Entries Tagged 'Restaurant & Catering' ↓

Pat and Jerry Dodson’s nearly 100-year-old four-story home at 2 18th Ave., San Francisco, is a bit of an oxymoron, boasting a history of revelry while also maintaining views that calm the soul.

The 1913 Mediterranean-style home, designed by Oakland Tribune Tower architect Edward T. Foulkes, contained a speakeasy – a Prohibition-era secret drinking hideout that may also have had an adjacent brothel – in the early 20th century. its secret passageway leading to the surrounding Presidio National Park remains.

“There were three exits, as we understand it,” said Pat Dodson, who is downsizing after 19 years in the home now that her son, Sam, is grown. “When people came to the front door, if they ever thought it was the police, there was a way to flicker the lights in the speakeasy and people would know to leave by the two outdoor exits or the secret passageway.”

The light-signaling system to the lower level is long gone, but much of the character of that era was restored during a 2005 renovation. Led by architect Cheryl Chernoff, the renovation created an Art Deco showcase with a bandstand, coffered ceilings, a handmade banister and murals reminiscent of Jazz Era dancing. the residence also has a home theater with eight surround-sound speakers and a 500-bottle wine cellar.

During their nearly two decades in the home, the Dodsons undertook a series of updates. All but one of the home’s rooms was overhauled.

When the Dodsons purchased the home 19 years ago, they chose to transform the onetime illegal hangout into a more family-friendly one. Even with the original 19-foot-long bar, the speakeasy with linoleum floors had become dingy and lacked character, yet it made a prime playroom – something missing from many of the homes they’d perused.

They turned the bar into a soda fountain for Sam, and over the years it was a good spot for his friends to spend time while more adult parties were upstairs.

The 2005 renovation changed the playroom into a more adult room.

The house, which is selling for $3.995 million, has five rooms and 3.5 baths in 5,700 square feet. it is situated at the end of a cul-de-sac. Gardens flank each end of the lower level, making for a child-friendly home. it has mostly hardwood floors. the lower level also has a bedroom or exercise room and laundry facilities. the house has four fireplaces, one of which is in the living room.

The main entry level features an original fountain flanked with stained-glass windows.

The formal octagon-shaped dining room has a detailed ceiling with a chandelier.

The updated kitchen with island, granite counters and custom cabinets empties to a breakfast room that leads outside.

Most of the home’s bedrooms are on the second level.

On the third floor, the master bedroom has dual walk-in closets. the spacious bath has tiled floors, a floating tub and walk-in shower.

The house also includes a lap pool off the kitchen in a former garage.

Despite the grandeur, it was the home’s “country” feel that hooked the couple. They can hear the ocean at night, the fog horns when it’s foggy, howling coyotes and an array of birds tweeting.

“We have this feeling when we’re home that we’re in the country,” Pat Dodson said. “Most people want the Golden Gate Bridge view, but for us to be able to see (the forest) is beautiful.”

She likens the seasonal foliage to having a garden without the fuss of caring for it.

Most rooms feature picture windows overlooking the park, and multiple decks allow for views as well, including from a top-floor deck off the library-office, which has a wall of windows.

“I was just stunned by the vistas,” Jerry Dodson when he first viewed the home, he said.

He hadn’t even seen the onetime speakeasy when the pair purchased the home.

There’s one from the office where you can see to the ocean and also the Presidio. Sunsets from there in the west-facing house are breathtaking.

“When I saw the family room with the bar, the first thing I wanted to do was get the windows to have the same views,” he said.

And they did. three large picture windows showcase the forest views, and nearly every other room has picture windows.

“It wouldn’t make a very good speakeasy now,” Pat Dodson said.

This article appeared on page K – 6 of the San Francisco Chronicle

October 19, 2011

SOUTH HARWICH — Dori Caussey saw the first rat in June as it scurried from the living room, across the kitchen and into a hole in the wall.

