Dinner Club
By Ralph and Carole Dergance

Your Dinner Club just keeps on enjoying very fine, cost-effective meals in 2011.  Your level of participation just keeps increasing with each year.  We also continue to receive suggested venues from our members.

We began this quarter by thoroughly enjoying a private Sunday afternoon dinner on October 16 at a new venue - Sansone’s Bistro in Greenwood Village.  This restaurant did not disappoint any of the 55 Associates in attendance.   We then closed out our year when 64 members and guests were AGAIN being treated to the superior luncheon buffet at The Garden Terrace in Inverness on November 9. 

We will begin 2012 with a luncheon at a new venue, The Chinook Tavern, on January 16, followed by a private brunch at Opus on February 19.  We will then revisit the Buckhorn Exchange on March 21 for lunch.  This will be our 10th consecutive year to partake of the unique atmosphere and menu of the historical landmark restaurant.  On April 11 we will have lunch at the new Tavern in downtown Littleton.  There will be no event in May since your club presidents will be traveling at that time.  We will then return to Pinehurst Country Club for yet another superior dinner on June 20 followed by our annual trek “up the mountain” for a buffet luncheon at Mount Vernon Country Club on July 18.  Events for the remainder of 2012 have been booked:
•    Dinner at 240 Union on August 22;
•    Luncheon at Lucile’s in Littleton on September 19 (new venue);
•    Luncheon at Café de France on October 17; and
•    Luncheon at The Garden Terrace on November 6.

Thanks to your continued enthusiastic support, many of our events reach capacity well within a week or two of the STAR mailing.  Therefore, you are all advised to get your checks in early.
 
Please remember that you may send a single check if you choose to simultaneously reserve spaces for multiple Dinner Club events.  Please do not combine Dinner Club events with other MARS events (i.e. Holiday Celebration, Annual Meeting, Senior Luncheon, Picnic, Dues, etc.) on a single check. Also, please remember to include the name(s) of guest(s) on the sign-up slips.  This will greatly simplify preparation for your events.

We look forward to the continued success of the MARS Associates Dinner Club.  We encourage all Associates and their guests to join us for very enjoyable, affordable, and satisfying culinary events.

As we have reported for the past three quarters, we have decided that it is time for us to step down and move on the other activities after 12 years of running the Dinner Club.  We already have booked all of the events for 2012, making the transition to the new presidents quite simple.  With 12 years of history, we have developed a financial system, programs that prepare the monthly fliers, a data base of restaurants and associated contacts, a zero-cost checking account, a meal identification system when needed, name tag format and software, etc.  All of this capability will be available to the new presidents thereby further simplifying the transition.  Please contact us if you want to help your fellow MARS Associates by assuming the leadership of the Dinner Club.  It is really quite simple to run and is very rewarding.  It is still our plan to turn over the leadership of this club at the end of the next MARS Associates operating year (on March 1, 2012).  

Some “food” for thought:
“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”   James Beard

“I don't like food that's too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I'd buy a painting.”  Andy Rooney   

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.”  George Bernard Shaw

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six.”  Yogi Berra

Buono L’appetito!!!!!!!!