Denzel Akuffo is the first podcast guest we’ve had who isn’t directly related to hospitality. The son of Ghanian immigrants, Akuffo is now a development project manager for Pivot, and we met working together on the soon-to-land Medley Market in downtown. Thanks to the glories of LinkedIn, I saw one of his posts last month about his non-profit and his goal of creating third places for young professionals around the city. Last year, we asked HQ Coffee Andrea Schultz onto the show to talk about third places — among other things — because she created HQ as a third place for young adults in the Asian District. The concept isn’t just a trend; it’s a sociological observation: We have homes (first places), work/school (second places) and then third places, which for centuries in the U.S. were principally churches, social clubs, supper clubs, bars, etc. The rearrangement of our lives during and after the pandemic, combined with the siloing from readily available digital environments and then combined again with the shrinking number of churchgoers (mosque, temple, Kingdom Hall, etc. too) has led to a dearth of third places in our cities and lives.

The point of intersection for us was the importance of hospitality concepts in creating third places, a reality Akuffo embraced and gives a nod to in naming his efforts to create third places Supper Club OKC. More than a dining group, though, SCOKC is meant to draw people to common spaces to build relationships, enjoy a fun event, eat great food, support local spots, and yes, make the city more livable and enjoyable for everyone, but especially those who don’t have active third places in their lives, which would certainly include new arrivals to OKC, recent college graduates, and people going through profound life changes, like divorce or job change. Akuffo explains more in the episode, and we talk about growing up in South OKC as the son of immigrants, inviting his friends to try African food for the first time, and the importance of diversity in hospitality.