• Rats can squeeze through a half-inch-wide hole.
• Rats can gnaw through aluminum sheeting, wood, rubber, vinyl, plastic and concrete block.
• Rats can jump 36 inches vertically and 48 inches horizontally.
• Rats can swim half a mile in open water, dive through water traps in plumbing and travel in sewer lines against a substantial current.
• Rats are very cautious and several days may pass before they approach traps.
• Rats have been associated with infectious jaundice, bubonic plague, and typhus and are responsible for more human illnesses and deaths than any other mammal. Rats can carry as many as 35 diseases that affect humans and livestock.
• Rats communicate with and attract each other through their urine and droppings.

Sources: U.S. Centers for Disease Control, University of Illinois Extension Service, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Publications 9.57 10/19/2011 00:10:00 Printed Newsworkflow Unassigned

“I can’t put her down at home because of all the rodent urine and droppings,” Caussey said, her eyes tearing at the living conditions for her, Stella, and an older daughter, 18.

During an inspection of the property on Oct. 6, Harwich Health Director Paula Champagne said she found evidence the rats had invaded all of Caussey’s part of the two-unit house.

She ordered the landlords, Peggy and Brent Hemeon, to hire an exterminator and clean up the property’s prime outdoor rat habitat — the piles of 10 to 15 mattresses and four or five couches behind a metal storage unit.

An exterminator plans to schedule a visit to the house on Thursday or Friday, Caussey said.

Peggy Hemeon said she was only aware recently of the magnitude of the infestation and that it was the first problem in the property’s 20-year rental history.

“She only told me she saw a mouse, a big mouse,” she said Friday, referring to Caussey.

Caussey says she plans to move by the end of the month.

Champagne usually fields only an occasional complaint about a rat sighted at a neighbor’s compost pile. Two summers ago, there was a rash of complaints about rats at bird feeders.

Rats, which are usually nocturnal, are a part of Cape Cod, she said. “You’ll see them along the waterfront and on the revetments. It’s when they interfere with our corner of the world that we see them and it’s not a pleasant thing,” she said.

That seems to happen only occasionally, according to the Times archives. In 2001, a longtime produce market closed in West Harwich after health inspectors found rat feces and strong order of rat urine. In 2002, a Yarmouth health inspector found a rodent colony in a cluttered yard and home, and ordered the owner to hire an exterminator. that same year, Dukes County revived the position of rodent control officer after residents complained about an increase in rats and skunks.

Caussey, 36, said she has lived at the Hemeons’ rental for two years with no problems. Stella’s grandparents, Susan and Bruce Rule, moved in downstairs seven months ago.

The Rules pay $1,000 monthly — they say they are now behind in the rent — and Caussey pays $303, with $707 paid by a state rental subsidy. she also is behind in her rent by a few hundred dollars, Peggy Hemeon said last week, but Caussey said on Tuesday that her rent is up to date.

Champagne said there had not been any previous rodent complaints at the address, 975 Route 28, just complaints from neighbors about the debris in the yard.

The bedding and couches weren’t there when the property was last inspected a few years ago, she said.

Peggy Hemeon said the property’s been an eyesore for the past two years because of the previous tenant who was evicted from the downstairs apartment. On Oct. 8 and 9, the Hemeons had much of the debris, including the mattresses and couches, hauled away as Champagne ordered.

They also took away $150 worth of contaminated baby toys, a tearful Caussey said, and all of her older daughter’s clothing. The yard still looks cluttered, but the Rules said they plan to tidy up their stuff.

There are differing opinions about why it took so long for the rat infestation to get addressed.

Caussey said she had begged and pleaded with the landlords to get an exterminator since May. Peggy Hemeon would drop by weekly to pick up her rent, Caussey said. when told in June about the rat in the kitchen, Hemeon allegedly said, “Oh, you girls can deal with it.”

When the Rules later reported seeing a rat, Peggy Hemeon delivered rat traps — she wanted to avoid the use of poison, if possible. At the end of September, she brought over rat poison.

“Why didn’t you call me before,” she said to the Rules halfway through her inspection. “How could this go to this extent? This did not just happen in a week or a month.”

But Caussey also blamed the health department for its slow response. she said she called and emailed photos on Sept. 27 to a clerk and called back more than once about getting an inspection, she said. a friend finally learned Champagne’s name and helped Caussey call on Oct. 4 and ask to speak to Champagne directly. Champagne then scheduled a visit.

