Meet Emma Sassaman, a New Hampshire-born University of Colorado Boulder alumna and current Denver resident who is striving to find an answer to post-college social woes.
“It really was after college. I feel as though everyone is in the same boat. I would talk to my friends from home who are all going through similar things. We’re in a new city, and we expected to have this gaggle of new friends like we did in college and that’s not happening,” Sassaman said.
Finding friendships or connections in new cities can be a challenge, and it seems especially tough for this generation of post-college graduates.
“You have to really put yourself out there, which is kind of hard to do. It really was a struggle to find friends and find events that aren’t just going out to a bar or going to a club,” she said.
That’s why Sassaman created Meet and Mangia, a social dinner club with a name playing on the Italian common phrase to eat with joy.
“It started as something that was supposed to just be an, ‘Oh, let’s just see where this goes,’ and then it very quickly turned into something that is taking up a lot of my time, which is great, and I am very grateful for that,” Sassaman said.
The idea behind Meet and Mangia is to truly strive for more personal and friendly connections without all of the pressure and intimacy of a date and the leg work of trying to meet new people at the same bars every weekend.
“We’re trying to foster meeting new people,” she said. “The goal is to actually have a conversation and get to know people in something that isn’t just a date. I feel the solution for some people is to go on to dating apps and find someone immediately. With this, I needed to create a very simple, pressure-free way to put yourself in front of new people without so much of the effort.”
The group setting offers a reprieve from the pressure and awkwardness of first dates and allows Denverites to explore restaurants around town. To join, folks are invited to create a profile on Meet and Mangia’s website and fill out information like name, contact and three personal interests. From there, one can see the available events, make a $10 reservation and see the other guests who will attend. Groups are kept small to six to eight people.
“With six people, it’s just more comfortable. I feel as though one-on-one with a new person can be intimidating and you almost want to avoid that,” Sassaman said. “Putting yourself immediately into a group when you get to a new city—it’s just a very comfortable way to meet new people. You don’t have to become friends with everyone at the table, but maybe that’s how you meet the person.”
Her first event at Jovanina’s Broken Italian on May 30 garnered more connection and interest than she could have hoped for. It even sparked a gateway to more events for people to attend away from the dining room table.
“There were only four people because no one really knew about it yet, but it was great because people were so receptive and they were so excited,” she said. “I’m still in contact with the guys and one of the guys actually created a flag football team and invited us all to it, so there have been more events to come through than just this one meeting. The conversation and food was all great, the atmosphere was perfect, and it honestly went better than I could have ever expected.”
Sassaman has more ideas on the horizon as she looks to approach different age demographics and expand into different cities. She is also looking into hosting different styles of events in the near future.
“I want to do a big brunch or maybe a wine tasting or some other little things that are still comfortable but still involve food and drinks and that kind of warmth,” she said.
Meet and Mangia’s founder has discovered several enticing restaurants in Denver since arriving here, including two of her favorites, Barcelona Wine Bar and Kawa Ni.
“When I first got to Denver, I didn’t think the food scene was that good, so I didn’t really know where to go. It took a long time to find the right places because you want to go to the popular places, but those aren’t always the best. Really for me, I just want really good high-quality food,” Sassaman said.
When asked about her top spot to have an event, she didn’t say anywhere in Paris along the Seine or on a New York City rooftop. She wanted to bring that feeling of warmth home, back to a place where this inspiration happened.
“There is a restaurant in New Hampshire called Flatbread Pizza, and they have the best pizza. It’s super lively and very cozy, kind of like a cottage on the inside. I want to host one of those long table events because pizza is so easy to share and eat,” she said.
There is a bright and tasty future for Meet and Mangia as Sassaman looks to continue inspiring friendship and connection in her city and the next, with lots of new experiences waiting to unfold. Even through all of the uncertainty that comes with moving to big new cities and meeting new people, Sassaman is able to rest assured.
“To look and see that it is going successfully, and not really having to do anything with me was like, okay, we’re doing something good here,” she said.