The Single Gourmet of South Florida

The stuff dreams are made of 

June 2002 

By Nicolle Gomez

(Forum Staff Writer)

Just to look at them, one can tell they are in love.  ”I admit, we can be nauseating.” jokes Dale Petrie.  She met the man of her dreams at a Single Gourmet outing in August.  Artie Manno can say the same thing about Petrie, his bride-to-be.

Petrie and Manno set the scene of their initial introduction.  They even remember the exact time they met – at 7:30 p.m. “I was sitting next to a girlfriend and Artie was sitting on her other side.  I heard his broken New York accent, and it immediately caught my attention,” Petrie said.  Manno said he was striking up a conversation with two women when he heard Petrie laugh.  ”I heard Dale laugh and I knew immediately,” he said.  ”I think the two women I was talking to knew too because they stopped talking to me.”

Apparently, everyone else at the table noticed the chemistry. By the end of the night, they were listening to Petrie’s and Manno’s banter.  They hit it off so well that they were the last ones to leave the restaurant that night.  ”The valet was waiting for us with our cars parked in front of the restaurant.  I just didn’t want the night to end,” Petrie said.

Petrie admits to calling The Single Gourmet co-owner Barry Adelson and begging him to sit her next to Manno at the next dinner outing.  She laughs recalling the memory.  Manno and Petrie have been inseparable ever since.  Manno is divorced and has been single the past 17 years.  He said a friend pressured him to join The Single Gourmet group to meet people and have fun.  ”I joined reluctantly, but I’m glad I did,” he said smiling at his blushing bride-to-be.

“I’m really happy for my mom,” said Petrie’s 15 year old daughter Sara. “She never really dated after the divorce.  Artie is great, better than I could have every expected.

Petrie said that before she met Manno, she made a list of qualities she would like in a man.  “I took the list out after meeting Artie, and all the qualities were checked off.  The bonus point was that he was tall,” she said.  “I can’t explain the chemistry between us.  For me, the connection was there immediately,” Manno said.

The couple will be married on June 15th surrounded by family and friends.  “It’s going to be a big cocktail party, and then we’ll stop to say our vows and then continue with the party,” Petrie said.

When Adelson heard the wedding news, he was very happy for the couple.  “I thought it was great, another Single Gourmet success story.  Our organization’s goal is to get single people together without all the hassle,” Adelson said.  “I wish them both the best.”

For more information on The Single Gourmet, call 954-723-9608, or 561-276-2595 or 305-371-8717.