Champagne said she was out of the office when the problem surfaced but was there within a week of Caussey’s first call.

“I can actually get to sleep at night,” Susan Rule said. “It’s a lot better than what it was.”

Champagne’s advice to tenants is to notify the landlord in writing about health issues and try to work with the landlord to solve the problem.

If there’s no success or no response, tenants should call the health department, she said.

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LOUISA, Va. –  Residents of this rural community just outside Richmond know they may be lucky, seeing as how no one died in the earthquake, hurricane and tornado that have hit back-to-back-to-back in the past few months. that doesn’t mean they aren’t bitter: “Louisa cares: Because the feds don’t,” read Friday’s headline atop the local newspaper.

The federal government has refused to help foot the $18 million tab for the damage from the disaster trifecta, most of which was caused by the earthquake, leaving people to host fundraisers and help out neighbors because few homes and businesses had insurance. but they say they can’t do it alone.

Many look at how bad things could have been and note no one was killed in any of the disasters that began when the 5.8-magnitude earthquake began in Louisa County on Aug. 23 and rumbled all along the East Coast. The hurricane and tornado were far less destructive — the former bringing mostly heavy rain and wind gusts, the latter damaging only a plantation home dating to the 18th century. still, they hope they’re in the clear for a while.

“What’s next and how much more does the good Lord think we can take?” asked 44-year-old Fran Grimm, as she helped set up for a community fundraiser in a muddy field near the local high school that closed after suffering cracked walls and damage to the roof from the earthquake. “It’s a miracle that no one was hurt.”

The disasters were themselves unlikely phenomena.

Although the area is in the seismically active central Virginia earthquake zone, the tremors are rarely felt. Only seven other tornadoes have rolled through the county since 1950, only one of which hit in October. and the county is located 150 miles from the coast, usually safe from hurricanes.

“It’s a small town, you don’t think about something like that happening like this, but it did,” said Buddy Brooks, 72, while standing at a farmer’s market and pumpkin stand in downtown Mineral, just a few miles from the town of Louisa. “It’s the Lord’s work I guess.”

Gazing out the windshield while driving along the county’s winding roads, nature’s wrath isn’t apparent in most places. but upon closer inspection, houses can be seen patched with plastic and wood planks where brick should be, windows torn from supports, and crumbled decks and chimneys.

The earthquake damaged nearly all the county’s 200 pre-Civil War era homes, and the tremor brought down ceiling tiles, emptied shelves, and opened long cracks in concrete floors at businesses throughout the community. At one point, locals said some residents were living in tents because their houses were uninhabitable.

Last week, the state learned the Federal Emergency Management Agency had rejected its application for assistance for individuals whose homes or businesses were damaged in the earthquake. Gov. Bob McDonnell said he will appeal FEMA’s decision, and he invited President Barack Obama to stop by Louisa County to see the damage firsthand while he’s in Virginia next week promoting his jobs plan. Obama turned down the invitation on Friday.

“It’s a small county that is facing some big challenges and is just asking for a little help,” said Tucker Martin, a spokesman for McDonnell. “Earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes are natural disasters. The failure of the federal government to help Louisa citizens in this difficult time is a manmade one.”

The county has documented about $18 million in damage to 900 houses, including more than two dozen that were destroyed in the earthquake. Only about two dozen had quake insurance, and most are looking at an average repair bill ranges from about $8,500 for minor repairs to about $73,000 for major damage. There are more than 460 homes with self-reported damage that the county hasn’t even inspected.

Additionally, the county said damages to commercial properties and businesses tallied in at about $645,000, and buildings like churches and other non-profit groups had about $1 million in damages. Officials said costs related to replacing the local high school and an elementary school damaged by the earthquake will likely top $64 million.

As federal, state and local crews reassessed the quake-torn community, others prepared for the fundraiser featuring bands, vendors and local organizations to help raise money for their neighbors, a common sentiment these days.

“It seems like when things happen elsewhere, we’re always there to help them and then it comes to us and there’s nobody here,” said 52-year-old Brenda Mastin of Mineral. “They’re a little upset about not getting any help, but beside that, the county’s really come together.”

