On the afternoon of April 13, students gathered in Lake House for tea with the Amis dinner club. Amis, meaning “friends” in French, is a monthly supper club that aims to bring students together through good food and conversation. As a newly formed student-run club, the facilitators of Amis hope to foster meaningful connections between sibs.
Each event includes a themed meal; the latest one was an afternoon tea. Originally a British tradition, afternoon tea is now a beloved practice by many students. The Amis team created a beautiful set up with tiers of brownies, strawberry shortcakes, croissants and scones courtesy of a famous Wellesley celebrity: the Pom Baker. They also hand-made snacks such as assorted finger sandwiches, freshly cut fruit, caprese bites, mocktails, and of course, four different teas. To foster a welcoming environment, the team also set the table and added a bouquet of flowers.
Hannah Chiou ’25, one of the original founders of Amis, finds it of the utmost importance to create this welcoming environment for all sibs.
“I always look forward to meeting new people as we all can connect over a shared love of food,” Chiou said.
Chiou, along with co-founders Liora Jones ’25 and Victoria Park ’24, and facilitator Avery Woods Weber ’26, work hard to create these three-course meals in order to encourage community engagement and create lifelong bonds.
In a movement to promote inclusivity, the club works to accommodate dietary needs and restrictions so that all attendees can fully immerse themselves into and enjoy the meal. They send out a Google form about two weeks prior to the event in order to curate a more personalized experience. Due to being entirely student-run, the club has a policy in the form of a donation ($15 for the afternoon tea) in order to officially RSVP. Students who are interested in cooking and baking are also encouraged to join.
Many of the attendees chose to dress up for the event, as one typically does for a traditional afternoon tea. Some attendees wore spring dresses, including florals. One attendee even dressed in an elegant coquette-style dress complete with a matching bow headpiece. Dressing with the theme is another way that Amis hopes to encourage individual and creative expression, if sibs feel comfortable to do so.
After the tea, many students came away elated with newfound friendships and connections. Attendee Elise Wilson ‘26 remarked, “Everyone was so nice and welcoming, and we gelled together so quickly that it felt like we were already long-time friends!” Amis hopes to ensure future events and looks forward to making this a collaborative space for everyone. Wilson continued, “Even though Wellesley is a small school, there are so many people that I haven’t met yet, and it’s easy to stick to your regular friend groups because you see them so often. Amis was a great opportunity to branch out from people I already knew, and get to know others on campus in a casual and very cute setting.” Questions and suggestions, as well as updates for future events, can be directed to the Amis Instagram: @wellesleyamis.
