The Legacy Continues

A Legacy Continues

Creating A Supper Club For A New Era Of Diners

On March 14, 2020, Bill Hughes and his crew at his eponymous 15 table restaurant prepared for what, they expected, would be their final dinner service for the following two weeks. “I had done some braised octopus and so I took it and made octo-tacos, street tacos with the octopus,” Bill said. “3 tacos skewered on the platter, a doily, and a 6 oz Corona beer, for the Coronavirus.”

Bill, like thousands of other restaurant owners and chefs, had no idea that the virus would soon shutter his doors for 9 months rather than 2 weeks. Most sources estimate between 70-90,000 restaurants closed due to COVID-19. The message to restaurateurs was clear: adapt or die.
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“We couldn’t open,” Bill continued. “We had 15 tables and we were only able to open at 25%, and 25% of 15 is not a lot of tables.” It quickly became obvious that proceeding on such a small scale was untenable. The world was changing rapidly, and the effects could be seen in every industry. “We were closed, and the NBA was the only sporting event that succeeded,” Bill recalled. “They [the NBA] built bubbles in Orlando and one night I said to my wife, Cathy, ‘I wish I had a bubble to put over the restaurant.’”

Crossing The Street

Bill’s “bubble” evolved into an idea familiar to him: a supper club. As executive chef of Owensboro’s Campbell Club from 1989-1998, Bill increased membership from 340 to 562 people. Bill’s Restaurant was similarly successful in its lifespan, “I bought it and ran it for 10 years. We were listed as high as the fourth best restaurant in the state.” During Bill’s decade of running his Restaurant, he had gained favor with a loyal crowd of regulars, and he felt hopeful that many of them would be willing to pay membership dues if he was able to provide the benefits of a club environment. But shifting to a members-only model would require more than what his former restaurant space could offer.
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As luck would have it, the beautiful Victorian mansion across the street, whose kitchen had been Bill’s domain in the 1990s, went on the market around that time. “So we got it, we refurbished it,” Bill recalled. Upon purchasing the building, he began the first major renovations since the Campbell Club’s opening in 1959. “We interjected a lot of humor. It’s a cool space.”
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Loyal Bill’s Restaurant clientele provided an influx of cash by applying for club membership early, laying the foundation for huge improvements to be made to the space. From custom mural artwork by local painter C. David Jones to upgrades to kitchen hardware, the repairs and remodeling brought the building into current trends and improved ambience. “It’s disarming when you walk in,” Bill remarked on the effects of the upgrades. “People walk in and go, ‘wow what a cool space.’ And that’s where it all starts.”

Why A Club

Those who supported the club early were first in line to reap the benefits of membership as well, perks that Bill was excited to be able to offer at his new establishment. He explained that, when compared to running a typical restaurant, a club allows him to be more generous with members than he could afford to be with standard customers. He says that running a club allows him to offer more to his members for a fair price. “It allows me to do a club pour on a cocktail or on a glass of wine,” he said. “And it allows me to serve stuff that I want to eat, that I’m proud to present.”

From procuring unique wines to serving up rarities like “sugar toads” (ever heard of ’em?), the membership dues give Bill the opportunity to take more risks than a restaurant owner typically could, which yields a more vibrant experience to be thoughtfully curated for members. Anyone who has dined at one of Bill’s restaurants can likely recall the chef’s flair from their experience, the quality and value of which frequently exceeds expectations. In fact, the type of experience Bill shares with members at affordable rates is more often reserved for those paying hundreds of dollars per person in more metropolitan areas. He has been known to send out multicourse meals to patrons that rival offerings in America’s largest cities, and has been cited as a favorite by those who have traveled the globe to try the best of the best.

Behind The Bar

In addition to his role as executive chef and owner, Bill wears one more hat at the Cupola Club: bartender. The transition from Bill’s Restaurant to The Cupola Club meant an increase in volume that prompted a larger team of cooks, a team Bill is proud to be able to trust to execute his vision when it comes to serving the members of the club each night. “It’s been a very difficult transition for me because with 56 seats, I was on the line every night,” Bill said that when it came to his former restaurant, “I planned it, prepped it, served it. I’ve had to accept that we’re a bigger space, there are more distractions, I can’t do all of the cooking.” Though Bill has adopted a more collaborative approach to some of the more labor intensive and time consuming aspects of carrying out nightly service, Bill and his crew remain dedicated to drafting a fresh menu each night, and Bill takes time to help hone his cooks’ palates to mirror his own specific style. His cooks’ commitment to developing techniques that rival Bill’s own has allowed Bill the freedom to spend more time with members, ensuring the highest quality experience possible.
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“It’s kind of cool actually,” Bill said, “I’ve gone from doing a lot of it, most of it myself, to my guys coming over with teaspoons and asking, ‘what do you think chef?’” Bill spoke highly of his crew’s mastery of flavors and techniques, and said that the team now has enough consistency that, rather than making basic suggestions pertaining to balancing the key flavors of a dish, he can make bolder suggestions that help make a real impression on guests. The club’s menu changes every day, so Bill and his crew have plenty of opportunities to try out new flavors, which they take advantage of wherever possible. A regular at the local Asian market, Bill has been known to return to the kitchen after a grocery trip with surprise ingredients that take a new special to the next level when it comes to flavor, something his guests have come to expect. And for those who are more timid when it comes to adventurous ingredients, the kitchen churns out classic lunch and dinner staples with consistency and attention to detail that keeps diners coming back for more.
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Being stationed behind the bar has the added benefit of allowing Bill to spend valuable time with the club’s members, ensuring that they are aware of the latest wines in stock, and even creating craft cocktails that speak to individual members’ tastes. Bill acts as a host and entertainer when behind the bar, “You know, it really is pretty fun; it’s a show,” he said. “We sell entertainment, we sell a good time.
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“Some love the action and the funny conversations at the bar,” he continued. Those who know Bill will have undoubtedly experienced his jovial sense of humor - a fantastic trait for a bartender to have, as always. The opportunity to get to know members on a more personal level is not wasted on Bill, “You know your customers,” he said. It’s obvious that Bill wants his customers to be happy, because at a club, customers are not simply customers, they are members of your community, they are your friends and neighbors. “I had somebody the other day walk up and say, ‘I just want to tell you, thank you so much for doing this, when we come in the front door we feel like we’re home.”

Food That Tastes Good

The story of The Cupola Club is one of paying homage to history, while heeding a creative vision for the future of dining out. It doesn’t begin across the street, at Bill’s Restaurant, or even at The Campbell Club. Instead, it began with a familiar grocery store staple. “One of my main things were Chef Boyardee Pizza Kits,” Bill said about his early foray into cooking as a child. “I would go to the refrigerator and doctor it up, and when something sucked I knew not to do it again.” These formative experiments with ingredients and flavors led him to be adventurous and open to making, and even eating, his mistakes. “You go ahead and eat it, it’s not that bad, but you learn, ‘ eh, I’m not gonna do that anymore.”
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Thankfully for members of the club, Bill learned from his mistakes quickly and walked away from them with an increased understanding of flavors, textures, and techniques that lead him to make creative choices that yield delicious results. At a recent wine tasting event, Bill aimed to serve an understated complement that would not overshadow the wines showcased. “I served scarpetta,” he said. Scarpetta is an Italian peasant food that came about from generations of people who had learned that taking a piece of bread and scooping up every drop of sauce from your plate not only kept you full, but tasted delicious. “So I served a big bowl of braised beef gravy and bread. The carrots and potatoes were all mashed up, and it was meat and gravy and good wine.” This humble dish, made from simple ingredients served alongside Bill’s house-made sourdough bread, nearly stole the show away from the impressive wines being showcased, and was a perfect example of Bill’s talent for curating a menu that stands out and, put plainly, tastes good.

At Home At The Club

Shortly after Bill had purchased the club, he shared his hopes for the new venture with a friend. “I told him about the club and he said, ‘oh wow, well, I guess it’s a good idea?’ And he was so ambivalent,” Bill said.
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“We talked a bit more and I said, ‘how often do you and your wife eat out?’” Bill shared that his friend had become immunocompromised due to cancer treatments, and since this conversation occurred around September of 2020, this affected his friend’s response dramatically. “He said, ‘we’ve only eaten out two times,’ and he said that they had to because of two different meetings.
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“We let the conversation drift for a minute, and I said, ‘do you also go to the boat club?’ He said, ‘Oh gosh, I’m getting sick of it. We eat there two or three times a week!’ And I just shut up, and he started laughing,” Bill recalled. “I said, ‘exactly, it’s your club.’”
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Bill hopes that his members will feel similarly, that dining out at the club will become a part of life that feels like home to members rather than just another restaurant experience. And when you walk through the French doors of the club, you feel embraced by the beautiful art and architecture of the building, warmed by wines that have been selected with care, and, of course, delighted by the food you share there. “One reason that I wanted to cook was that it made me happy to eat something that’s delicious,” Bill said. “And when I learned how to make what I thought was delicious, I’d have it forever. And you can’t take it away.”
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Bill explained that although cooking began as a pursuit for his own pleasure, it became the thing he is most passionate about sharing with others. “It seems like there are few things better than bringing tremendous joy to somebody,” he said. “And a bite can be explosive. All in one, done, boom. And you’re happy as can be.”
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BILL’S FIRST RECIPE, AGE 7
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1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter (Skippy or Jiff recommended)
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon butter, softened
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Cream all ingredients together, serve on fresh, warm toasted sourdough.

Want to Join the Club?

Completed applications can be emailed to Office@thecupolaclub.com

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