'Table
for Twenty' Offers Young Professionals Chance to Meet and Eat
Morristown.Patch.com,
February 16, 2011
By LIZ ALTERMAN
"Get out. Make friends" is the motto
of New
Jersey Young Professionals and Morris residents ages 20-29 will have
the opportunity to do just that on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at The Famished Frog from
7 to 9 p.m, when the group hosts a three-course
dinner for up to 20 people.
The goal of the evening,
which is a pilot event, is to laugh, learn, and land some new local
friends. In between courses, diners will gather their napkins, utensils,
and drinks and switch seats, giving each guest a chance to get to know all the
attendees.
NJYP, which caters to
those between 20 and 39, is the creation of president
Laura Occhipinti, who holds a degree in psychology. Occhipinti
came up with the idea after she moved from
The entrepreneur said she
wanted to make friends but didn't know how to go about it. Although she was
single, she resisted the idea of a singles group, wanting instead to expand her
social circle to include local friends who'd be available to grab a cup of
coffee or take in a movie.
She started NJYP in 2004
by forming a group on Yahoo! Within the first year, Occhipinti found
herself with 2,00o members. By the second year, it had grown to 6,000. There
are now more than 13,000 members on the organization's mailing list.
NJYP has expanded to host
statewide-events that include everything from brewery tours to hikes to girls night outs. Membership costs $19.99 (one-time
dues) and gives participants access to on-line forums and discounted
admission to NJYP events, as well as the ability to email fellow members.
Occhipinti said the idea
for "Table for Twenty" came about at the end of 2010 when she
sent out a survey to members to see what they wanted and many wanted an
event geared toward those in their twenties.
As if starting her own
business wasn't exciting enough, Occhipinti said seeing the organization grow
and the friendships that have developed has been rewarding, too.
"An insane amount of
friendships have been created," Occhipinti said. "And I’m
talking real, 'I’ll invite you to my wedding one day' friendships. What is
fun is that since NJYP has been around for seven years now, many members
have gotten married and they now have babies. Pretty soon there will be second
generation play dates and even more friends made."
The cost, which includes family-style-served
appetizers, an entree, dessert, non-alcoholic beverages, tax and gratuity,
is $25 for members — $5 in advance on-line to save your seat, then $20 at the
door for members. Non-members pay $30: $10 on-line and $20 at the door. Due to
the 20-person limit, no walk-ins will be accepted. To reserve a
seat, visit http://www.njyp.org/events/table-for-twenty-20somethings