MECCA: San Francisco Hotspot for Women’s Networking

Contributed by Heather Cassell

San Francisco’s professional women know where to go for great food, wine and cocktails, entertainment, and socializing: Mecca, a hip restaurant and bar located on the edge of the Castro district at 2029 Market Street.

“It’s a destination for a lot of people in the community to have your special dinner to celebrate or to lounge and just be chic,” said Ginny E. Brown, Mecca’s new general manager and wine director.

Since the beginning of the dot com boom when Mecca opened its doors, it became the “it” place for newly minted web millionaires and celebrities to wine and dine, said Brown. Today, Mecca remains a beloved community establishment that retains its sophisticated scene-to-be-seen ambiance, but it is also a relaxing place that embraces San Francisco’s unique style and flavor.

Variety is Mecca’s key to “staying aggressively hip,” said Brown, while maintaining a place where “intimate conversations with friends and significant others can take place.”

To accomplish this, Brown works with a variety of hosts, including Mecca’s publicist Betty Sullivan, who hosts the wildly popular “Ladies Night” every Thursday, which is in its sixth year. Together the women who make up Mecca’s first all-women management team are building on Mecca’s history to create a unique experience.

The goal, Brown said, is to continue to fold San Francisco’s “kooky” style into the supper club experience making Mecca “something that people can look forward to and have fun with.”

The ladies of Mecca are having fun. Mecca is host to a variety of music talents, such as House DJ Ezzy Medina, who performed April 3, 2008 and vocalist Judea Eden. Eden, who has been compared to Linda Perry and Melissa Etheridge, will perform at Mecca on April 17, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Mecca also recently hosted award-winning Jazz artist Terese Genecco, and neo-soul vocalist Kaylah Marin.

Sullivan also hosts “Smart Women Get Together,” a monthly professional women’s networking event that rotates locations through out the San Francisco Bay Area. She will next host the event on April 22, 2008 at Mecca. Networking begins at 5:30 p.m. RSVP is available at bettyeventinfo@aol.com.

Celebrating California’s love of wine and international culture, Brown, a certified sommelier, recently created the Around the World in Wines dinner series. The dinner, hosted by Vivien Gay, founder of Vinum Global, takes place on the first Wednesday of every month. The next one, featuring a three-course meal focused around sampling wines from Chile and Argentina, takes place on May 7, 2008. The dinner is sure to be an educational treat, with the new executive chef Moises Sikaffy discussing the relationship between the wines and food. Around the World in Wines dinner is by reservation only at a $100 per ticket.“Mecca is the kind of restaurant where I can have business dinners, social dinners, and fundraiser events,” said Nanette Lee Miller, senior partner of Stonefield Josephson, a CPA firm in San Francisco. A San Francisco native and Castro resident, Miller is seen often at Mecca dinning and hosting fundraising events. Her next such event is the Red House Party, a fundraiser for Catholic Charities CYO’s HIV/AIDS services, which takes place on June 3, 2008, from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. For more information, contact Kristen Hickey at 415.972.1213 or khickey@cccyo.org.

Helping nonprofits through utilizing Mecca’s space and Sikaffy’s exceptional cooking skills is one of the many goals Brown and Sullivan look forward to accomplishing. They expect to raise an estimated $1.5 million for nonprofit organizations in 2008 through opening Mecca’s doors Tuesday nights to community organizations.

“They kind of do it all,” Miller said.

Including providing a break for busy professionals who don’t want to sacrifice taste buds, health, or their pocket book, Sikaffy created Nightly Prix Fix Dinner from 5 – 7 p.m. available Tuesday through Sunday. The menu is a distinct French California Fusion emphasis that changes on a weekly basis.

“Everybody is welcome in this tent,” said Sullivan.