Miami Community Newspapers
Thursday, October 18th, 2007
Single Gourmet is a delicious alternative for the local dating scene
August 12, 1999
By Anne E. Washburn
The Miami social scene may be categorized in two ways – transient and full of smoky, loud clubs. These primary features of South Florida nightlife often give Miami its flamboyant reputation. Establishing friendships and romantic relationships in this environment is difficult for many singles. In steps a local branch of a national success story – The Single Gourmet. ”The focus of the club is to bring like-minded singles together at some of the finest, well-known restaurants around town”, said Barry Adelson, founder of the local branch of The Single Gourmet. The club, which boasts a membership of 2500 in the tri-county (Dade, Broward and Palm Beach) area, caters to singles between the ages of 21 and 80. “Some singles come because they want to eat in a nice restaurant but they don’t want to eat alone; some come for business reasons; other come to fall in love”, Adelson said.
At a recent event Adelson and his partner, Laura Simoncini, hosted a dinner at Capriccio’s where two of their members made an immediate personal connection. Barbara, a 49-year-old Fort Lauderdale-based real estate broker, and Wayne, a 54-year-old engineer, “spent the whole night talking to each other,” and the made plans for a second date. ”I had just ended a relationship and I don’t like to meet men in bars or clubs. Also I wanted to meet people who were upscale,” said Barbara, a member of The Single Gourmet for several months. Barbara who had attended seven or eight events before she met Wayne, “met nice people,” at every event.
Wayne, who travels to Europe a lot on business, has found it difficult to meet women due to his busy schedule. “At The Single Gourmet, they alternate man, woman at the table, so you are always close to someone that you can strike up a conversation with.” Wayne also has found that the group is a good place for business connections at the dinners. “I have belonged to a couple of singles groups before, but this is by far the best one that I have been to,” Wayne said.
“We are not a dating service or match makers who set people up,” Adelson said. “We started out as just a dining club but to satisfy our members we do other things such as tours, travel, wine tastings and cultural events.” The different chapters of the company that are based in 21 cities host trips all over the world. Paris and wine country as well as China and a Mexican Riviera cruise are just some of the events. ”We want to provide a safe comfortable environment for upscale singles,” he said.
The annual membership fee to join The Single Gourmet is $99. This includes a monthly newsletter. Each event is paid for separately and can cost between $35 and $59. The fee for each dinner includes food, wine, tip and tax, and every event is privately held at a four or five-star restaurant. In addition to the dinner there is an hour of coctails and mingling before the meal begins.
For more information on The Single Gourmet, call Barry Adelson at 305-371-8717 or 954-723-9608 or 561-276-2595.