For example, she knows a lot of them are lonely. They’re tired of online dating and the bar scenes, but they don’t have much time to try to go out and meet people.

Enter speed dating.

On Thursday, Kelléigh will be holding the first monthly speed-dating night at her Good Times Lakeview Restaurant. For $10, participants will be given an opportunity to talk to 8 potential dates for 6 minutes at a time during the hourlong event in a private room at the Ballston Lake establishment.

Good Times owner Desireé Kelléigh has been introducing people for years, so she decided to hold a speed-dating night at her Ballston Lake restaurant.

Part of the reason she has introducing people is involvement in the community. Her restaurant attracts a lot of people from the area, and she gets to know a lot of them.

“I’ve been in this community for 45 years,” said Kelléigh, who added she doesn’t just act as a matchmaker. “I’ve helped people make business connections and network.”

She said the restaurant’s ambiance makes it a good location for meeting new people. Good Times attracts families and locals, so it’s a low-pressure, friendly environment.

“I get these awesome guys in here because they want a good meal but don’t feel like cooking,” Kelléigh said. “And women come here because it’s a nonthreatening place.”

Kelléigh said people can preregister for the speed dating by calling the restaurant, but she added that walk-ins will be welcome. Registration starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

“There are no rules other than being polite,” Kelléigh said. “We’re just looking for the right people to come onboard and make it happen.”

There will be free appetizers, $2 Jello shots and pitcher specials. All participants will be given a coupon good for 2 free drinks with the purchase of 2 entrées — which will come in handy if a connection is made.

Even if you don’t find anyone who strikes your fancy at the event, there’s not much to lose.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kelléigh said. “It’s a nonrejection-type atmosphere. It’s only 6 minutes per transaction.”

Kelléigh is so excited about the possibilities that she is even telling her married customers about the event.

“I smile and say, ‘I know you’re not single, but I bet you know someone nice who is,’” she said.

For more information:

• Good Times Lakeview Restaurant, 175 Lake Road, Ballston Lake, 399.9976

Pancho’s had the opportunity to add the space when its next-door neighbor, The Market & Bistro, closed. The expansion adds 90 seats to the 130 Pancho’s already had.

“The town says 220,” said Luis Uzhca, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother-in-law Luis Sinche. “But I’m saying we can seat 200 comfortably.”

Luis Uzhca co-owns Pancho's, a Mexican restaurant that will gain 90 seats with its expansion.

“Now we’ll be able to deal with 3 or 4 buses,” Uzhca said. “They like the convenience. We’re only 300 yards from the (Northway) exit.”

Of course, the expansion is for more than the tour buses. The restaurant was starting to get cramped for the regulars on busy nights.

“It was getting too crowded here,” Uzhca said. “Now with more room it will be more relaxing. You can have a meal and not worry.”

The restaurant opened 7 years ago, taking the spot of a former Waffleworks. About a year after Pancho’s opened, Uzhca started working with the original owners. It wasn’t long before he and his brother-in-law Luis Sinche took over the restaurant. Soon they upgraded the menu and the decor.

“We wanted to make it like you were walking into one of these restaurants in Mexico,” Uzhca said.

As for the menu, the pair added more upscale offerings.

“You can find a simple bite like a taco,” Uzhca said. “But you could also find a nice gourmet dish. And we are using the best ingredients out there.”

It was a tragic event that started the course that lead to Uzhca ending up at Pancho’s. He came to the United States with his family when he was 15 and eventually ended up owning a restaurant on Long Island. But when his brother, a 33-year-old New York taxi driver, was murdered in a $30 robbery, he lost interest in his business.

He tried to work for someone else, but he still was mourning his brother. So he moved back to his native Ecuador with his wife and kids. There he opened a few pizza shops. After that, he returned to New York and opened a couple of pizza places.

“But it was getting too expensive downstate — the rent, raising a family,” he said. “We wanted somewhere more quiet and more peaceful.”

Soon after moving to the Capital Region, the Pancho’s opportunity came up.

“It just happened so quickly,” he said.

So far, so good.

“We love it,” said Uzhca, who recently added to the pair’s business by opening Salsa Latina on Central Avenue in Albany. “I’m very grateful to be here, and I’m grateful to the people who supported us.”

For more information:

• Pancho’s, 1536 Crescent Road, Clifton Park, 383.2930
• Salsa Latina, 315 Central Avenue, Albany, 426.7050

Tessiero, a Johnson & Wales culinary graduate, opened Gauchos Grill & Catering on April 1 at Players Park on Route 146A. For now, he serves burgers, hot dogs and the like out of a truck.

