DINNER MATES COMES TO PORTLAND, MAINE!
Club members are invited to EXCLUSIVE EVENTS
at public venues and in private homes.
MAKE FRIENDS and BUILD COMMUNITY over food.
One meal at a time.
A TASTE OF SOME
UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE GREATER PORTLAND AREA
May 31st
SUR LIE
We return to one of the top rated Dinner Mates restaurants! Eclectic tapas style serving local food. Truly delicious!
JUNE 14th
BROKEN ARROW
Back by popular demand! A multi-course Chef Tasting Menu specially curated for Dinner Mates. With optional cocktail and wine pairing.
JUNE 4th
GOSPEL BRUNCH
A powerhouse morning of Gospel favorites paired with delicious food.
JUNE 23rd-MEMBER-HOSTED
BLIND WINE TASTING CONTEST
Bring a covered bottle of wine and join the contest. Your wine could win.
SELECTED RECENT EVENTS
HAPPY HOUR
We return again to the The Maker's Galley located on Portland’s waterfront. This time it will be a Happy Hour!
MEMBER-HOSTED
CELEBRATE SPRING
A special dinner to welcome Spring. An extra treat will be live piano music.
MEMBER HOSTED
OYSTER SHARING AND GYOTAKU DEMO
A private oyster talk and tasting and art demonstration.
MEMBER HOSTED
GOURMET POTLUCK
A gourmet pot-luck with a twist
Theme: FRENCH!
MEMBER-HOSTED
CRÊPE PARTY
When I was in France, I learned the French secret for how to make perfect crêpes and how to throw a fabulous crêpe party.
MEMBER-HOSTED
V-DAY COCKTAILS
Learned how to prepare, create and mix unique specialty cocktails with the Valentines Day theme.
MEMBER-HOSTED
NEW ORLEANS GUMBO PARTY
Members have teamed up to host a special dinner featuring a New Orleans theme.
MAKER'S GALLEY
Portland’s most unique restaurant and marketplace located on Portland’s waterfront.
HOME HOSTED
WARM YOUR HEART, FEED YOUR SOUL
A night of comfort food in the coldest days of winter. Good wine, acoustic music and a special intimate talk about how Leigh (Holy Donut) started a heart-felt business from scratch.
THEATRE AND RECEPTION
Something new! A matinee at Lyric Theatre in South Portland followed by a private wine and nibbles reception with cast and crew.
CHEZ ROSA
French comfort food influenced by their local seafood, farms and pastures.
FISH & WHISTLE
Fish & Whistle is owned by husband and wife duo, who dreamed of a small neighborhood restaurant that could showcase the best of Maine’s seafood while remaining approachable and fun.
What is Dinner Mates?
Dinner Mates launched in January 2020 in New York City. Our mission was to make friends and build community over sharing a meal in our neighborhoods. We took off like a rocket! All our events sold out. Then, the unexpected happened...
The pandemic has made many of us feel physically isolated. In response to the isolation, Dinner Mates pivoted to virtual events for a while. But Dinner Mates was meant to be an off-line experience. We have finally started to create in person events again.
Come have a drink, share a meal, learn about wines, foods and about each other.
Be part of a communal dining experience.
Why become a member?
Making friends and building community over food is the core mission of Dinner Mates.
It is never just about the food, but about sharing meals together, being part of a community and creating sustainable and lasting connections with new friends.
The Back Story
Hello there. I'm Laurel, the founder of Dinner Mates.
I was an award winning independent filmmaker and made films for over 30 years. (Blind Dog Films) I am also a foodie and lived in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
One summer day in 2019, I walked into a restaurant around the corner from me, and I had a vision of people in my neighborhood sitting around a table eating together.
That was it! The idea of Dinner Mates was born! I dropped my film career, made a 180 degree turn to make this dream come to life.
I made films because I wanted to move people, to create impact and bring audiences together over a topic or an issue and get them talking with one another.
I bring that same passion and sensibility to Dinner Mates-- I created Dinner Mates to bring people together, to make a difference in our personal lives, and our world.
Our mission is: Break Bread, Make Friends, Build Community.
One meal at a time.
ox Laurel (and my pup Sprout)