Support among neighbors has been especially important in this tight-knit community as the more recent tornado, and another 3.0-magnitude tremor on Wednesday had locals wondering what else is in store for the community. more than 40 aftershocks that have rattled the county since the August quake also are keeping residents on edge.

“Mother Nature is Mother Nature. She’s unpredictable, and all you can do is recover afterward, and that’s really how our community is handling it,” county spokeswoman Amanda Reidelbach said. “The funds and support from the community is tremendous, but the extent of the damage … it’s not something that our local community or local government can repair.”

The ministry at 101 N. 24th St. was established in 2001 and has been at its present location for six years. the expansion that began this year includes a 4,300-square-foot building adjacent to the existing building. the ministry hopes to raise about $47,000 to finish work on the building so food service can be relocated there since additional space is needed, Brown said. the kitchen will remain in the existing building, but will be expanded and upgraded and new equipment will be added.

Brown said some of the new equipment would eliminate the need for paper products and Styrofoam cups and plates, which would save about $1,000 a month. That is the ministry’s largest expense since most of the food is donated.

Sectioned trays will be used to serve meals, and the new equipment will clean them more efficiently, said Gene Cleveland, a member of the way of the Cross board of directors.

The ministry will be able to serve about 100 people at one time, Cleveland said, but turnover will be faster because people will be spread out and servers and the kitchen staff can operate more smoothly. Cleveland said there are times when people have to wait outside for those who are eating to finish and leave.

The group has a luncheon scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 10 to show the new facility to donors and potential donors and present a program on why it is needed.

Cleveland called it a “thank you with your hand out,” and said the goal is to get more people involved in the ministry.

“we want people to say ‘let me be a part of this blessing,’” he said.

Bennett Tucker, who is donating engineering services, said the idea is to thank people who have contributed while also using the event as a fundraiser.

“you don’t have to come over here but one day to see the need,” Tucker said.

Cleveland projects the ministry will serve about 52,000 meals this year, an increase of 5.4 percent from 2010 and 13 percent since 2009. Given the economy, he expects those numbers to continue rising.

“we see nothing slacking off,” Cleveland said.

The ministry has “regulars,” Brown said, but “we see new faces every day.”

Way of the Cross serves a hot meal from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday, sandwiches on Fridays for lunch and a hot meal Friday evening prior to a worship service.

“That’s our ministry,” Cleveland said.

He said the present dining area seats about 75, and they average serving 209 meals a day.

Cleveland said the new facility should handle future growth, and the existing dining area could be used if necessary as a counseling area or by the community for meetings.

The existing building has a clothes closet and shower facilities upstairs from the kitchen and dining area. Brown said shower facilities will be moved to the new building, and the clothes closet will be phased out so the ministry can concentrate on providing meals.

Different churches help with serving the meals. the ministry received $50,000 from the county’s 1-cent sales tax from the Community Development Committees, and materials have been donated.

Tucker said the organization has spent about $85,000 on the new facility. Funds are needed to complete the interior, including the walls, plumbing and some electrical work and fixtures.

Work also remains to be done on parking and other outside improvements.

The new facility will have an area for health screenings by Gadsden State Community College nursing students, an area for people to get their hair cut or styled and handicap-accessible bathrooms and showers.

ASEEM AGARWALA, admittedly possessed with contemporary architecture, is filled with the can-do spirit.

He didn’t let the fact that he and his wife, Elke Van de Velde, lost out on three urban lots discourage him.

He wasn’t bothered that the plot of land they eventually did buy wasn’t for sale. Or that it had a driveway running through it.

And, finally, he wasn’t overly concerned that the angled setback on the smallish, slopey 2,000-square-foot lot would in any way compromise the design of his family’s future home.

Instead, all of that has made their ker-pow of a house everything it is today: a shock tucked among the cottages and Craftsmans and Midcenturys of Phinney Ridge. The living room cantilevering out like a diver on the high board. The staircase, set over a window, transparent. Outdoor spaces, because the house filled the lot, connected to the structure; off the side, on the roof. White aluminum composite rainscreened panels paired with cedar rainscreen and stucco. And glass, glass, glass; the windows both fir and aluminum, depending on which exterior material they meet up with.

