Fondue to You

By
Appears in the April 2023 issue.

By Peter Gianopulos

A spread from Geja’s Cafe

Has there ever been a better time, in the history of dining, to be a homebody? Pick your craving. Sushi. A single perfectly cooked lobe of beef Wellington. A three-course French meal. Someone’ll deliver it. And that includes the newest portable delight:a DIY fondue feast from the legendary Geja’s Cafe in Chicago.

At least once a month, owner Jeff Lawler partners with Dwell Social to pack up the entire Geja’s experience—cheese, chocolate, oils, proteins, crockery, burners, and all the equipment, right down to a Spotify playlist of the restaurant’s preferred guitar music—and drop it off at your front door. Eligible locations change, but the western suburbs stay in heavy rotation.

“We explain how to prepare and cook everything,” says Lawler, who not only offers written instructions but filmed a step-by-step tutorial to ensure everyone can throw a fondue party like it’s 1979. “People don’t even have to clean the dishes; all they have to do is pack them up, and we’ll wash them back at the restaurant.”

About 30 days in advance, the location of the next Geja’s offering is posted at dwellsocial.com, providing plenty of time for you to send out your invites and ready the house. “Fondue has survived for so long because it’s naturally communal,” Lawler says. “It’s a shared dining experience—only now those memories can be experienced at home, too.”

 

Photo courtesy of Geja’s Cafe