By B.C. Manion
As they showed up at the Seven Oaks community center, a countertop in the gathering room became increasingly laden with enticing desserts.
There’s an English trifle, some chocolate cherry cookies, a Zabaglione and a flourless chocolate cake among the selection of sweets.
Each dessert has something in common: It contains some kind of liqueur.
Learning about using the liquid spirits in creating desserts is the theme of this particular meeting of the Honeycomb Club.
It’s a club in the loosest sense of the word.
There are no membership fees, no required meetings, no recommendations required to join and no set format.
Sometimes it meets at night; other times, on weekends.
This club seeks “to enjoy socializing over, learning more about, and sharing good food and cooking among women in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel community and beyond,” according to Eileen Jones, who founded the club in January.
Jones, a self-confessed foodie, thought it would be fun to share her passion with other women who shared her passion.
So far, even without much of an outreach, about 50 women – mostly in their early 30s to late 50s – have joined the club.
Jones organizes an event or a meeting and club members let her know if they expect to be there. So far, since the club’s inception, members of the group have had all sorts of food adventures.
They’ve gone to a chocolate festival, tasted international foods, sipped Chilean wines and sampled assorted craft beers.
They’ve had a movie night (“Julie and Julia”), shared their thoughts on books about food (“A Tiger in the Kitchen” and “The Sharper Your Knives, The Less You Cry”), have gone on a shopping excursion to Williams-Sonoma and taken a French cooking class at The Rolling Pin in Brandon.
The theme of their most recent gathering was using liqueurs in desserts.
Each woman came to the meeting bearing a delectable treat she had made. The women gave mini-presentations, sharing what they’d learned about the liqueur and describing the dessert they’d prepared.
Afterwards, they shared their sweets and played bunco.
In an age where so many groups are formed over the Internet, Jones said she wanted to bring together women to make a personal connection. She put the word out and within months about 50 other like-minded souls stepped forward to become part of the group.
The club typically meets twice a month and members are free to come or not come.
The a la carte offerings appeal to members of the group, who said they like to come to the things that interest them and skip the other events.
As such, there tends to be a different combination of women at each gathering – creating an ever-fresh feeling to the group, some members said.
Jones plans events on different nights and weekends – which allows women who may have a prior commitment on one night a week to join in on others.
“We try to incorporate something that everyone will enjoy,” Jones said.
The club includes working women, stay-at-home moms and women who have retired.
Jones works as an office manager at her husband’s law office. Another woman is a former restaurateur and another recently retired from her post as a buyer for Pasco County Public Schools.
Typically, 10 to 15 women turn out for a particular gathering, Jones said.
Kristen Heath of New Tampa said when she heard about the group, it immediately sparked her interest.
“I consider myself a foodie, and I’ve made my living – my life – as a cook,” said Heath, who cooks for St. Joseph’s Hospital-North. Cooking is her hobby and her passion.
“I love the variety of the club. There might be a movie. There might be shopping. There might be a game night. We have a book club within the club.
“If one thing is not your gig, something next week will be your gig,” she said.
Lauri Portz of Saddlebrook joined the group because she thought it would be a good way to meet people.
“It just seemed really interesting. The diversity has been really fun,” she said, both in terms of activities and the women who have come to the meetings.
Sacha Froelich, who lives in New Tampa, was attending the meeting for the first time.
“This is exactly what I was looking for,” she said, noting she definitely plans to be back.
Arlene Zimney decided to get involved because she was approaching retirement and knew she would have more time.
“I like the idea that you could choose what you wanted to participate in, without making a long-term commitment,” she said. “If it fits your schedule and it appeals to you, you just tell her (Jones) you’re coming and that’s it.”
Zimney say the informal setting was welcoming.
“Sometimes, when you do cooking things – especially with the whole movement on TV – people tend to get competitive, or show-offy. It’s not that way at all,” she said.
For more information about the Honeycomb Club, email .