“Everybody assumes you can’t have a new house in a nice neighborhood for under a million dollars, but you can,” Agarwala says. “Well under.”

“But we were very strict,” says Van de Velde, a commercial fashion photographer. “And we researched everything ourselves.”

Agarwala, a thoroughly modern man and research scientist at Adobe, found the not-for-sale lot by searching satellite images online. And his architect, Chris Pardo of Pb Elemental, on Facebook. With the birth of daughter Zia, now almost 3, the couple needed more than their Fremont townhouse could offer. Besides, it lacked the contemporary design they craved.

“We’ve seen their stuff over the years,” Agarwala says of Pb Elemental. “We were linked on Facebook, and Chris is an avid poster. I wrote him and told him our budget and asked him how far off we were. He said we weren’t off at all.”

“We didn’t expect to build,” Van de Velde says. But here they are. The couple are naturally goal-oriented. they met 11 years ago in Belgium, and since then have finished school, launched their careers, started a family and built their dream house. Whew. And the house, 2,510 square feet, overseen by project manager Dave Biddle and built by Logan’s Hammer, was finished in nine months, March 2011.

“They asked us to make a folder of things we liked,” Van de Velde says.

“We have colorful furniture, so we didn’t want a super woody interior,” Agarwala says.

“We needed lots of windows,” she says.

“My kitchen is real important to me, and I have all the power I need here,” he says, patting the BlueStar cooktop. “Our only constraints were practical, not aesthetic. for instance, our backyard is on the roof.”

Now that it’s mostly over, except for a few pieces of art to be hunted down, the couple says the whole deal was fun. they would like to do it again, in fact, about 10 years from now.

“It’s hard not to look at Redfin and at building lots,” says Agarwala, who also found lots for, and shared his architects with, two friends.

“We were really concerned about the neighbors not liking it,” Van de Velde says of their perfect house/odd lot. “But we had a party and had them over. I’d say 95 percent like it.”

“We still have people come by, put on the brakes,” says Agarwala. “But it’s an eclectic neighborhood.”

Rebecca Teagarden is associate editor of Pacific Northwest magazine. Benjamin Benschneider is a magazine staff photographer.

BAHRAIN. Investcorp, the asset management firm specializing in alternative investments, announced today that it has acquired Sur La Table, a leading US kitchenware retailer that is also a lifestyle brand offering its customers high quality products and equipment, as well as information and skills, relating to cooking and entertaining.

This acquisition comes at a time when the culinary industry in the US, and around the world, is growing rapidly.

Cooking and entertaining at home is becoming an important part of modern life, especially among the middle and high income classes who equip their homes with top quality kitchenware and accessories, attend cooking classes and follow popular television shows about food and cooking. 

Sur La Table was acquired from the Behnke family and investment firm Freeman Spogli & co. who will both remain as investors in the company. It has its headquarters in Seattle, WA.

Sur La Table provides a broad selection of the best culinary brands and an assortment of innovative kitchenware products through 86 stores across the United States. It positions itself as an authority on all things cooking related, reaching its cooking enthusiast customers through a variety of channels each of which is a profitable platform in its own right.

These include the retail stores, its website, a catalogue and social media such as Twitter and Facebook. in addition to selling kitchenware, the company provides fashionable cooking classes, running the largest culinary instruction program in the United States which teaches over 100,000 cooking enthusiasts a year. the stores also host book signings by some of the world’s most famous chefs including Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Jamie Oliver, Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart.

Mazin Al Khatib, Managing Director at Investcorp and regional head for the United Arab Emirates, said: “We believe that Sur La Table is poised to achieve significant growth, supported by its solid positioning in its existing markets, widespread geographical presence and successful online platform. We look forward to working with Sur La Table’s management team and being part of its future growth story.”

Jack Schwefel, CEO of Sur La Table, said: “I am very excited about our new partnership and our future growth opportunities with Investcorp.  Sur La Table is the leading destination for those with a passion for cooking and a love for food, and will maintain the values that reflect our character and commitment to our customers, our employees and the communities in which we live and work.”

