[Free stuff by Wilfrid: November 23, 2009]
Ekin Yasin made such nice comments about the Pink Pig, that I could hardly resist her invitation to attend the first New York meet-up hosted by Gourmates.
In any case, empanadas were involved. My thanks to the gentleman who held the plate for the photo, as there was nowhere to put it down.
Hardly room to swing a taco, in fact, as fifty or more guests piled into Sloan Fine Art, a gallery on the corner of Norfolk and Rivington on the Lower East Side. Gourmates, as you might guess, is just as much about meeting as eating. It's a web-based social network for hungry people - I thought, wrongly, that it might be primarily a singles scene. Not at all; there were plenty of couples present, and a comfortable flow of chatter.
I spoke with Ekin and dapper co-conspirator Jordan Khammar. Gourmates is an international network offering online tools for members to plan their own events and share recipes and reviews. For whatever reason, the membership in South Africa is very active. This was the first official Gourmates New york event, and more are scheduled. A Malbec was poured as guests blind-tasted empanadas from Mama's, Papa's and Ruben's. Blind, yes, but I can tell a Ruben's empanada from fifty feet, with its heavy, doughy baked crust. The other two were just dandy, and Mama's - the larger pie with the cornmeal crust was preferred by the crowd. I'd have taken a dozen of Papa's.
The next New York event has an appropriate cupcake focus. If Gourmates is for you, the website is here. Most of the content is visible to members only, but it takes a few seconds to join.