But on May 16, Gauchos will roll out its Brazilian barbecue menu, serving prime cuts of meat prepared over an open flame on a sword. This cooking style, called churrasco, has been popular for centuries in southern Brazil — originating with the gauchos (Brazilian cowboys).

Gauchos Grill & Catering, which serves food out of a truck at Players Park, will introduce the region's first Brazilian BBQ next month.

One of the specialties will be rotisserie pineapple grilled with cinnamon.

While this Brazilian cuisine is new to the region, Tessiero said it’s popular in other parts of the country. He learned about it during a 2007 business trip to Las Vegas.

“I was pretty enthused by the way it was a theatrical dining experience,” said Tessiero, who will also be doing events at This Olde Farm on Route 146.

While Tessiero has started by bringing the cuisine to the region, he hopes to someday soon bring the whole experience to the area. He is under contract to remain at Players Park until it closes for the season in October. After that — if he can find an investor to provide the capital — he hopes to open a restaurant featuring the cuisine along with Brazilian decor and music.

That’s not because he doesn’t want to be at Players Park. In fact, even if he opens a restaurant he hopes to be able to continue at Players Park on a season basis. He just thinks a restaurant would be a great way to provide a Brazilian BBQ experience on a year-round basis.

For now, he’s looking forward to the upcoming season.

“This is a great family sports complex,” Tessiero said. “There’s horseshoes, tennis, 18 holes of minigolf and a 9-hole par 3. And it’s lighted till 10 p.m. in the summer.”

As for the food, Tessiero’s truck can cook 180 pounds of Brazilian BBQ at a time while still being able to provide fried dough and peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches for the kids.

The truck itself is both a mobile kitchen and a billboard commemorating the contributions of members of the armed services, police forces, fire departments and the like. That’s another part of Tessiero’s life: He was a military policeman in the Army National Guard and a firefighter in the Air Force.

“It’s one way to recognize what they do,” he said.

For more information:

• Gauchos Grill & Catering, 1012 Route 146A, Clifton Park, 774.4472
• Players Park, 1012 Route 146A, Clifton Park, 877-0406

Peddlers Bar & Bistro, which opened this afternoon, is the third from Margaret Baggetta, Joe Taylor and James Baggetta. The trio already owns JT Maxies in Colonie and J.J. Rafferty’s in Latham. Peddlers is located next to the Holiday Inn Express on Clifton Park Village Road.

Clifton Park will also gain a Thai restaurant. Judy Somboon has chosen the Village Plaza Shopping Center (home to Hannaford) as the site for her third Blue Spice location, which is scheduled to open in May. Blue Spice has locations in Colonie and Delmar.

According to Peddlers general manager Melisa Gravelle, the bistro will offer “mixed American cuisine with a twist.” She said the menu will have more variety and offerings than the trio’s other 2 restaurants. It offers everything from bar food to entrees featuring steaks, chicken, fish, scallops and more.

Peddlers will be open 11 a.m.-4 a.m. every day except Sunday, when it will open at noon.

“We will offer a full menu until 3:30,” Gravelle said.

The restaurant will also offer 2 pool tables, 2 dart boards and a number of flat-screen TVs featuring DirecTV’s sports packages.

And just in time for the nice weather, there will be an outdoor bar and dining on the patio. There will be karaoke nights, DJs and live bands — which will play on the patio during the summer.

Blue Spice is coming to Southern Saratoga because Somboon sees demand in the area for a Thai restaurant.

“I think there is a need in Clifton Park,” she said. “A lot of my customers at Central Avenue come from Clifton Park.”

While the area is gaining some restaurants, it recently lost a chain sandwich shop. The Quiznos at 5 Southside Drive (next to Moe’s) has closed.

For more information:

• Peddlers Bar & Bistro, 16 Clifton Park Village Road, Clifton Park, 952.7166
• Blue Spice, 155 Delaware Avenue, Delmar, 813.4889

On Tuesday, the mall announced that Alpin Haus had decided to open its store in Clifton Park — becoming the latest success in DCG Development’s renovation of the facility since purchasing it in 2006.

“We just showed them a number of benefits to Clifton Park,” said Rick Eaglestone, DCG’s marketing director.

The shopping center is on a hot streak. A Chipotle Mexican Grill just opened, and a Buffalo Wild Wings is scheduled to open in late summer or early fall. A freestanding Olive Garden will be built with plans to open next year. Not bad for what was once considering a struggling mall.

“It’s wonderful for the people of Southern Saratoga County,” Eaglestone said.

The more Alpin Haus thought about where to put its store, the more Southern Saratoga made sense.

