GFWC Book Lovers Study Club visits House of Plenty
CONTRIBUTED - GFWC Book Lovers Study Club members enjoy dinner at the House of Plenty Studio Kitchen. 
Columnists, Susie Hovater Malone, Z - TOP HOME
 By  Staff Reports Published 
10:00 am Wednesday, May 24, 2023

GFWC Book Lovers Study Club visits House of Plenty

By Susie Hovater Malone
Lifestyles Columnist

The GFWC Book Lovers Study Club’s May meeting offered a unique dinner experience for twenty-three ladies who traveled to The House of Plenty in Hamilton, Ala.

Book Lovers hostesses Cheri McCain and Martha Sibley arranged for the private Chef’s Table event about two months prior to our May meeting. This was a ticketed event in which attendees just sat back, relaxed and watched while Jonathan Moore and his team prepared a four-course Italian dinner. We learned about the preparation of the ingredients, seasoning of Italian food and much more.  

“I desire to share my love for the art of hospitality, an art lost to many in this virtual day and age,” Moore said. “Hospitality is about more than meals—it is about opening your life and your home. It is about beautiful spaces and places, presentation and so much more.” Moore was born and raised in the Midwest but moved to Alabama in 2011 where he found himself working in restaurant kitchens and gaining unique experiences with food. In 2021, he and his wife, Kalyn, launched the House of Plenty Studio Kitchen in downtown Hamilton, where they host beautiful events, cooking classes, catering services, weddings, showers and other special events.

The Studio Kitchen offers cooking classes twice a month and Take-Home Tuesday meals every Tuesday. It’s never too early to start planning an event at the House of Plenty Studio Kitchen. They plan and post events to their calendar several months in advance, and it will be an experience you will enjoy. For more information, visit the House of Plenty Studio Kitchen on Facebook.

In recognition of our Celebrating Our Everyday Heroes project, members approved a $105 donation to the Russellville Fire Department Annual Safety Education Program. 
The winner from the Mother’s Day Basket fundraiser is John Payne. This was the first time Book Lovers Study Club has sponsored this type of fundraiser, and it was a success.

President Brenda Oliver reported that Book Lovers Study Club received several awards at the GFWC Alabama Convention. Book Lovers also received the University of Alabama Scholarship, and it was presented at the Russellville High School awards night program May 22. Susie Hovater Malone received the GFWC Alabama Jennie award. She will be judged at the GFWC Southern Region Conference which will be held in Biloxi, Miss., in October. 

Also on Franklin County Times
Russellville to host MLK march on Monday
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The Franklin County Martin Luther King Memorial Scholarship Committee is planning its annual commemoration march, which this year will ...
Career tech programs return to remodeled RHS building
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Students at Russellville High School returned from winter break last week to a newly remodeled and expanded Career Technical Education ...
Dowdy sentence delayed
Main, News, Russellville
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The sentencing of Brandy Dowdy will have to wait until another day after her defense attorney suffered a “medical emergency.” Dowdy’s s...
MLK march is about ‘keeping the dream alive’
News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The Rev. B.J. Bonner was 11 years old in the summer of 1963 when the civil rights movement reshaped the South and communities across Al...
FCREA finalizes 2025, looks ahead to 2026
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
January 14, 2026
There are moments in our meetings that stay with you long after the chairs are folded and the dishes are washed. One of those moments came in November...
This year, let’s resolve to be more involved
Columnists, Opinion
January 14, 2026
Stop eating desserts. Go to the gym every day. Read 50 books this year. Learn a language. Start my retirement savings. Every year we make our resoluti...
RHS track looks ahead to state meet
High School Sports, Russellville Golden Tigers, Sports
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Russellville High School track athletes have posted multiple top 10 and top 20 section finishes this season, along with podium performa...
Vote of Red Bay budget delayed until February
News, Red Bay
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 14, 2026
RED BAY — City councilmembers will vote next month on the 20025–26 fiscal year budget. Mayor Mike Shewbart told the council last week the budget was n...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *