What: Luscious Food community party
Where: 59 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn
When: Saturday, Oct. 17th, 6-9 p.m.
Why: Gourmet eatery Luscious Food in Park Slope is throwing a house party and we’re all invited. The three-year-old neighborhood shop co-owned by three professional chefs will host a meet and greet that promises to introduce good food and neighbors (or newcomers) to each other.
“It’s really a thank you party for all of our customers. Especially since money is tight for everyone,” says owner Christine Zeni. “Growing up I knew everybody on my block in Queens. I knew my store owners. It’s kind of nice to walk down the street and be able to wave hello.”
The slow food eat-in or take out menu at Luscious offers a variety of vegetarian and vegan options as well as roasted meats, all homemade and prepared on premises. The current selection has grown even more tempting with the addition of a new pastry chef whose original twist on Twinkies, Nutter Butters, and Ho Hos make Luscious the destination for anyone going through a nasty breakup.
All the food available at Saturday’s mixer is on the house, and will be paired with wine courtesy of nearby SIP. Among the offerings, expect truffle chicken salad and smoked salmon apple horseradish on crostini, crab stuffed shrimp, herb goat cheese fritters, and jerk chicken straight off the grill.
Cost: Free
How to get there: Take the 4 or 5 to Atlantic Avenue-Pacific St., head south on Pacific, then right on 5th Ave. Use the Hopstop link below for specific directions from your origin. (Luscious, 59 5th Avenue, 718.398.5800, lusciousbrooklyn.com)
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram