There’s something nobody really tells you about adulthood…the older you get, the more effort it takes for things that used to happen easily. Things like staying in shape. Keeping in touch. Meeting new people

In school, proximity made it easy. You sat next to someone for a year, or lived near them in a dorm, and you had a friend. Then it became the office, or a gym, or a church. Now, more people are working alone at home, or moving through the busy-ness of their days, or focusing on their families, without giving new connections too much thought.

Meeting new friends (real ones, not on social media) as adults is harder than most would like to admit. We’ve been thinking about this for a while.

Fortunately, we know a thing or two about what happens when you hand someone a glass of wine, or seat them at a table, and introduce them to a stranger. Things tend to go well. So after 15 years of watching strangers become friends over food and wine, we’ve decided to stop waiting for June to make it happen.

Welcome to the Champlain Dinner Club. Here’s how it works:

You sign up. You take a short personality quiz. We use it to match you with a small group of other people…wine-curious, food-loving, good-conversation-having humans from across our area. We choose the restaurants. And we’re not telling you where you’re going until the morning of.

Everyone pays for their own dinner and drinks. There’s a small reservation fee to participate. We handle the reservations, the reminders, all of it. Beyond that, all that’s required of you is to show up and be willing to meet some new people.

The format will vary. Some months, we’ll send multiple groups to different restaurants simultaneously, then bring everyone together afterwards for an after party (not too late, we promise!). Other weeks, it will be a single gathering at one location built around a theme. Either way, the end goal is the same: great food, great wine and great people you wouldn’t have met otherwise.

We’ll be opening things up and announcing the date of the first dinner in the next week or so, and we’ll have everything you need about how to sign up.

Stay tuned.

P.S. But speaking of June…don’t forget that Burlington Wine & Food’s annual Grand Tasting celebration happens on June 27 at HULA. Get your tickets today!

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If you work in hospitality, this one's for you. Trattoria Delia is launching Industry Mondays starting March 23…a weekly night dedicated to the people who keep Vermont's restaurants running. Special cocktails, a secret menu, and Italian American favorites are on the docket.

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Also new on the scene is something we didn't know we were missing: a dance party that starts early and wraps up by 10. Golden Hour Social Club is a new pop-up event series built for the 30+ crowd who still want to get out and actually dance. Many events will be built around themes, from disco to decades nights and beyond. Behind it is the team at Premier Entertainment & Events, a South Burlington DJ company with years of experience keeping a crowd moving. Their first event is March 21 at the Eagles Club in Milton, with more planned for various venues around the area through the fall. $20 gets you the DJ, a photo booth, and pizza.

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If you've ever wanted to own a piece of a Vermont farm, Maple Wind Farm is making it possible. The Richmond-based regenerative operation is inviting Vermont residents to invest directly into the operation…community shares start at $1, the total offering caps at $465,000, and they're hosting an info session for anyone who wants to learn more. You can sign up here.

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As we mentioned last week, City Market's first-ever Big Cheese Sale is officially underway, from March 18 through April 1, and they've partnered with Vermont Wine Merchants on a pairing guide featuring five bottles and five cheeses, all available in-store. The lineup, of course, features all Vermont cheeses, with some stellar wines from around the world. If you’d like a refresher on the broader theory behind what wine and cheese pairings work and why, Mike covered exactly that topic a few issues back…check it out here!

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And there’s good news for home cooks and anyone who's spent too much time wandering the four floors of Homeport on Church Street: the beloved Burlington kitchen and housewares store is opening a second location this summer at the Essex Experience. The new 6,000-square-foot shop, in the space formerly occupied by Outdoor Gear Exchange, will focus on kitchen goods and housewares, with a soft opening planned for July and a grand opening in August.

Tonight (March 19) is Bramble's Wine & Friends VIII dinner, and if there are still tickets left by the time you read this, call them now. The menu is serious: oysters and caviar at the cocktail reception, diver scallop crudo, Adam's Farm chicken, Black Berkshire pork shoulder…it goes on. Wines are hand-selected from the Bramble cellar. All of it for $90…which, given the menu, seems borderline absurd.

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This weekend is Maple Open House Weekend…90+ sugarhouses across Vermont open their doors Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22, for tours, tastings, and sugar-on-snow. There’s a ton going on all over the state, so you can plan visits by region, or use the Maple Map to build your own route.

On Saturday, Church Street and Runamok host Maple Madness on the Marketplace: free syrup tastings, pancakes, maple demonstrations, axe throwing, live music, and fire pits, all from 11 to 4 .

And if you want your maple weekend to end somewhere with a bar involved, Barr Hill in Montpelier is running their Sugarhouse Party on Saturday, too, from noon to 5… maple cocktails, free maple cotton candy from 1 to 3, live music, and distillery tours…and yes, a maple syrup chugging contest.

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Also on Saturday…Ferment Fest happens at the Soda Plant on Pine Street in Burlington from 11 to 4. Think kimchi, kombucha, sourdough and more, plus a community starter swap, sourdough panel, live music…and pickle ornament making. What?!? Also plenty of food and drink from Mulu's Kitchen, Venetian Soda Lounge, Haymaker Buns, Brio, Laundry Day Takeaway, Sweet Alchemy and more.

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Taste the ONE opens tomorrow (March 20) and runs through the 29th: the Old North End's inaugural neighborhood restaurant week, with nine restaurants offering prix fixe deals. There’s a great variety of offerings and price points…Barrio Bakery is doing a lavender honey latte and sweet croissant for $8…Poppy is offering a sandwich, chips and a drink for $18… Gold is running a three-course dinner for $35 (add wine pairings for an extra $10)…and Fancy's, May Day, Kismayo Kitchen, Taco Gordo, The Wise Fool and Namaste Kitchen Express are each offering multi-course menus from $18 to $45.

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This Monday, March 23, Specs in Winooski is hosting their second creative writing workshop with Jesse Taylor. No sign-up needed…just show up with a journal, get a drink, write for 30-40 minutes, share if you want. The first one apparently had a nice turnout, so arrive early enough to settle in.

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It’s hard to believe we’re already into late March, which means Easter is rapidly approaching on April 5. We’ve already noticed restaurants posting about special brunch events, and many are likely to fill up quickly.

Waterworks is hosting their annual Easter Brunch Buffet, with a generous menu for the whole family. It’s $44 for adults, $18 for kids 6 to 12, and free for little ones under 5. Make your reservations online or give them a call.

The Essex is seating for Easter Brunch in their beautiful Farmhouse event space. It includes a full seasonal menu, plus Easter bunny photos and an egg hunt for kids 12 and under. Book online here.

The Easter brunch buffet at Hotel Champlain features a menu full of fun stuff: pearl sugar waffles, hot maple fried chicken, chilaquiles verde, ham and truffle mini quiches and much more. Book your reservations here.

We’ll share more options next week as they “spring” up!

Before we go, something to share...

This week brought two pieces of news that made us stop and remember what actually matters. Our friend and longtime BWF partner, Kayla Silver from Salt & Bubbles and Leo & Co., shared very happy news. She and her husband welcomed her first baby, a little boy named Lyle Morrison Silver, on March 7th. It seems everyone's adjusting nicely, and we couldn't be happier for them.

We’ve shared a lot of meals, bottles of wine, travels, and endless laughs with Tim and his incredible wife, Candy. This week's issue is dedicated to both of them.

As Tim would say: Hug your people. Get screened. Chase your North Star.