In this issue:
- This Sat., July 1 – Rooftop Party with Family-Style Dinner at *Orso’s* in Chicago
- Next Sat., July 8 – Garden Patio Party at *Don Roth’s Blackhawk* in Wheeling
- Congratulations to Bob Kiefer and Enid Richmond, Married Last Saturday
- “Assessing Where You Are and Where You’re Going” – Your Plan

I can’t emphasize enough that to make sure you get this newsletter in the future, please add jims@gourmetadvocates.com to your contacts listing or address book. Don’t want to keep getting it? Use “stop sending” options at the bottom this page.

This Saturday: Holiday Rooftop Italian Dinner Party at Orso’s in Chicago

This Saturday night, July 1, the Gourmet Advocates host our fourth annual “Holiday Weekend Rooftop Dinner Party.” This time it’s at Orso’s, the popular Italian restaurant on Wells in their garden rooftop. This is an “open party” for all singles, regardless of past participation and is always very well attended. It will include a family-style dinner with appetizers, salad or soup, a salmon, chicken, and veal entree, sides and dessert. This lively holiday weekend dinner party is a mere $45 for members and $47 for guests for all this food, conversation and fun. This party is bound to fill up fast, so register ASAP.

Next Saturday’s party is another outdoor event. This one is a dinner on the garden patio at Don Roth’s Blackhawk Restaurant in Wheeling. This is the second year in a row that we are doing this party, a result of the success of last year’s affair. Don Roth’s food is great and the atmosphere is very appealing with the live music and garden patio ambiance. Hope that you can join us under the stars.

Sign up online for any of the Gourmet Adovocates parties at www.gourmetadvocates.com/singlepage.html.

For those of you who still believe that love may be just around the corner, Bob Kiefer and Enid Richmond were married this past Saturday in Rosemont. The two met near there in April, 2005, at a party we held at Café Zalute. Bob had been an original member of the Gourmet Advocates and attended often. Enid was a member who was at her second event. They met, began dating and the love spark ignited. It is the first marriage for both. We all wish them a beautiful and love-filled life together!

Also check out the “Singles Notebook” columns on “get-real” dating and relationships for those over 30 at the new Web site, http://www.singlesnotebook.com/
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This Saturday, July 1, 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Holiday Weekend Romantic Rooftop Party with Family-Style Italian Dinner at

Orso’s Italian Restaurant

1401 N. Wells (at Schiller, 2 blocks S. of North Ave.) in Chicago’s Old Town

Meet and socialize with other singles while enjoying tasty Italian food at Orso’s, an accomplished trattoria in the restaurant row area of Chicago’s Old Town. Feast on delicious dishes that combine rich traditional flavors with imaginative twists all in a romantic rooftop garden atmosphere that is cozy, casual and comfortable.

The evening begins with a cocktail party (cash bar), followed by a sit-down family-style dinner, all in the restaurant’s scenic rooftop deck. Your evening’s dinner includes all of the following:
· Passed Pizzas during cocktail hour
· Choice of House Salad or Bowl of Minestrone
· Three entrees served family-style:
- Chicken Marsala – Sautéed Chicken Breast in Marsala Wine with Mushrooms
- Veal Scaloppini alla Orso – Sautéed Medallions in White Wine with Artichokes, Fresh Mushrooms and Fresh Tomato
- Salmon alla Franco – Fresh Salmon Steak with Portobello Sauce and Spicy Mango
· Bread and appropriate sides
· Chocolate Chip Cannoli for dessert
· Coffee or tea

Your evening is $45 including dinner, taxes and tips for advance registrations. Guests and non-members are welcome for $47. Space is limited, so sign up early. Walk-ups will also be accepted at the door for $47, space permitting. Dressy casual attire. Park with a valet or the street. Dressy casual attire. Park in the lot. This is an “Open Party” for all singles, regardless of past participation.
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Next Saturday, July 8, 7:00 – 10:30 p.m.
Enjoy a Dinner on the Garden Patio Accompanied by Live Music from a Combo at

Don Roth’s Blackhawk Restaurant

61 N. Milwaukee Ave. (just north of Dundee Rd.) in Wheeling

Don Roth’s Blackhawk Restaurant has long been known for serving outstanding food, often accompanied by live musical entertainment. Share good food, conversation and camaraderie with single friends old and new as you enjoy flavorful prime rib, veal, seafood or chicken specialties at the venerable Wheeling establishment. Start your evening with a one-hour cocktail party (cash bar). Then, sit down to a delectable dinner with our bunch of friends in the restaurant’s delightful outdoor garden. During and after dinner, enjoy live music from a popular combo.

Steeped in a musical tradition of days gone by, Don Roth’s later became known for tasty specialties like its seafood, prime rib of beef and its Spinning Salad Bowl, all served in a congenial atmosphere. The restaurant creates a mood conducive to casual conversation blended with musical pleasure. Enjoy your choice from six entrees:
- Broiled Tilapia – Served with a Light Dijon-Mascarpone Sauce
- Broiled 9 oz. Pork Chop, with Walnut Sweet Potato and Hot Spiced Apple Sauce
- Fresh North Atlantic Salmon (specific preparation changes nightly)
- Chicken Rosa – Sautéed Double Boneless Chicken Breasts with Artichoke Hearts, Tri-colored Bell Peppers in a Light White Wine Sauce
- 10 oz. Prime Rib of Beef, Slow Roasted in a Halo Heat Oven and Served Au Jus
- Pasta Primavera with Fresh Vegetables and Sautéed Gulf Shrimp with Fresh Garlic and Olive Oil, Tossed with Linguine

Dinner also includes a tossed green or the Roth’s famous Spinning Salad, your choice of Potato, Vegetables or Rice and a dessert of Flourless Chocolate Cake. Your evening is $45 for members for dinner, entertainment, taxes and tips for advance reservations. Guests, non-members and walk-ups are welcome for $47. Dressy casual attire. Park in the lot.

