Summer is the perfect time to embrace your herb garden. The fresh herbs are able to not only impart magical essences to your beverages and food, but also lend themselves to a great garnish, too. Many of my garden flowers were destroyed by all the rain we have had, but thankfully, the herbs are heartier […]

Summer officially begins tomorrow! And summer events are already in full swing! Pool Parties, Graduation Parties, Concerts and annual picnics as well as a enjoying time at the beach or on a boat and of course, traveling locally for your favorite summer vacation destination. The one thing all these activities usually have in common is […]

Summer season means many opportunities for outdoor activities such as picnics, concerts, fairs, BBQ’s, baseball games, pool parties, camping, parks, beaches, and boating; many of these activities do not allow glass in the recreational areas. What is a respectable wine drinker supposed to do?  Beer has been available in cans forever, and now you can […]

Memorial Day is the traditional beginning of summer and with that the beginning of outdoor party season. A question I hear often is, “Do I need a tent?” There is not a stock answer to that question. There are many factors to consider; weigh the pros and cons and make the best decision possible based […]

Are you a Coffee Connoisseur? Maybe a Coffee Snob? For me, maybe it comes from drinking bad office coffee every day. Yuk. Just as we have developed discerning tastes for our food, wine and service, it has trickled down now where bad coffee is not only undesirable, it is unacceptable. More and more people are […]

March is certainly coming in like a Lion; and snow in March is not what we are looking forward to. But I did see my daffodil and hyacinth bulbs coming through the ground on February 28, so have faith, this too shall pass. Speaking of bitterness, after working with Dan on one of his Craft […]

Do you remember when Kale was only a lowly dark green leafy garnish on stationary trays? Ubiquitous on all buffets? I remember when I first started working in Catering, it used to come in bulk in a cardboard case box and NO ONE ever thought about EATING IT!! Ugh!! Lol!  Then a few years went […]

Murphy’s Law? April Fools? Maybe even Mercury in Retrograde? Which is it? Have you ever felt like you are driving on square tires? Or when you ask a simple question people look at you as if you have two heads or are speaking a strange language they don’t understand? That is how much of this […]

A few years ago, my sister gave me a Meyer Lemon tree for my birthday. I was a bit suspicious; was I really going to get any lemons off this tiny tree? So the weather was nice and I put the tree outside with my other plants, and sure enough it bloomed with the most […]

In my last newsletter I featured food related ideas to beat the winter blues. This week how about a personalized Craft Cocktail lesson from a Mixologist that can transport your senses to exotic locations or travel back in time to the glamorous golden age of classic cocktails! Is there really a benefit to “Shaken, not […]