MAUDE-est is Hottest at Cafe Maude!
What could be better on a cold, snowy winter winter day… Wait a minute. Let’s start this again.
What could be better on an unusually warm winter day with grass still showing in most parts of the city (there, that’s better!) than a gathering at one of the warmest, most inviting locations in Southwest Minneapolis?! Our first event since October gave us a chance to catch up on what had transpired over the holidays and discuss hopes, dreams and plans for the new year (between conversations about hair color, babies, winter jackets and the weather, of course!).
A stunning variety of dishes were brought to our table, everything from the “prix-fixe” chicken dish to egg and spinach, hand-cut fries with fontina cheese to dip them in and, as with all our events, some amazing desserts (think warm chocolate chip cookie or salted caramel tart). The live music, cozy decor and friendly staff created the perfect ambiance for 20 women to chat the night away. Owner Kevin and General Manager Sarafina were more than accommodating and ensured our large group not only had ample space but seated us directly in front of the stage, best seats in the house! I’m sure many of our members will be returning to this neighborhood treasure time and time again… I know I will!
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New Year, New Ideas
Welcome to the new year!
We generally avoid planning events for November and December as it is a hectic time for both ourselves as event planners, and our members as attendees. This year, we are taking the month of January to work on simplifying the process of planning our events as we juggle our full-time jobs and, in my own and Brenda’s cases, our kids. We look forward to coming up with a plan that will allow better communication between ourselves, members and event venues and include enough flexibility to work around events that may come to our attention later in the game. We’re excited to keep providing opportunities for our members to meet new people, experience new things, see new places, and have a good time – and we’re taking a little time off to concoct new and exciting ways in which to do it!
See you soon!
Goodbye, Cindy – Hello, Stranger!
October was unusual for us as we held two events, two consecutive nights!
The first was a goodbye party for dedicated Project 55 Member, Cindy. Cindy has been supportive of us from her first event and has attended almost every event since so we felt it was important to underline her departure from the Twin Cities. Several members (as well as Cindy’s family and friends) gathered at Urban Eatery to see Cindy off, P55 style! It was a wonderful opportunity to show Cindy how much each of us loves and appreciates her. Thank you for being a pillar to our success, Cindy, we miss you and look forward to seeing you when you come to town!
We didn’t miss Cindy very long, however, because we saw her the next night at the Calhoun Beach Club’s Masquerade Ball! Members pranced around the immense ballroom snacking on appetizers and sweets (special note, I’d been craving Black Forest Cake for months and finally managed to quench that craving thanks to D’Amico Catering’s diversified dessert collection!) while wondering if the person they were chatting with was really who they thought it was – sometimes it was hard to tell with all the feathers, sparkles, animal shapes and twinkling eyes! It was a great opportunity to be social and anonymous all at once, and to do something completely out of the ordinary!
Project 55 Members at the CBC Masquerade Ball
P55 has a CRAVE-ing
Click image to visit Crave website
On an unusually warm late-September day our lack of planning made for an impromptu evening of sharing in an outdoor patio, moving to an indoor space, running out of chairs and enjoying a vast array of enchanting food.
We started out in the crowded bar, as more and more members started arriving we thought it best to head to the outdoor patio – oops, no space there either at the peak of dinnertime for over a dozen of us. We sat around the beautifully landscaped sidewalk waiting for our table, and enjoyed every second of it! We were able to catch people immediately upon their arrival and reel them into our unusual seating area, sipping various colorful drinks and catching up on what had transpired throughout the summer. As we headed to our table, smaller groups formed and new alliances were made, food came in waves and drinks were passed around. Without planning it, we had chosen a special date for our event and had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate Project 55 Co-Founder Belen’s birthday and squeaked in a belated birthday for dedicated member Amber as well (oh the yummy cake!).
The staff at Crave was fantastic. As noted prior in this entry, there was lack of planning in that , as potential attendance grew, we neglected to reserve enough space for our group. The managers there were very accommodating and made sure the chairs kept on coming as more and more members showed up, some bringing friends we’d never met. The food was lovely, our server and bartender were warm, polite and efficient – we had a wonderful experience thanks to their dedication to great customer service and their hard work.