About Sur La TableSince its beginnings in Seattle’s Pike place Market in 1972, Sur La Table has believed that the kitchen is the center of the home.  Today, those with a passion for cooking and a love for food can discover a leading selection of global brands in 86 Sur La Table stores, online at surlatable.com, through the Sur La Table Catalog and via the Sur La Table Gift Registry.  with cooking classes in over 25 locations, Sur La Table operates the largest avocational cooking school nationwide.  from essential basics to hard-to-find specialty tools and cookware, Sur La Table is sure to have something for every cook.

About InvestcorpInvestcorp is a leading provider and manager of alternative investment products.  Investcorp has offices in Kingdom of Bahrain, London and New York and is publicly traded on the Bahrain Bourse (INVCORP).  Investcorp has three business areas: corporate investment in the US, Europe and the Gulf, real estate investment in the US and global hedge funds.  As at March 31, 2011, Investcorp had $11.8 billion in assets under management. 

Further information is available at investcorp.com.

‘Sweet Treats’ Unlimited! New Electric Home Baking Products from MPL Home when your sweet tooth calls, sometimes you just have to listen! For perfectly portioned cakes and bakes Sweet Treats has a fantastic new range of electrical home-baking products, designed to give you and your family hours of fun in the kitchen – not to mention some great ideas for Christmas gifts. Sweet Treats includes a Mini Cup Cake Maker, a Whoopie Pie Maker; Brownie Maker; Cake Pops Maker; Brownie Bites Maker; Zoo Waffle Maker and a Popcorn Maker – perfect for indulging any sweet tooth, whatever the occasion! Sweet Treats Mini Cup Cake Maker – Making delicious cupcakes, without having to turn on the oven, sounds just too good to be true. Now, thanks to the Sweet Treats Mini Cupcake Maker you can turn out six mouthwatering home-made cupcakes in minutes. and it’s as easy to use as a sandwich maker – just plug in and the lights indicate when it is ready. For best results, simply pop cupcake cases into the easy clean non-stick holders, pour your favourite cake mix into the cases, close the lid and your perfect cupcakes are ready in ten minutes – ready to decorate with your favourite tasty toppings. Sweet Treats Cake Pops Maker – For the latest twist on traditional cakes, how about the Sweet Treats Cake Pops Maker, which bakes six delicious cake pops in minutes. Once baked, simply add sticks and then get creative with the icing and decorations. Try popping one into a gift bag for your guests to take away after a themed party or celebration and see how impressed they are! Sweet Treats Whoopie Pie Maker – If it’s a whoopie pie you’re dreaming about – and who wouldn’t – then these treats are so easy to prepare with the new Sweet Treats Whoopie Pie Maker, that will turn out 4 delicious whoopie pies in minutes. Once baked, simply turn them out, fill them with your favourite flavoured filling and finish them off with a themed topping of your choice. Sweet Treats Brownie Maker – A deliciously squidgy rich chocolate Brownie will satisfy most people’s sweet craving and you can turn out 8 Brownies in minutes with this nifty Brownie Maker, ready to plate up and share with family and friends – perfect as a tea time treat! the Brownie Maker has easy clean non-stick cooking plates, with a divider which allows you to lift out the cooked Brownies onto a cooling tray. Sweet Treats Brownie Bites Maker – If you want to have your cake and eat it (in bite-sized portions), then look no further. the Brownie Bites Maker bakes 8 gorgeous mini brownie bites, or cake bites of your choice in no time at all. Simply pop the cake mixture into the non-stick holders, close the lid, wait for the ready light to illuminate then away you go – and you might have to try more than one bite, to see just how delicious they are! Sweet Treats Zoo Waffle Maker – these freshly home baked waffles are guaranteed to be a firm dessert or breakfast favourite with youngsters. Three delicious Zoo Waffles come in the shape of Cheeky Monkey, Elephant and Giraffe – just pour the waffle mix into the moulds, close the lid and hey presto in minutes you have three crispy waffles. have fun topping them with syrup, ice cream, or a healthy warm berry compote – yummy! Sweet Treats Smiley Pancake Maker – Kids will love these delicious smiley pancakes – and no need for a frying pan! Simply pop the batter mix into the moulds, close the lid, wait for them to quickly cook and pop them out onto plates ready to feed those hungry mouths! as an extra treat, drizzle a little syrup, or honey over them and top with a lovely dollop of ice cream. Sweet Treats Popcorn Maker – Create a tasty popcorn treat at home in minutes with the new Sweet Treats Popcorn Maker. fast and easy to prepare, simply place the popcorn kernals inside the machine and wait for that delicious snack pop out of the machine ready to enjoy with your favourite movie! Whatever your sweet tooth desires, you won’t be disappointed with the range of products that Sweet Treats has come up with, not to mention lots of recipes ready to inspire you to create delicious snacks and desserts for family and friends – enjoy! Sweet Treats Product Details: Mini Cupcake Maker £24.99 Whoopie Pie Maker £29.99 Brownie Maker £29.99 Cake Pops Maker £24.99 Brownie Bites Maker £24.99 Zoo Waffle Maker £24.99 Smiley Pancake Maker £29.99 Popcorn Maker £29.99 Note to Editors: • For further information, recipes, jpeg images or product, please contact Dianne Kenyon Communications – email: or 07891 225352 • A wide range of ‘themed’ photography is available for Birthdays; Halloween; Christmas; and other Celebrations! • ‘Sweet Treats’ is a range produced by MPL Home – who also produce and market Gordon Ramsay kitchen appliances plus other leading home wares and home furnishings.

