What started as a small passion project for two Madison women has turned into a dinner party for the city.
Kaitlin Sherman and Nikki Hageman were both going through breakups during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, the two were introduced to each other via mutual friends and began hosting lavish dinner parties for themselves. Both searching for community in a newfound stage of life, their dinner parties soon expanded to include friends and family — and then kept going.
“It just kind of evolved. It got rolling and had a snowball effect and has now become what it is,” Hageman recently said on the City Cast Madison podcast.
Their parties are now a full fledged business dubbed Don’t Cook for Cowboys and are popping up across the Madison area.
The two curate everything for the events. The tableware is thrifted, the decorations are painstakingly on theme, and every dinner typically starts with a toast and a shot of Fernet-Branca.
But aside from those traditions, the parties are what the guests make of them. There are no seating assignments and guests are encouraged to take part in a moment of mindfulness to conceptualize their own vision for the night.
“Comfort comes from discomfort,” Sherman said.
When it comes to the food, the two team up with local chefs to serve a multi-course meal. Sometimes that’s an elevated take on a spaghetti dinner, sometimes it’s a rodeo disco brunch.
Either way, people are loving it and events — which draw guests from their 20s to their 70s — typically sell out.
When’s the Next Party?
Don’t Cook for Cowboys has two events coming up in April. The first is April 7 in Spring Green and the second is April 24 at Pasture and Plenty (who is a 2024 James Beard nominee for outstanding hospitality, so you know it’s going to be great).
For the latest details on upcoming events, follow Don’t Cook for Cowboys on Instagram.