End of Summer…
Click for CBC website
We are always in a celebrating mood when the end of winter comes along, but the end of summer, well… A party to honor the last remnants of “la belle saison” is necessary to ensure we savor every last warm, breezy moment (and whip out the sandals and cute dress we didn’t have a chance to wear yet this year!). There is no more perfect setting to pay homage to summer as the pool at the Calhoun Beach Club. From coming up the grand staircase* that surrounds the water fountain, to the multitude of tables, summery drinks, light food fare and a couple of sets by Tim Mahoney – everything was set in place for a perfect event. Those who had never attended such an event, or been to the Beach Club before, were greeted by one of the most iconic scenes in Minneapolis, a view of sailboats on Lake Calhoun. The sun put on a show as it was setting, a mild breeze tossed around summer hair and dress hems and laughter, conversation and music filled the air.
Special thanks to Travis who works membership at the CBC as well as the entire CBC crew for being so welcoming to our group, the night could not have been more perfect. Thank you, also, to our members for bearing with us as we changed venues somewhat late in the game – it was the first time we attempted something of the sort and will definitely not make a habit of it, but as I’m sure those of you who attended will agree, it was an opportunity we simply could not pass up.
Lastly, special mention to the “men” of Project55 (aka, those who followed their dames to the CBC party and agreed to sport a P55 nametag for the night) – thanks for your support!
*must note, there wasn’t much indication that the staircase (which is usually not in use) was the way into the party, so most of us coquettes had to prance around back hallways and underground parking lots in our heels to find our way up – worth noting for future chuckles and was definitely worth it once we reached our destination…
P55 goes (to the) MIA!
Where can you find live music, art and lots of boobs?! A private tour featuring Women in Art during the MIA’s Third Thursday festivities, where else?! From intimidating masks used during “coming of age” rituals for young African girls to a small statue of a very voluptuous woman sculpted by someone straight out of the ice age – we saw women in all their different forms; beautiful, full-chested, austere, powerful, destitute, goddess-like, frightening (hairy masks), patient (beaded gowns that would take years and years to make). Special shout-out to our AMAZING docent, the tour wouldn’t have been nearly as thrilling if we hadn’t been paired up with someone so passionate, funny and down to earth (and informative!).
Click for MIA official website
Now onto phase two, the improvised part of the event. After spending the better part of two hours at the museum our brains needed a break and our tummies needed some grub, so off we walked (or, depending on the footwear, drove) to Eat Street and decided on Pancho Villa where we indulged in two-for-one margaritas and a variety of delectable dishes selected from the 8-9 page (!!) menu. Connections were made, laughter ensued, chips and salsa disappeared like there was no tomorrow and a good time was had by all. Once again, thank you for making each event such a success!
Party in the CAFETERIA!
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Neither sweltering heat nor competition for seating nor busy work schedules shall stop us from… well, from partying at CAFETERIA in Uptown Minneapolis. The sun smiled down on us as we ordered bite-sized snacks galore and sipped on marvelously crafted summery drinks. The smell of the wood walls in the heat was reminiscent of a sauna and, truthfully, rather felt like one – but after 8 months of winter we weren’t complaining! Outstanding attendance blended familiar faces with new ones for a night of chatter, giggles and discovery (special thank you to a member who brought her parents, visiting from Peru, who were absolutely charming as they shared some French Silk Pie and a very large milkshake!)
The staff at Cafeteria was very accommodating, helping us reserve enough outdoor seating for our large group (a group they didn’t know about until the very last minute due to our surprise at how popular the event was, we just assumed everyone would be “up north” for the summer… should’ve known better being most of us aren’t from here!). We managed to save plenty of space by sitting far apart at first and slowly closing in as the night progressed, ending in a large circle and sharing stories about everything from work to kids to childhood anecdotes.
Thank you for another memorable evening. You, our members, are what make Project 55 and our events a success. See you next time!
Mama Mia – What a Pizza!
What do a bird-watching book, a Turkish tour guide’s bracelet and a green card have in common? They were all part of the conversation starters brought to the Project 55 Pizza Party at Michelangelo’s! Conversations were started and pursued throughout the evening as pizza and (particularly fantastic) spinach/artichoke dip was ingested and wine was sipped. We played a form of grown-up musical tables, or perhaps it was a take on speed dating that could be referred to as “speed-friending”, either way, all of us got to know one another better, make connections and get excited to see one another at future events!
Our gracious hosts at Michelangelo’s provided excellent service and made us comfortable from the minute we walked in the door to set up… and that’s not even mentioning how amazing the pizza was! We look forward to visiting many times in the future (especially since we didn’t get around to that Oreo Ice Cream Pie!)