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It’s only fitting the Foodie Film Feastival begins and ends with “El Bulli: Cooking in Progress.”

The documentary focuses on the recently closed Rosa, Spain, restaurant El Bulli, which earned three Michelin stars and the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants Award five times in the past decade. At the heart of the restaurant overlooking Costa Brava, is its owner and chef, Ferran Adria.

Adria has been called the chef of the decade, the father of molecular gastronomy and chef Frankenstein. It’s ironic that a man associated with bringing science to the culinary arts talks so much of magic.

And when the film opens with Adria quietly sitting in the dark with a fluorescent sucker in his mouth, it’s apparent you’re in for a magic show. He pulls flavor from the glowing lollipop a few seconds, shows his now-glowing tongue, then asks, “What protein is this?”

“Fish,” he’s told.

Most of us would ask how it was done, but Adria knows. He probably invented the technique. Instead, Adria wants details: “From where?”

This is the thought process of the celebrated, iconoclastic chef. this is a man who considers ideas, possibilities and magic over boundaries.

For the next 108 minutes, we are invited behind the veil. The wizard of Catalonia invited cameras into his kitchen where for six months a year he and his team prepared a menu for the other half of the year until this past July. El Bulli closed July 30 so that it can become a year-round center for gastronomic creativity and research. Adria is set to continue his culinary Lewis and Clark quest in 2014.

“El Bulli: Cooking in Progress,” the work of German director Gereon Wetzel, takes a minimalist approach, which makes sense. The avant-garde subject plays in stark contrast to the point-and-shoot, music-free, narration-free film and gives it harmony.

We go from conception to service at El Bulli. Hazelnut oil, salt, and water? That’s a cocktail. Freeze-dried peppermint and ice shavings? Dessert is served. In Adria’s kitchen, mushrooms make water, sweet potatoes produce meringue and pasta is meant to vanish. but everything must be delicious and perfect.

This is a film for gourmands — foodies, before the term existed. I expect any and every chef with a shred of ambition will be in attendance to see how the guy at the top of the pyramid conducts himself. Anthony Bourdain filmed two episodes with Adria, once several years ago, and then again just before the restaurant closed. but this film is much more intimate. Adria’s methods are chronicled in painstaking detail, just as the menu at El Bulli was developed.

The camera captures Adria’s palpable genius. His brow rises and falls, eyes broaden and narrow, hands rise and fall, fingers twirl and point and his body rocks and reels as words spill from his mouth. Passion fills the kitchen and ultimately works as an aromatic to each dish.

