Columbia Foodies: A DIY Club

If you like food blogs, then you may like a food club as well -- so consider the Columbia Foodies that some locals have been putting together for the last few months.

I emailed with the organizer George, who has been advertising the Columbia Foodies in the Columbia Flyer. The group has met at three restaurants (Donna's in Columbia, Bacchus in Bethesda, and Grace Garden in Odendon). They also cooked a picnic lunch and held a wine tasting at Elk Run Winery in Mount Airy. They're attracting both singles and married couples, George says:

This is a slightly-edited version of George's pitch:

We are planning a hosted dinner in September with a Hungarian menu and another in November inspired from recipes from Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking.' We are also considering volunteering around Christmas to prepare food at 'Food and Friends,' a wonderful charity in Washington.

I love cooking and eating good food. Most of my friends are on special diets or are just not particularly interested in food. I am trying to watch my weight so I'm usually on a diet. I think that having a nice dinner occasionally might actually help me stay in line.

I am continuing to put together a congenial group of people who might like to cook dinners together -- maybe four or five times a year -- and take turns hosting dinner at their homes. Additionally, I'd like to get together occasionally as a group to eat at interesting restaurants, visit wineries, tour an organic farm or get together for any other food-related activity that sounds like fun.

I have no formal training as a cook and am reasonably adventurous in trying new foods. I particularly enjoy cooking and eating Chinese, French and Italian foods.

We are still not very well organized and we are very flexible in deciding the best direction for our organization. I suspect that some of us will be more interested in restaurants and outings than in home-hosted dinners, but time will tell.

We still welcome new members who are passionate about food.

If you're interested, email George at gershonr@comcast.net.