Gathering around culinary delights the ticket for some singles

Independent wine consultant Alisa Hoffman, left, chats with Jade Edwards during the event. Hoffman says she created the group after she moved to the East Valley from Baltimore last summer and was unable to find an existing group.
Photo by Brandon Questor, For the Tribune

By Julie Janovsky, Tribune

When Bette Publicker ventured into T. Cook’s restaurant at the Royal Palms Resort on a recent Tuesday, the Scottsdale woman was about to dine with a group of total strangers.

Publicker says since she moved here from New York City about a year ago, she hasn’t had many opportunities to get to know other singles in the area. When researching dining clubs on the Web, she came across the Scottsdale 48+ Fine Dining group on Meetup.com.

East Valley culinary aficionados like Publicker are tapping into Web sites like Meetup as a way to meet people who share their culinary interests, whether it’s fine dining and wine or just new restaurants.
Linn Russell of Scottsdale, who attends the fine dining Meetups as well as ones for a Scottsdale wine enthusiasts group, says the Meetup experience has brought about new friendships.

“I’ve met some great people,” the high school teacher says. “It’s a great way to find people who share your interests.”

FAST GROWTH

Independent wine consultant Alisa Hoffman, who had organized a wine enthusiasts group in Baltimore before she moved to the East Valley last summer, created the Scottsdale wine enthusiasts group last fall because she couldn’t find one that already existed. Her group has grown to more than 150 members.

Leslie Keller, an account manager for a computer company, decided to give the group a try last month. She and friend Philomena Corripresto headed to the group’s wine tasting at Mosaic in north Scottsdale, and met other East Valley women also looking to enjoy wine and socialize with new people.

Corripresto says after nearly two hours of snacking on hors d’oeuvres and sipping Pacific Northwest wines (the evening’s wine theme), the ladies weren’t quite ready to call it a night.

“We went to the Zinc Bistro at Kierland Commons for dinner afterward,” says Corripresto, who says she plans to attend future events with the group. “It was a fun night. I enjoyed it.”

TAKE THE INITIATIVE

Sally Lattimer, a Scottsdale accountant, says she also decided to organize her dining meet-up group, which is designed for people 48 and older, by default this fall. Already a member of the Scottsdale wine enthusiasts group, she was seeking a group to experience dining adventures with.

“A lot of people wanted one, but no one wanted to organize it,” says Lattimer, who took matters into her own hands. Her group, which typically convenes once a month to try restaurants in the Scottsdale area, has been growing ever since. Toward the end of each meal, participants vote on the next destination.

Now up to around 50 members — typically six to 10 come out on a given evening — a core following has started to build up.

Retirees Harry and Marsha Burke joined to get a chance to try restaurants they’ve never been to before.

“It’s very nice. We’ve been really pleased,” Marsha Burke says of the group.