MAKE FRIENDS and BUILD COMMUNITY over food.
One meal at a time.
Come for the food. Stay for the friends.
TAKE A QUIZ.
BOOK YOUR SEAT.
GET MATCHED WITH 6 OTHERS FOR DINNER.
PORTLAND, ME
PROVIDENCE, RI
WHAT IS FRIENDS WITH FORKS?
Making friends and building community over food is the core mission of the Friends with Forks.
We create curated dinners events in a variety of restaurants.
Come share a meal, learn about wines, foods and about each other.
Become part of a communal dining experience.
THE BACK STORY
Hello there. I'm Laurel Chiten, the founder of Friends with Forks.
I was an award winning independent filmmaker and made films for over 30 years. (Blind Dog Films) I am also a foodie and lived in Manhattan.
One summer day in 2019, I walked into a restaurant around the corner from me, and I had a vision of people in my neighborhood sitting around a table eating together.
That was it! The idea was born! I dropped my film career, made a 180 degree turn to make this dream come to life.
Originally launched in January 2020 in New York City as Dinner Mates. We took off like a rocket! All our events sold out.
Then, the pandemic happened...
I left NYC, moved to South Portland, and relaunched Dinner Mates here. A year later I renamed it Friends with Forks.
ox Laurel (and my pup Sprout)