"I wouldn't let her go alone to meet a bunch of strangers," says Tinamarie, a makeup artist in Cherry Hill who's into organics. She joined too.

The vibe was right. A second session brought Lesu Ali, and their third meeting, Dana Greene and Min Kim (who is from Korea via Brazil) - those two are professional pastry chefs who didn't know each other and were working in other trades.

With an uneven seven members (that's Renee, Kathy, Donna, Tinamarie, Lesu, Dana and Min), the group considered itself closed, except to guests (and there's a list of eager invitees).

They quickly moved to gathering in one another's houses and opted for menus built around themes.

Since then, the group has launched a Web site (http://fooddiaries.homestead.com) to catalog the members' favorite restaurants and recipes.

They envision a cookbook, a catering service, maybe even their own segment on the Food Network.

And in the fall, they're undertaking the ambitious, potentially relationship-killing experience of traveling together.

Kathy, who lived in Italy for several years and became adept at the language, came up with the plan to rent several houses on a hilltop in Umbria, between the towns of Mercatale di Cortona and Umbertide.

Initially, they planned nothing more than a week of companionship and cooking classes.

*

On a recent Sunday evening, all seven women and a couple of grateful guests gathered around the six-burner stove in Donna Russell's East Falls home.

The theme was champagne.

Kathy, Lesu and Min brought appetizers: marinated shrimp in a champagne beurre blanc; golden gazpacho and slices of persimmon and goat cheese with toasted walnuts rolled in prosciutto.

Tinamarie brought two whole red snappers (head and tail on) to fry on site in a wok and serve with baby bok choy in oyster sauce.

Renee brought her mother and chicken in champagne sauce. Donna made risotto topped with a drizzle of white truffle oil and polenta cooking in a champagne-and-sugar reduction and served on wide Chinese soup spoons.

Dana, a Johnson & Wales grad and registered nurse who prefers working as a massage therapist, made macerated pears and grapes in a champagne sabayon.

And Min made a lighter-than-air chocolate mousse that she topped with spun sugar at the last minute. Everybody gathered round to watch.

Min stood at an island in the middle of the kitchen, waving her arms like a magician and drawing hot strands of amber from a saucepan.

"It looks like she's playing the harp," Kathy marveled.