Around the Table at Foundation Social Eatery

An Eating With Erica Supper Club dinner in Alpharetta

One freezing evening years ago, I went to dinner at Foundation Social Eatery’s original Roswell location. I was with my boyfriend, who is now my husband. We shared red wine, bread, and plenty of laughs. Then I tried the mushroom ravioli, and without a doubt, I was hooked.

I still remember the fresh ravioli and the mushrooms, minced so finely they had a texture almost like ground beef. It all came together in a Parmesan-rich sauce. In fact, I loved it so much that Foundation became one of the places I took girlfriends and family whenever they came to town.

With this in mind, returning for an Eating With Erica Supper Club dinner felt especially meaningful. I knew the owners, loved the food, and trusted the team to care for our guests. What’s more, I hoped any woman who came back on her own would find the same warmth and excellence. That should be true even on a random Wednesday night.

On the Cover of Roswell City Lifestyle

We had another reason to celebrate. The Eating With Erica Supper Club landed on the cover of the October culinary issue of Roswell City Lifestyle.

I’m so grateful to Lisa Thibault, publisher of Roswell City Lifestyle, and Tran Bui, Emmy Award–winning journalist, for their partnership. Lisa knows the Roswell culinary community so well, and it was a joy to speak with Tran and have her interview our members. Thank you to every woman who showed up and helped us celebrate.

Tran captured exactly what makes this community special: beautiful tables, exceptional meals, and the kind of authentic conversation that turns guests into lasting friends. Read the full feature, More Than a Seat at the Table, in Roswell City Lifestyle.

Hearing From the People Behind Foundation

Chef Mel Toledo and his wife, Sandy, founded Foundation Social Eatery. After the original Roswell restaurant closed at the end of 2020, they brought Foundation back in downtown Alpharetta. The heart of the place came with them. Think handmade pastas, an open kitchen, and the feeling you are a guest in someone’s home, not a table number.

Chef Mel’s cooking draws on classic French technique and seasonal ingredients. It reflects his European travels and his time in Michelin-starred kitchens in France. On the other hand, nothing about Foundation feels stuffy. It sits right in that sweet spot between fine dining and everyday comfort.

Our dinner also gave us the chance to hear from the team behind the restaurant. I appreciated having an owner, a chef, and an operator speak with our guests about the work that goes into a dining experience. After all, it takes care and consistency to build a restaurant people want to return to year after year. As a result, hearing their perspective made the evening even more meaningful.

The Menu: Foundation Social Eatery

Every guest found a custom printed menu, Foundation Social Eatery × Eating With Erica, resting on her plate. Naturally, the mushroom ravioli had to be part of our dinner. Beyond that, I wanted a menu that let every woman choose what she was craving, because choice gives a table something to talk about from the very first course.

We welcomed everyone with Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut and enjoyed wine over the course of the evening. We began with a choice of two salads. The first was a Little Gem Caesar with Foundation’s garlicky croutons, anchovy, radish, and a Parmesan-herb dressing. The other was a blood orange and navel orange salad with fennel, arugula, shallot, pistachio, Taggiasca olives, and ricotta salata. Given that we were saying goodbye to summer, I loved having that burst of citrus at the start of the meal.

Then came the dish that started it all. For our second course, we served the mushroom ravioli in a port wine truffle sauce finished with Grana Padano. Warm bread went around the table. I loved watching the women at my end of the table take that first bite, because I knew exactly what they were tasting.

For the main course, guests chose Ora King salmon, heritage chicken, or pork schnitzel. The salmon arrived beautifully seared over roasted corn, English peas, onion, and hon-shimeji mushrooms with sweet corn. The roasted heritage chicken is pure comfort: cipollini onions, potatoes, kalamata olives, bacon, and a roasted garlic jus. The pork schnitzel arrives crisp and golden with fingerling potatoes and pork belly. Its apple gastrique feels just right for early fall. Dessert brought one more choice: blueberry olive oil cake with vanilla whip, pistachio, and blueberry sorbet, or a seasonal canelé with orange liqueur and vanilla ice cream.

A meal like this gives everyone something to talk about. We shared our favorites, asked the woman beside us what she ordered, and settled into the pleasure of a dinner we had made time to enjoy together.

An Ode to the End of Summer

I wanted the tablescape to feel light, fun, and airy, in essence an ode to the end of summer. Late September is such a lovely in-between moment, and I wanted the table to hold on to summer’s brightness a little longer before we move into the deeper tones of fall.

The Place Settings

We layered Lenox Federal Gold plates over copper beaded chargers and placed a custom nameplate at every seat. Federal Gold is one of my favorite patterns because the simple gold band feels elegant without being fussy. Equally important, when a guest walks in and sees her name, she knows she was expected.

Pink garden roses, white roses, and white carnations in small vintage glass bud vases brought color down the table. White and sage-green twisted taper candles added height and a little playfulness. Each guest’s name appeared in white script on a gold acrylic nameplate. Cut-crystal tumblers caught the candlelight at every seat. Keeping the arrangements low and scattered meant everyone could see and talk across the table all night.

Shop the tablescapeBring this end-of-summer table home with Lenox Federal Gold china, copper beaded chargers, gold acrylic nameplates, vintage glass bud vases, white and light pink taper candles in clear glass holders, and glass tea lights.

Lenox Federal Gold Dinnerware SetGet it here →Copper Beaded Charger PlatesGet it here →Gold Mirror Acrylic Place CardsGet it here →Vintage Glass Bud VasesGet it here →White Taper CandlesGet it here →Light Pink Taper CandlesGet it here →Glass Tea Light HoldersGet it here →Glass Taper Candle HoldersGet it here →

The Note Beneath the Charger

The detail I was most excited about, however, was one guests couldn’t see when they arrived. I slipped a note beneath each charger. During dinner, every woman pulled out her note and used it to start a conversation with the women to her left and right.

I’m always thinking about the woman who comes to dinner without knowing anyone. In particular, that small invitation gave every guest a way into the conversation. As I looked around the table, women were engaged with one another, and no one was left out.

Make Your Reservation at Foundation Social Eatery

If you have not visited Foundation yet, start with the mushroom ravioli; it is available as an appetizer or an entrée. For a relaxed weeknight, try Foundation’s Apéro Hour, Monday through Thursday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Expect select wines, classic cocktails, and European-style small bites.

All things considered, I left Foundation grateful for the restaurant and for the women who gathered around our table. I’m also grateful for the support we’ve received from the North Atlanta community. When someone leaves an Eating With Erica dinner, I hope she feels the way I felt that night: I should do this more often. I was welcomed. I was seen.