'A Breath, Not a Stop': Riverside Supper Club Wraps Successful First Year

Sunday evening marked the end of an era. As sunlight filtered through trees onto the long communal table at Devereaux House, Riverside Supper Club prepared to serve its final dinner of the year before reimagining itself for 2026.

Host Kevin greeted arrivals warmly as we chose our seats at the simply but beautifully set table, menus at each place, glasses waiting to be filled. After hearing so much about these dinners, I was finally experiencing one myself.

As we settled in, I overheard a young woman to my left sharing with a solo diner that she had driven from Los Angeles with friends to enjoy supper tonight. This wasn't her first time making the journey. The friend group immediately welcomed the woman who'd arrived alone, and within minutes they were laughing and sharing stories like old friends. This was the magic Chef Adrian Gamero had been cultivating all year.

"Thank you for coming to our last iteration of the Riverside Supper Club before we start branching into new ideas and contexts," Gamero told the gathered diners. The intimate dining series he created with Yolena "Yoli" Ramirez (Kandy Cocktail) has spent a year transforming strangers into friends through five-course tasting menus.

A Year of Evolution

"Riverside Supper Club was an incredible chapter that allowed me to explore the beauty of communal dining in our city," Gamero told The Raincross Gazette. "As I continue to grow as a chef and creative, I'm excited to focus on new experiences that reflect my own culinary vision and collaborations with local partners like Devereaux House."

The partnership with Devereaux House evolved naturally. "After three months in a beautiful but tiny, kitchen-less studio at the Life Arts Building that taught us resourcefulness and intimacy, moving to my kitchen at Devereaux gave us the infrastructure to refine pacing and consistency while keeping the communal spirit," Gamero explained. The venue's natural wine program and sommelier team have been integral to shaping pairings, sometimes mirroring a dish's notes, sometimes offering a bright counterpoint.

The evolution represents both change and continuity. Riverside Supper Club began as a true collaboration, with Kandy Cocktail co-producing the early dinners and personally underwriting many first-season needs including rentals, tableware, and initial beverage inventory. "This fall, she chose to take a break to focus on her business and well-being and stepped back from the series. I'm grateful for what we built," Gamero said.

The October Finale

Sunday evening's October menu showcased autumn's generous palette: a persimmon-morita chile macaron amuse-bouche, autumn greens with pomegranate and citrus-cider vinaigrette, lamb barbacoa tostada, braised albóndigas with orange-tomato jus, and apple cider gelato with date-orange caramel.

When asked about his favorite dish of the evening, Gamero described the lamb tostadas as "crushable," but it was clear the albóndigas held his deepest pride. He explained the concept: a deconstructed soup with perfectly cooked meatballs atop silky hominy puree, crowned with a cilantro-orange zest gremolata. When the dish arrived, it came with a small ramekin of the jus the meatballs had simmered in. Chef Adrian appeared tableside, inviting us to "indulgently bathe the meatballs in it before eating." The result was the standout dish of the night, both complex and familiar.

Between courses, Gamero pulled up a chair to chat with diners about his culinary journey. His passion was evident when discussing the evolution from the early days of family-style service to the current refined format.

"We started doing family-style plating," he recalled of one of the early Italian-themed dinners, making carbonara that diners passed around in communal bowls. But as the dinners evolved and moved to their current space, something shifted. "As we came here, it became evident that we wanted more intentional plating, a shining experience."

This evolution came partly from guest feedback and partly from Gamero's growing confidence. "I feel that helped me. The dinners started benefiting from that because it was more cohesive and we got to shine a little bit more," he said.

The last course of apple cider gelato arrived in a beautiful traditional Mexican floral bowl, and Gamero's earlier enthusiasm about the dessert made sense with the first spoonful. He had shared his philosophy on ice cream: "I like my ice cream with eggs," explaining how he cooks the base to exactly 180 degrees for richness. The result was evident in the perfect scoopable texture and the ribbons of date caramel throughout. He'd achieved his goal of creating "pockets" of caramel by layering it between batches as it froze. Earlier, he'd shown us a photo on his phone of the first batch, beaming with pride at how perfectly it had turned out. It was autumn in a bowl, but in a fresh, modern way.

A Transformative Realization

Reflecting on Sunday's final dinner, Gamero shared his revelation: "Last night was extremely transformative for me. I felt that everybody was a part of the experience and was on the same wavelength, from the kitchen staff to the sommelier to the guests. We all were interested in what was next and what was coming our way, and I think that was an entire part of the dinner series that we were truly missing all along."

"We had such an amazing time last night as well," he added, crediting his team: host Kevin, sous chef Hector and kitchen staff Colin and Min. "I think our staff is all still glowing."

This realization shapes his vision for 2026. "What's important to bring to people is not only intention and meaning behind the food and experience, but when people see that, the experience bleeds into what they are consuming and what they are being surrounded by. That's what I want to encapsulate going forward with this chef-led series of dinners."

Looking Forward

Looking ahead to 2026, Gamero plans to continue these intimate dining experiences as a chef-led Sunday dinner series with Devereaux House as the pairing partner. "Since moving to Devereaux House, a wine-led venue, the pairing program now lives in-house with Devereaux," he explained. The new format will leverage their natural wine program, with sommeliers like Sunday evening's wine curator Kara Vorabutr playing integral roles.

"We're going to start doing more of the same stuff, but under a different entity," Gamero explained, emphasizing that the core mission remains unchanged. "With more of a wine-centered addition."

Plans for 2026 include seasonal tasting menus, themed dinners celebrating Riverside's diverse communities, and "brunch-adjacent gatherings that keep the Supper Club DNA but feel sunlit and easy." The vision extends to "micro-festival" evenings blending music, food, and art with galleries and neighborhood partners. As Gamero develops the next chef-led Sunday dinner series, "Devereaux remains our partner so the food-and-pairing conversation lives under one roof."

The October timing for this pause emerged naturally, Gamero told the Gazette. Autumn provides ideal ingredients, and breaking before the holidays allows the small, self-funded team to rest, review guest feedback, and design intentionally.

"It's a breath, not a stop," Gamero said, emphasizing that this hiatus represents evolution rather than conclusion.

For the interim, Gamero continues as culinary partner at Devereaux House, serving his boundary-pushing pizza and natural wine Thursday through Saturday, 6-10 p.m. The team is also exploring intimate seasonal pop-ups and private dinners through the winter months.

The Community Legacy

The success of Riverside Supper Club reflects a broader hunger for authentic connection. With 26,000 Instagram followers and consistent sellouts drawing guests from across Southern California, the venture proved that ambitious culinary projects can thrive in Riverside when they prioritize community over commerce.

"I love what I'm doing… bringing people together," Gamero said, capturing the spirit that made year one such a success.

As the evening wound down and guests lingered over the last sips of wine, the atmosphere reflected what Riverside Supper Club achieved throughout its first year: creating not just meals, but moments of genuine human connection.

Gamero also intends to maintain community seats for curious first-timers, ensuring the inclusive spirit that defined year one continues into whatever form the supper club takes next.

For updates on winter pop-ups and the 2026 relaunch, follow Chef Adrian on Instagram.