“It’s right in the sweet spot of where we need to be,” Alpin Haus president Andy Heck said, citing Clifton Park’s location between Albany and Saratoga Springs.

The store — a swimming pool and ski shop — is due to open in May. Heck said his company likes that there isn’t much competition in the Northway corridor between the two cities.

“There’s nothing really in Latham and Clifton Park,” he said.

While Alpin Haus likes the promise of the area’s future growth with the coming of GlobalFoundries, the company is excited about the region’s current demographics.

“There are an awful lot of active people in that area,” Heck said.

Eaglestone said that more and more businesses are coming to appreciate Southern Saratoga’s demographics and potential. That means more of them are considering locating in the area and at Clifton Park Center.

“We’re working on a number of new stores. Some more nationals, but we’re not close enough to talk about them yet,” Eaglestone said. “I think it’s going to pick up even more.”

For more information:

• Alpin Haus, coming to Clifton Park Center in May
• Clifton Park Center, 22 Clifton Country Road, Clifton Park, 371.7010

But before it does, the restaurant will be holding a preview party to benefit Hannah’s Hope Fund. From 5-8 p.m. Friday, there will be free samples of menu items, $2 servings of select beers and wine and a cash bar at the new restaurant in the former Applebee’s building near exit 9. All proceeds will be donated to the Hope Fund’s efforts to find treatment and a cure for giant axonal neuropathy, a rare and deadly genetic disorder.

The restaurant group was looking for a Clifton Park-area charity for its opening celebration, when staffers saw the video about Hannah and her family’s battle to fund G.A.N. research.

“It was so sad and so moving,” said Erica Dingeman, DZ’s director of public relations and sales. “It really hit us.”

Dingeman said she expects a crowd at the event and hopes — and recommends — that people will stagger their arrival times.

“I’m expecting a big rush of people at 5,” she said.

Giving is part of Zecchini’s philosophy for running his restaurants. One of his Saratoga locations, Chianti il Ristorante, offers the Twelve Program. On the 12th of each month, customers can choose to have 30% of their check donated to that month’s featured nonprofit. From when it started in April 2008 through December 2009, the program has raised more than $20,000 for charities.

At Pasta Pane, the charity program will be called Raising Dough. Each month a portion of the proceeds from four menu items will go to a designated charity. For the first month, Hannah’s Hope Fund will be that charity. Future month’s charities are still being determined, and applications are being accepted for the program.

“David is incredibly passionate about giving back,” Dingeman said. “We try to help those who need help the most, and we really try to keep it local.”

The company also plans to offer cooking classes, including a kids cooking class possible around Easter time.

DZ calls Pasta Pane a “rustic Italian bistro.”

“It’s very much like what you would expect at a family restaurant in Italy,” Dingeman said. “It’s simple, and it’s delicious.”

Dingeman said the restaurant looks great, with exposed brick and unfinished wood.

“You have to come to visit us to appreciate the atmosphere and how beautiful it is,” Dingeman said. “You would never know it used to be an Applebee’s.”

For more information:

• Pasta Pane, 18 Park Ave., Clifton Park, 583.1142
• DZ Restaurants, 63 Putnam St. (2nd floor), Saratoga Springs, 583.1142
• Chianti il Ristorante, 18 Division St., Saratoga Springs, 580.0025
• Forno Bistro, 541 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, 581.2401
• Hannah’s Hope Fund

How to get those foods to the two Wheatfields locations, however, was trickier than owners Tim and Colleen Holmes and executive chef Tony Shortway imagined. They discovered a lot of local farmers were planting less than half their land because of a lack of demand and poor distribution channels.

Wheatfields executive chef Tony Shortway talks with Paula Schafer of the Cornell Cooperative Extension office in Ballston Spa.

While Wheatfields was able to find ways to bring local products to its table, its owners realized more could be done to enable local restaurants to serve local foods. Out of a talk Tim Holmes had with Saratoga Springs Farmers’ Market coordinator Suzanne Carreker-Voigt about the issue came the idea for a Farm to Restaurant roundtable to allow farmers, restaurant owners and chefs to network and brainstorm.

The first roundtable attracted about 40 participants Wednesday at Wheatfields Bistro & Wine Bar in Clifton Park. They talked about ways to make it easier to get food from farms to restaurant dishes. The discussions were led by Paula Schafer of the Cornell Cooperative Extension office in Ballston Spa. Ordering and distribution were two key issues they talked about.

“I hear from a lot of farmers that you want to keep your individual farm identities,” Schafer said. “But what I hear from chefs is you want to just make 1 phone call to place your order.”

Cost was another major issue.

