My wife was reading an old issue of Working Mother and came across an article she thought would be good to highlight here.

A pair of women in Seattle have developed a great concept. Dreams Dinners lets you come to their store kitchen and make yourself a month worth of meals. You make a reservation with the meals you would like off the monthly menu. All of the ingredients are sliced and diced ahead of time and are waiting for you when you get there. You then do all the prep their kitchen, and at the same time have a chance to chat with others doing the same. The process takes about two hours and your twelve meals costs $160.

What they are also doing is creating a community within the store. Friends are made every night. Couples plan “date nights” to come and spend time together. In this case, making bread serves as a catalyst for creating a network of new people.

I think it is a great concept. They are considering franchising the idea. Watch for it!