Sign up online for any of the Gourmet Advocates parties at www.gourmetadvocates.com/singlepage.html
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Your Most Up-to-Date Listing of Future Gourmet Advocates Parties and Events

- This Saturday, July 1 – Romantic Rooftop Dinner Party at *Orso’s* 1401 N. Wells (at Schiller) in Chicago’s Old Town. Features family-style Italian dinner. $45 for members; $47 for non-members.

- Next Saturday, July 8 – Dinner on the Patio with Live Music at *Don Roth’s Blackhawk Restaurant* in Wheeling.

- Thursday, July 13 – 6:00-10:30 p.m. Friends of Friends Famous Martini Party. Location still being determined.

- Saturday, July 15 – Dinner Party in Western Suburbs at Location TBD

- Saturday, July 22 – Cocktail Party/Dance at *Cafe Zalute* in Rosemont

- Saturday, July 29 – Dinner Party in Chicago at Location TBD

Sign up online for any of the Gourmet Advocates parties at www.gourmetadvocates.com/singlepage.html

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Singles Notebook – “Get-Real” Thoughts and Opinions from Jim “Senny” Senhauser

Your Plan for the Year

“Assessing Where You Are and Where You’re Going”

If you are like most singles, chances are you play a lot of your life “by ear,” taking things as they come and adjusting to changing circumstances week-by-week. While this is definitely not a bad skill to have, if you want to achieve your goals in love and life, it may not be enough.

In business, there was a saying that, “If you fail to plan, you are only planning to fail!” Well, that sentiment may be a little harshly stated as it relates to your social and love lives, but there is some underlying truth to it. If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there.

Here are some keys to consider when planning your social life …
1. Start with a goals for the year and where you hope to be by a certain time.
2. Establish some goals that are realistic and some that are stretch goals, those designed to cause you to reach beyond your expectations.
3. From those initial goals, create some monthly goals. After all, you do not eat a watermelon whole, but one bite at a time.
4. Taking your monthly goals, break those down into weekly and even daily objectives. Don’t “over-plan” but do not be clueless as to where you want your social life to take you.
5. Plan the activities (or allow room for them) in keeping with your goals and objectives. Don’t plan so rigidly or so far in advance that you fail to take advantage of spontaneous fun, or changing situations.
6. Plan a variety of activities, balancing both transactional (hunt and sort – like Internet dating, speed dating or the bars) with relational approaches (singles clubs, activity clubs and civic and social groups).
7. Constantly evaluate where you are and revise your goals based on the progress you have achieved. Don’t ever let any lack of short-term progress cause you to become depressed or to lose sight of your goals.
8. Balance the social goals and time spent on them with the rest of your life’s activities (job, friends, family). This process is meant to be a fun, confidence-building progression, not a desperate obsession. Trying to force things prematurely is a total turn-off.

It is also important to remember that you should be concerned (not worried) only about the things that you can control. The rest of the time you should concentrate on building the skills and confidence necessary to adapt to changing circumstances and feelings (both yours and those of anyone you date).

Now, go plan for your success.

How Is the Club Doing Regarding Its Yearly Goals?

Just so you know, the Gourmet Advocates have a set of goals for the year, around which we plan each month of activities. These goals include:
- Number of memberships (new and total members)
- Number of parties hosted and their geographic dispersion
- Total party attendance and gender balance
- Variety of activities and “dinner-plus events” offered
- Newsletter distribution

This weekend will highlight the six-month mark for the Gourmet Advocates against our club’s goals. Here is how we are doing against those objectives:
- Our membership has remained fairly constant. We will endeavor to do things in the near future to make rise.
- Party attendance is up this year by about 5 people per party. Gender balance for most parties is about 40-45% male. This is fairly constant.
- Number of parties hosted so far this year is 35, against a goal of 31, so we are well ahead of that goal.
- Geographic distribution of parties has been 29% for the city (vs. a goal of 40%); 40% in the northern and northwest suburbs (vs. goal of 25%); 20% in the western suburbs (vs. 25% goal) and 11% in the south suburbs (vs. goal of 10%). Planning-wise, these numbers are fairly well on track. One city party was cancelled because of low sign-ups. Two parties originally slated for the city, had to be moved to the near north suburbs at the last minute because of problems.
- The “dinner-plus” event strategy appears to be paying off with lots of parties including music (40%), dancing (17%), wine tasting (11%) or other events (plays, sporting events, movies or special TV events (14%).
Look for lots of positive changes and additions in the early fall, especially regarding the Web sites. Be sure to join if you are not already a member. That way, you can take advantage of these changes and do so at the lowest possible membership cost.

It should be a fun and productive remainder of the year.