants often join alone, which encourages open conversation and helps forge new friendships. Over time, the group has developed a strong sense of belonging, with members caring for each other’s well-being and sharing experiences outside the monthly dinners. Hagen started the project to combine her love for cooking with a desire to create a local community space, noting that the small scale of the gatherings is essential for keeping the atmosphere intimate and inclusive for elderly guests.