Les Femmes Forum

Five years ago, Gianna Wurzl found herself traipsing through an abandoned LA warehouse to locate a secret pop-up dinner. Unsure of what to expect, she dodged rusty nails and broken floorboards to discover a long wooden table — appearing like an oasis amidst the inner-city slum — surrounded by candles, laughter, and a vibrant group of women. It was this first glimpse of a non-traditional ‘networking event’ that first inspired Wuzrl to set up something similar back in Australia.

What followed was Les Femmes Forum, where Wurzl brings enthusiastic, savvy business women together for dining experiences in unlikely locations. The last one — held in a alleyway furniture workshop — featured a stunning succession of authentic Italian dishes by chef Marco Giora (he could barely speak a word of English, but that seemed to add extra character and authenticity to the meal).

The events take an unstructured approach, allowing conversation to flow as freely as the wine; there’s no ice breaking games or falling backwards in excuses of trust — just a bunch of chatty girls talking about everything from cuticles to computer coding and combine harvesting.

Details of future events are kept hush until a few days prior, but we do know the next event — a champagne brunch featuring the fancy food-work of chef Katrina Higham (ex-Joe’s Bar and Diner, Windsor Deli) is planned for a Saturday in January. If you’re keen to attend, sign up here.

If nothing else, you’ll walk away with some new friends and a belly full of food.