Whether you were fortunate enough to eat at El Bulli, Wetzel’s documentary will embolden your belief in magic and your desire to taste it.

The Rockwell event was the sixth in the "Ultimate Taste Test" series — the first one was held at The Fort two years ago. The tasting affair was the brainchild of Anton Diaz, owner of the popular food blog Our Awesome Planet (ourawesomeplanet.com). "It was actually suggested by one of my readers. I always got offered free samples but most of the time, it made me feel uncomfortable blogging about it, then one of my readers commented: ‘why not gather the readers to try it?,’" recounted Mr. Diaz. The first installment started out with 20 suppliers and 100 foodies eager to taste their wares. From appetizers to desserts to something to wash it all down with, you named it and you could find it at the "Ultimate Taste Test". there were a number of interesting dishes at the event — the aligue (crab fat) mayo drizzled on the chicken cordon bleu at Luigi’s; the teriyaki-mayo pizza of Cre-ate Concepts; Baked by Anita’s bacon and maple mini cupcake; adobo (chicken/pork stewed in vinegar) and bangus quiche over at Casa San Luis Pastries; Theo & Philo’s dark chocolate with siling labuyo (a chili pepper); and Boracay original "choriburger" from Chori Chori Burger Joint. Among the drinks were AriZona (claimed as the best-selling ready-to-drink iced tea in the US), Holly’s "really farm fresh milk," and Thai milk tea from Dek A Thai Authentic Cuisine. The stalls at the Rockwell Tent was well laid out which eased foot traffic and made it easier to go around. there were cocktail tables at the center, tables and chairs at a separate station, water dispensers at every corner, and trash cans evenly spaced out in the area. there were big retailers like the El-Kapitan Food Enterprises, importer and distributor of coffee-related technologies and ingredients (which served chai and iced and hot blended lattes), and popular celebrity chef, Bruce Lim’s restaurants Hyphys (which offered calamansi tuyo (lime and dried fish) spaghetti and the Chef’s Table, but most were small-scale home-based entrepreneurs, joined by a number of crowd favorites at the metropolis’ various food markets such as Merry Moo Artisan Ice Cream and Mochiko.

FOODIE CULTURE

The 21st century has seen an explosion in the "foodie culture" because of the prevalence of food blogs. anyone with a blog and an interest in good food can now be a food critic. when asked if his food tasting events have become a breeding ground for more aspiring food critics and food bloggers, Mr. Diaz laughed and said: "I don’t think so," he laughed. "I think [being a food critic is] inherent in everybody. you have to realize that we Filipinos, constantly talk about food. we love food, we all are food critics." The "Ultimate Taste Test" is simple, for fee of P585, a visitor is given a "passport" consisting of an event map and a score sheet. A food retailer’s wares can only be sampled once and with each stop, the passport is stamped as proof that the visitor already redeemed his sample. The visitor then rates the food retailer on a scale of one (Thanks, but it could be better) to five (Awesome! I would recommend it!). there is also a space for comments. Basically, the visitor just eats and scores. The concessionaire with the highest rating will be featured in the "Our Awesome Planet’ blogsite. (As of press time, the winner of last Sunday’s event has not yet been announced.) Mr. Diaz said that a comment from renowned food blogging sites can have an impact on restaurants and food purveyors — a good comment can boost popularity and sales, while a bad one can do the exact opposite. "Writers who write bad things also attract the bad side of the Internet. It’s always up to them." He added that sharing great food discoveries should be the sole purpose of a food blog. "if I find [a restaurant is] horrible, I don’t write about it." an "Ultimate Taste Test" participant Joy de Leon, owner of Joy’s Fuzion Kitchen (JFK), said that she has yet to see the effect of such events being a newbie in the scene. "It’s my first one, we’ll just have to wait and see." meanwhile, Nowie Potenciano, co-owner of frozen dessert brand Mochiko noted that "People who come here are open to try new things, [they’re] open-minded… [Food retailers] are always on the lookout for certain trends." according to Mr. Diaz, tasting events in the US form a whole subculture. "We’re still very traditional here but our goal is to hold a lot more taste events in Manila."

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