South Florida Magazine
Thursday, October 18th, 2007Shall We Dine ?
August 2006
It’s Saturday night in South Florida. We are in an upscale, very classy modern Italian restaurant that has a touch of the past mixed in with a touch of the present. Photo’s on the wall show stars like Frank Sinatra to local celebrities such as Dan Marino, who have dined there on other ocassions. Live piano music is in the background: people are dancing: the diners are roughly from their 20’s to their 80’s. Men wear jackets and 
the ladies are dressed up for an evening out. Welcome to a dinner with a 100 or so singles attending a Single Gourmet hosted evening at Flavor’s of Italy. Barry Adelson is the owner of The Single Gourmet which has groups in 27 locations across the country. The dinner is typical of what members expect. “Our purpose,” says Adelson, “is to get single people together in a no hassle environment for an evening that includes fine dining. We are not a $10. singles dance buffet crowd and we are not an expensive matchmaking service.”
Adelson and a friend decided to have a dinner party over 20 years ago. He invited some friends, both male and female, and so did his friend. The group enjoyed a catered meal in a nice setting. When they finished, Adelson says he thought, “This is a good idea. I think I could make a business of this.” And he has.
The Single Gourmet fills a need in the singles population. The web site says: You have just found the most enjoyable way to meet a steady stream of the most interesting and interested people in the area.
Here’s how it works. Each member pays a $99. per year membership fee and receives a monthly newsletter and calendar of events with options for socializing. There may be wine tastings, dinners, cultural events and some travel noted on the calendar. Adelson and his staff negotiate a group rate in four or five star restaurants for up to the number of people a restaurant will hold. Working with the chef, Adelson is able to offer Single Gourmet members a menu for four or five course meals. Depending on the restaurant, members will spend $30. to $60. for a meal. Final prices will include tax and tip and some wine.
“These are no jeans and sneakers events,” he says. Men must wear jackets and we tell the women to dress for the type of evening they’re going to participate in.”
Members must make reservations in advance, They then meet at the restaurant and are greeted by a host (Adelson himself or a staff member). Participants have assigned seating by age and interest “so everyone always ends up within their comfort zone.
How are the age groups broken down I asked. Adelson said, “We have all ages attending our functions. We will assign the seating according to age and interest. No matter your age, 20 – 40 – 60 – 80, everyone will always be seated accordingly and comfortably.”
Adelson operates 5 Single Gourmet chapters in Florida including Broward County, Palm Beach County, Miami-Dade County, Collier County and Lee County. Membership allows for attending events with Single Gourmet clubs other 
than just a member’s home area. The Single Gourmet also services 22 areas ouside of Florida as well so if you are travelling, on you visits you can use the organization as well. Along with fine dining, The Single Gourmet organizes trips, such as to Maui, Hawaii. For an end of the year trip, members can opt for a tour of southern Italy.
Shall we dine?
For additional information about The Single Gourmet please call them at 954-723-9608 in Broward County or 561-276-2595 in Palm Beach County or 305-371-8717 in Miami-Dade County. You can also check out The Single Gourmet web site which is located at www.singlegourmetflorida.com.
Bon appetite!