What if you could quit your day job and just eat and socialize all the time? (Picture this: Nights filled with wonderful conversation. Lovely hosts. Duck confit and huckleberry waffles with bourbon maple syrup. American Wagyu ribeye. Fluke crudo! Grand Marnier souffle!!! Mmmm, we're getting all worked up just writing about it.)
That's exactly what longtime friends Jay Pizarro and Susie Timm did with Foodies Like Us, a social group where food lovers of all ilks come together to share gourmet meals, cooking classes and a whole lot of food talk.
The group kicked off in August with a swanky soiree at Christopher's and Crush Lounge. Since then, their membership has soared. "The menus and preparations change, but the idea is always the same: to meet people and socialize and talk about food," says Pizarro, the group's Chief Executive Foodie. "When we started this, we didn't think 'hey there's a lot of people who want to talk about food.' But there are."
Where can you meet up with like-minded Foodies? Find out after the jump...
Foodies Like Us started as a grassroots effort, initially hosting family and friends and spreading by word of mouth, but the social club has grown its online following to 6,000+ on Facebook and Twitter. Events like the upcoming Gastronomics: The Art of Classic Italian Cooking class are selling out early.
Luckily, there's still time to register for the November event -- BLT Steak's 1-year Anniversary Party, which features plenty of opportunity to chat and pig out. For $30 (or $40 at the door), you'll get a full dinner with Prohibition-era cocktails, champagne, wine and part of the tasty swine Chef Laurent Tourondel will be roasting.
In December, Executive Chef Laura Slama of Celebrated Cuisine offers a grownup version of a classic holiday pairing with "Champagne & Cookies." Participants will bake and take home holiday cookies made from Chef Laura's recipes. Sessions are available on Wednesday, December 9 from 6-9 p.m. and on Saturday the 12th from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Cost is $65.
