It’s Thursday night and if passers-by peek into the window of BATA Restaurant, they will see servers scurrying to care for their guests. They will see three long tables set off to the side where guests sit and chat, although most do not know each other. It is a communal table.
On this particular night, the first dish gave a nod to the season and what’s available: smash cucumber, tomato shoyu “pesto,” in tomato broth. Next: cod and chicken torchon, tomato beurre blanc and long beans. Last, dessert: mushroom ice cream.
No one could rightly call this night’s menu boring.
Welcome to BATA’s Summer Supper Club, where for $50 plus drinks and tip, diners gather once a week for what turns out to be a fascinating, sometimes brave, venture into the world of eating.
Working under the leadership of executive chef and co-owner Tyler Fenton, those who create the meals at BATA stretch their imaginations to come up with new combinations of ingredients, all while keeping track of what’s in season and what’s in the larder. It truly is a team effort.
“The whole restaurant of BATA is that it’s a highly collaborative, creative process,” Fenton said. “I’m involved on some level but I have a chef de cuisine, Jackson Dennis. He’s there everyday, leading the charge.”
Others in the open kitchen include sous chefs Mauricio Ortiz and pastry chef Savanah Sandate.
The process begins when the chefs come together to plan Thursday night’s dinner. Fenton said the conversation actually continues all week, and sometimes the menu isn’t finalized until Thursday afternoon.
“The fun of it is they might be brainstorming ideas but they make that menu on Wednesday, and and finalize it on Thursday,” he said. “It’s got a little bit of preplanning and a little bit of off-the-cuff cooking.”
During the week, the chefs work on their ideas. If the dish doesn’t work, they go back to the stove burners. Either way the chefs can try out new things.
“Everyone has the creative freedom to experiment,” Fenton said. “Our philosophy is if someone has an idea and wants to make it, then we’ll try it.”
Then the dish gets workshopped and everyone gives notes. The chef tries it again.
Of course, diners aren’t privy to these conversations; all they see is what their server places in front of them.
The supper club experience begins when diners arrive at the restaurant. They are given a card with that night’s menu, and often diners have no idea what these items are. The menu is set each Thursday, so there is no ordering, unless diners want to order a drink. It’s like a fixed-price meal. Although the event is called a club, it is not exclusive, and there is no membership. Anyone with $50 can make a reservation and attend.
Summer Supper Club came about because the chefs wanted to do something fun.
“Summers in Tucson are quiet generally speaking, so the team wanted to come up with some things that would be fun for guests as well as the team,” Fenton said. “The idea was that it was the opportunity to do some foods that might not necessarily fit on the regular menu but it’s still done with the sourcing and the ethos of the restaurant.”
Dinner usually starts coming out about 6:30 but things break up at 8 p.m. when the bill for drinks and wine is presented.
If successful — and it usually is — diners have enjoyed great food and met some interesting people.
In the end, “the goal is always to make delicious food and make people happy,” Fenton said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Note: The chefs also offer vegan and vegetarian meals and accommodate food allergies.
This article appears in Jul 17-24, 2025.