The Single Gourmet of South Florida

October 2003 

By Kristen Huffines

Jerry Seinfeld once said that restaurants were the worst place to go on a first date because there was too much that could go wrong.  You start by being judged according to what you order, then can take too big of a bite, have food morsels smeared across your face, end up with garlic or onion breath, or spend an entire meal looking across from someone who doesn’t want to tell you that a piece of food has been stuck between your teeth.  While one or all of these instances can happen on a restaurant date, The Single Gourmet insists that breaking bread is the only way to meet people.  “Meeting people over food is the greatest thing in the world,” said Barry Adelson, who along with his partner, Laura Simoncini, runs the Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade County Chapters of The Single Gourmet. “We provide a great opportunity to meet, dine and mingle in a safe environment. What’s a better way to communicate with someone than over a great meal?”

The Flavorful experience enjoyed by members of The Single Gourmet comes from singles getting together in a no hassle environment, founded on the principle that nice people want to associate with nice people who like good food, good talk and good friends.  After joining, members are able to select from a calendar of dining events including dinners and wine tastings.  Restaurants are selected for their high standards of ambiance, atmosphere, food and service.

“We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink, for dining alone is leading the life of a lion or wolf.”

Adelson is no stranger to the singles industry.  The owner of several singles services and parties, he sought out a better way to promote for singles to get together.  Many years ago, he was approached with beginning a South Florida Chapter of The Single Gourmet and knew it was better than other ways for people to come together.  “The bar scene is a completely different element.  People can go to those places for a quick fix meeting, but when you’re going to quality restaurants, you’re going to mingle with that level of quality people.  If you were on a date with one person, an incompatible match means a bad meal experience. But if you’re forced to sit and eat with ten people at a table, you are naturally going to talk and be compatible with someone.”

It is this pledge to upscale environments which has made The Single Gourmet a success.  The organization now boasts over 2,600 members in the Tri-County area who meet at some of the best tables in town.  And nationwide, they enjoy over 45,000 with chapters in 27 cities in 15 states and extend as far as Canada.

An appetizing draw for those who are new to the area is being able to dine out without dining alone. Businessman Doug Falk, had moved to South Florida from California in 2002 and wanted to learn more about the better restaurants of the area in addition to expanding his new circle of friends. Falk joined The Single Gourmet and has been impressed with the type of professional people he has met through the organization.

“The thing that sets it apart is I’ve always found that when there is food, people are more comfortable.” Falk said. “It’s not just eating.  It’s a dining experience that comes with pleasant conversation and puts people at ease.  I’ve done the Internet thing to meet people. It has never worked for me.  This is a nice non-committal way to meet a lot of people in one, friendly setting without any obligations.”

While Adelson is adamant that The Single Gourmet is not a dating service, it has produced many couples and marriages.  When you add the ingredients of good people in a friendly, talkative environment, you might get lucky and wind up with a date.  And for those who have been out of the dating scene for a while, the comfort setting is less intimidating than the traditional bar scene.

June Pfeiffer became a member of the New York chapter in 1985 after her marriage ended in divorce.  ”After 32 years of marriage, it was difficult for me to get used to the whole‘single’situation again,” Pfeiffer said.  But I found it to be a wonderful organization.  Very quickly, I was looking forward to it. I was working and went to at least three of four events a month and meeting and being out with new people was good for me.” After moving to South Florida in 1997, Pfeiffer rejoined with a friend and began going to the South Florida one.

“Adelson does everything so beautifully,” Pfeiffer stated.  ”You get to go to places you would never go to alone.  There are always nice people with interesting life stories.  And since going out to dinner alone is something you wouldn’t do alone, you don’t have to.  You get to go with a group of people you now call friends.”

“Eating is not merely a material pleasure. Eating well gives a spetacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship. It is of great importance to the morale.”

Friends are made both at the tables and at the cocktail hour, where connections are established as people unwind and relax and ages 20 – 80 are represented. Adelson and Simoncini set the tables according to age categories, to “make everyone happy within their comfort zone and be realistic as far as whom they might be most compatible with,” Adelson said.  At each event each age group is very well represented.

“I think the table set ups are perfect,” Falk concurred.  ”If it would be left to happenstance I’m not sure the events would flow as well as they do.  The fact that they take the care to arrange the tables gives you a better chance to meet people. You now know that they are around your age and you share a similar taste in what defines good food and good dining.”

With members acting as roving food critics, recommendations of hot spots are tried and tested by Adelson and Simoncini for size, atmosphere, and of course, fine cuisine before any event is placed on the dining calendar.  In South Florida, there are hundreds of restaurants, yet only a few measure up to the taste buds of Singe Gourmet members.  Establishments where are dinner events are held are always Four or Five Star rated.

“People want to dine in nice environments and the quality ones tend to be less noisy, promoting conversation, Adelson explained.  ”Many of these restaurants have been awarded National Academy of Hospitality Sciences awards.  And holding events in establishments that are at a certain level of quality means that we will have a certain element of people at these events as well.”

While there is no set list of prerequisites for dining locations, lager seating venues with separate bar areas to accommodate the cocktail hour and the size of the group work well.  Cuisine’s are changed often from Italian to French to Japanese and popular restaurants are visited more than once.  “People like variety,” Adelson explained, “and they want to try different places.  We’ve had as many as two to three events in one week, so we can have members try different menu choices and have something that appeals to everyone.”

And don’t worry about special food restrictions. Adelson and Simoncini take diet, vegetarian and vegan, diabetic and religious restrictions into account before having a meal.

At the end of the dining experience with The Single Gourmet, is summed up with food and friends.  “It’s all delicious,” Pfeiffer said.  ”It’s nice to go out to dinner. You meet people who are out for a good time.  You sit.  You talk.  You eat. What’s a better way to meet people than that?”

Jerry Seinfeld, eat your heart out.

The Single Gourmet holds weekly singles dining events.  For additional information about your local South Florida chapter, please call either 561-276-2595 or 954-723-9608 or 305-371-8717, or to fill out an application online, please visit www.singlegourmetflorida.com