Secret Spoon Society serves up experiences designed to spark curiosity, conversation and connection.
Ninety minutes ago, they were strangers. Now they’re laughing across the table, exchanging numbers and making plans to meet again at the next Secret Spoon Society event.
For founder Michael Chronister, moments like these are the real measure of a successful evening. “The food, wine and cocktails are the invitation,” he says. “The conversation is the destination.”
That philosophy is at the heart of Secret Spoon Society, a collection of intimate dining experiences designed to turn a meal into something more. No two events are necessarily alike, but most unfold over two and a half to three hours, with intentionally small groups and open seating that often puts strangers around the same table. The food and drinks may get them there, but Michael is just as interested in what happens between courses.
Sometimes the inspiration is as familiar as an Arkansas tomato. Other times, it’s an Old Fashioned, locally raised pork or a particular wine. Michael’s goal isn’t to create something unusual simply for the sake of being different. Instead, he starts with something guests recognize and finds a way to let them experience it differently.
“I want to start with something familiar enough to feel comfortable, then challenge people to step just outside that comfort zone with us,” he says. “It’s a balance between comfort and adventure, and no matter how far we wander, I want to safely land the plane back home here in the River Valley.”
Even the seemingly unrelated concepts are intentional. Michael thinks months ahead, looking for ways one experience might leave a thread that leads guests to the next. His hope is that Secret Spoon Society becomes “an unfolding story rather than simply a succession of quirky events.”
It’s an approach shaped by an unconventional path to the kitchen. A Fort Smith native, Michael studied music education at the University of Arkansas and later toured North America as a professional bass player in a progressive rock band. Life on the road taught him to view creativity not simply as performance, but as a way to reach people and create connection.
Food entered the picture almost by accident. During a break from music, Michael took a restaurant job busing tables to earn what he jokingly calls “folding money.” One night after closing, the dishwasher prepared a staff meal that introduced him to flavors and combinations he’d never experienced. It changed the trajectory of his career.
Eventually, Michael landed at Arthur’s in Little Rock, where owner Jerry Barakat and a staff with broad hospitality experience gave him what he describes as a fast-track education in professional hospitality. He learned about cuisine, mixology and wine, but just as importantly, about service and the details that shape a guest’s experience.
When he returned to Fort Smith in 2014, Michael put those lessons to work as general manager of a local restaurant, gaining experience in team building, special events, menu development, cocktail programs and wine lists. He also began thinking about how some of the influences he’d encountered elsewhere might translate back home to western Arkansas.
The idea for Secret Spoon Society ultimately came from the people Michael had spent years serving. A client asked him to cook a private event. He initially declined, but the idea stuck. Six weeks later, another request came—this time for an anniversary dinner with cocktails—and Michael said yes.
He began quietly cooking for clients in private homes and distinctive local venues, relying largely on word of mouth. By January, he formally launched Secret Spoon Society, expanding the concept to include ticketed experiences alongside private dining and catering. Most ticketed events remain intimate, often with 30 guests or fewer, although the business can operate on a much larger scale. For larger, corporate-sized events, Michael draws on a network of hospitality professionals he has worked with over the years.
As Secret Spoon has grown, finding a permanent home became part of Michael’s vision. He recently secured what he calls The Candy Loft, a space directly above Garrison Avenue Goodies, the distinctive candy shop in downtown Fort Smith. The move gives Secret Spoon a home base while preserving the intimate, experience-driven approach at the heart of the concept.
The setting matters. Michael considers the kitchen, room and overall aesthetic alongside the menu, believing where people gather can be just as important as what is served once they arrive. At The Candy Loft, he now has a space where those pieces can come together—and where he can continue experimenting with what a Secret Spoon experience can be.
And October may be the best example yet of just how wide a net he can cast.
Tercos Tapas & Tunes pairs international soul singer and bassist Shaun Munday with family-style Argentinian food, smoked meats and Ricardo Santos wines for an intimate dinner-and-show experience. Flavor Lab: Dubai Chocolate, created in partnership with Garrison Avenue Goodies, invites guests to taste, experiment and play with chocolate. A murder mystery dinner is also on the horizon, and on October 29, Secret Spoon Society will launch Fork & Cork, a four-part dinner series with Shamrock Liquor built around winemakers, their wines and the stories behind them.
Heading into the holidays, The Candy Loft will also give Michael room to expand private experiences, including intimate dinners, anniversaries, corporate gatherings and holiday parties. For all the thought poured into the menus, pairings, venues and themes, though, Michael isn’t measuring success by how elaborate an evening becomes or how many people he can fit in a room.
He’s watching who comes back.
Guests who once arrived alone are returning together. People who didn’t know each other at the beginning of one evening are showing up as friends at the next. That’s when Michael realized Secret Spoon Society didn’t need hundreds of people in a room to work.
“I’d rather measure it one table, one smile and one new connection at a time,” he says. “Watching strangers become not so strange is probably my favorite measure of success.”
KEEP UP WITH THE SECRET: Follow Secret Spoon Society on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Tickets to public experiences are available through OzarksTix.com. For public or private dining inquiries, email thesecretspoonsociety@gmail.com.