“I can’t use farm-raised chicken and be able to charge the $8 I need to charge to have people buy my lunch special,” said Kim Klopstock, owner Fifty South restaurant in Ballston Spa. Still, she added, she would rather buy local whenever she could.

That’s good news for farmers such as Jacob Hooper of Barber’s Farm in Middleburgh. Barber’s been a family farm since 1857, and Hooper is the sixth generation to work it. He relies on a farmstand, farmers’ markets and the like for most of his business.

“We direct market about 90% of what we grow,” Hooper said. “And we don’t want to drive 4 hours to sell it. We need the local people to buy our products.”

Why then are the supermarkets filled with apples from Washington and New Zealand when apples are grown here in Saratoga County?

There are a lot of reasons, RPI assistant professor Michael Mascarenhas said. He cited the dominance of multinational supermarket chains and government policies that support large-scale agriculture.

“We say we eat cheaply, but we actually don’t,” he said. “You have to add in the amount of our tax dollars that goes to subsidies. We subside oil, we subside corn, we subside railroad tracks through our government policies.”

That’s why area farmers are hoping restaurants can help them by buying local and educating diners about the benefits of eating local.

“If a restaurant is willing to advertise my farm on its menu I’m willing to give you 15% off my best price,” said Clifton Park resident Brian Bender, who runs Hand in Hand, a community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm. Bender, like other farmers at the roundtable, figures if people like what they eat at the restaurant they’d be more likely to seek out the farm’s products.

Wheatfields considers it a win-win deal.

“We tie in local products to our specials,” Tim Holmes said. “We’ll showcase that farm all week.”

For more information:

• Agricultural Economic Development Program of Washington and Saratoga Counties, Cornell Cooperative Extension, 50 West High St., Ballston Spa, 885.8995
• Wheatfields Bistro & Wine Bar, 54 Crossing Blvd., Clifton Park, 383.4444
• Saratoga Springs Farmers’ Market, High Rock Ave., Saratoga Springs
• Fifty South, 2128 Doubleday Avenue, Ballston Spa, 884.2926
• Barber’s Farm, 3621 State Route 30, Middleburgh, 518.827.5454
• Hand in Hand, 4D Spyglass Hill, Clifton Park, 250.8141

HALFMOON (Jan. 27) — You’ve just finished a wonderful main course, but what’s a romantic dinner without a sweet dessert. You’re a good cook, but you can’t bake worth a lick. What are you going to do?

“You can buy a beautiful dessert,” said Judy Donovan, who works and teaches cooking classes at Spoon & Whisk. “They’re so labor intensive.”

But if that doesn’t seem romantic enough, there are a lot of simple yet tasty desserts you can make without being an ace of cakes.

A great dessert can be as simple as fresh raspberries and cream, Donovan said.

If you want to be a little more elaborate, grill a slice of store-bought pound cake in a frying pan dabbed with a little butter. When it’s done, put it on a plate, sprinkle it with some powered sugar, add some fresh blueberries and drizzle with a little cream.

Another option is to bake an apple with some walnut pieces and brown sugar.

“A simple table beautifully set with candlelight and love is in the air,” Donovan said.

Donovan recommended going to a local wine store and asking for recommendations about what to drink with your romantic dinner. She said most will be able to pair a good wine if you tell them what you’re planning to cook.

“Don’t be afraid to ask,” she said.

If you looking for a Valentines Day gift you can use during the dinner, Donovan suggests a Vinturi — a device that decants your wine.

“You pour red wine through this, and it instantly decants it,” she said. “The taste, the flavor is remarkable.”

Another good Valentines Day gift for cooks is an immersion blender.

“It will whip up cream in no time,” she said. And the whipped cream will go well on your desserts.

Part 1: Quick and tasty Valentines Day main courses

For more information:

• Spoon & Whisk, 1675 Route 9 Suite 108, Halfmoon, 371.4450

HALFMOON (Jan. 17) — If you’re cooking a Valentines Day meal for your sweetie, do the two of you a favor and don’t overdo it.

After all, what fun will your evening be if you’re tired after cooking all day. But just because you didn’t toil away at a hot stove doesn’t mean you can’t have a delicious romantic dinner.

“I think a really special dinner has to be stress free and take very little time to prepare,” said Judy Donovan, who works and teaches cooking classes at Spoon & Whisk.

Spoon & Whisk's Judy Donovan offers 3 different options for Valentines Day menus. And on Jan. 20, professional chef Gail Sokol will teach how to make Valentines Day sweets.

“Filet mignon is a little expensive,” she said, “but two steaks make a great romantic meal.”

While preheating your oven to 450°, dry the steaks on each side with paper towels, then season them with a little salt and sear them for 3 minutes a side in a frying pan. After searing them, cook them in the oven for about 5 minutes.

For vegetables, steam some small red potatoes and asparagus.

“That’s it,” she said. “Just add a salad, and you’ve got a beautiful meal.”

A fish dish can also make a quick but romantic dinner. Donovan said to take a piece of parchment paper, pat it with butter or sprinkle a little olive oil and then add some finely minced shallots and some chopped parsley.

“Lay a piece of fish down on it. It could be salmon,” she said. “I don’t like farm-raised fish, and I always at the Monterey Aquarium list to see what’s a good choice to buy.”

Fold up and seal the parchment paper, and cook the package in a 375° oven for 20 minutes. Peel, quarter and steam some small to medium yukon gold potatoes and flavor them with salt, pepper and a little butter. When the potatoes are done, steam about 10 ounces of fresh spinach and season it with a little salt. Finally, when the fish is cooked, drizzle it with fresh lemon and sprinkle on some chopped parsley.

If you prefer chicken, take 2 whole breasts and put them in a shallow pan covered with cold water. Bring to a simmer for about 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it sit covered for about 10-15 minutes. Make sure it is no longer pink inside.

In a saute pan, cook some chopped shallots or onions in a little olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add about 6 ounces of mushrooms — “I like cremini, the brown ones,” Donovan said — and let them cook down for about 8-10 minutes. Towards the end add a clove of finely minced garlic. When the mushrooms are done, add 2 tablespoons of butter and ¼ cup marsala or dry sherry. Cut the chicken, arrange it in a circle on the dish and spoon the sauce over it.

Serve the chicken with rice and carrots. Prepare the carrots by slicing and steaming them — then toss in a saute pan with melted butter, brown sugar, salt and just a dash of rice vinegar until glazed.

“Prep everything beforehand,” Donovan said. “A little bit of organization goes a long way to a successful dinner.”

Part 2: Tasty and romantic Valentines Day desserts and Valentines Day gifts for cooks

On Jan. 20 professional chef and cookbook author Gail Sokol will teach a class on making Valentines Day sweets, including chocolate truffles and pink meringue hearts. For more details, visit the Spoon & Whisk cooking class schedule.

For more information:

• Spoon & Whisk, 1675 Route 9 Suite 108, Halfmoon, 371.4450
• Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch sustainable seafood recommendations

He is, after all, only providing more than 300 free turkey dinners on Thanksgiving. Marzilli buys all the food and does the cooking, while the Twin Bridges Rotary handles the publicity and organization and mans the dining room.

“It’s a great feeling when 300 to 400 people come to your restaurant and thank you for the food,” said Marzilli, who was a chef in Louisville and Indianapolis before taking a job as the Albany Marriott’s executive chef so he could be closer to his family in Rhode Island.

This will be the event’s fourth Thanksgiving, growing from around 150 diners at the first dinner. That year — 2006 — Marzilli asked the restaurant’s food suppliers for donation, a practice he stopped the following year because he said it didn’t feel right.

Salty's Pub & Bistro owner John Marzilli will be cooking more than 300 turkey dinners that he will share for free with community members who otherwise would eat alone.

“Plus I believe what goes around comes around.”

The idea came about shortly after Marzilli bought Salty’s and Twin Bridges — which was a new Rotary club at the time — started having meetings there. Marzilli and then-club president Chuck Chera were talking about community projects. Marzilli recalled how his father — who was also a chef, running his family’s Italian restaurant in Rhode Island — would always invite employees to the family’s turkey dinner.

“Every Thanksgiving he would bring someone home,” Marzilli said. “A dishwasher, a waitress, a busboy — there was always someone who otherwise would have been alone.”

They realized that a lot of people in Southern Saratoga spend Thanksgiving alone, so Marzilli and the Rotary decided to give them a place where they could have a good Thanksgiving dinner in a fun, social atmosphere.

“It’s a day to give thanks and share with others,” Twin Bridges president Karen Bristol said. “It’s a day nobody should be sitting home alone.”

So the Rotary reaches out to seniors organizations, food pantries and churches, asking them to help spread the word. With the increased publicity and the decreased economy, the event has grown each year.

“I’ve only got 1 or 2 tables left,” said Chera, who handles the reservations. He is up to 260 reservations already, and more are coming in. And that doesn’t include deliveries and takeouts for shut-ins.

The more the merrier.

“I wish I could feed 1,000,” Marzilli said. “It’s going to be happening here at Salty’s as long as I own Salty’s.”

For more information:

• Salty’s Pub & Bistro, 215A Guideboard Road, Halfmoon, 371.1120
• Twin Bridges Rotary Club