Serge the Concierge

Stomach Churning Bloody Meat Poster by Mathieu Frossard, UK National Vegetarian Week, May 20-26

One of Londoners favorite expression (punctuation) 'Bloody' takes new meaning with stomach churning 'Bloody Meat' Poster created by Mathieu Frossard for Do The Green Thing and on sale on their site.

Will it encourage you to eat more vegetables during UK's National Vegetarian Week (May 20-26, 2013)?

Raw take for Green Day # 251

Previously:

Natural Wine Pop Up hosted by Caves de Pyrene, May 21, at London International Wine Fair 2013

(* Bloody Meat poster image from 'Do the Green Thing' website)

Red and Gold Chocolate Heart, Mother's Day 2013 at Henri Le Roux, France

Treat Mom to a red and gold chocolate heart

If you are lucky enough to be close to a Henri Le Roux Maitre Chocolatier boutique in Brittany or Paris.

Put Your Stamp on Your Boxed Culinary Creations with Papermash 'From the Kitchen of' Stamp Kit

Put Your Stamp on Your Boxed Culinary Creations with Papermash 'From the Kitchen of' Stamp Kit.

 

Alternatively it will be a great gift to any friend who spends her-his spare time coming up with culinary delights.

Kit sells for £16.99 GBP, Papermash is based in UK.

(* Image from Papermash website)

Practice your Italian, Slow Food Story, A Film by Stefano Sardo

Top story on May 6th edition of Cronache di Gusto is Slow Food Story, a film by Stefano Sardo to be released on May 30, 2013.

Main character on Slow Food Story trailer (mostly in Italian) is of course Carlo Petreni.

Not sure when English version will be out.

 

In the meantime, practice your Italian.

Wine from Vienna, WienWein, Like Slightly Skunky Wiener Gemischter Satz

Few large cities around the world count vineyards within their vicinity.

Vienna is one of them.

Most famous of their offerings is Wiener Gemischter Satz included in Slow Food 'Ark of Taste', slightly skunky according to Alice Feiring.

Austrian National Tourist Office notes:

"Many are surprised to learn that urban Vienna is also a wine region. But within the city limits, 320 winemakers tend 1,680 acres of grapes – mostly in the river-flanking areas of Nussberg, Kahlenberg, Bisamberg and Mauer." 

5 wineries from Vienna banded together and formed WienWein to share their offerings with the world.

Amongst them Weingut Cobenzl whose wines illustrate this piece.

Exploring Deliciousness of Insects, Canapes and Sold Out Talk, April 30- May 1, Wellcome Collection

Over the months of April and May 2013, the Wellcome Collection in London tries to answer the question Who's the Pest, with combination of Free and Paid events.

Program notes intertwined existence of man and bug:

"From their first bite to the fact they eat us when we die, insects will always be part of our lives. Explore the entwined, co-dependent and timeless love story between humans and insects and answer the burning question… who is more of a pest?"

April 30 and May 1st)

On April 30 and May 1st, sold out evening program (7:30 pm to 10:00 pm) will ask attendees to explore the Deliciousness of Insects... 

The Menu

 “How do you take something perceived as ‘inedible’, and create the paradigm shift to bring it into the category of the edible?” This is the challenge embraced by Nordic Food Lab. “We hope to show the diversity of deliciousness, by exploring insects as undervalued yet striking ingredients in the Nordic kitchen and beyond.”

"Come to this stimulating evening where Nordic Food Lab's Director Michael BomFrøst and Head of Culinary Research and Development Benedict Reade join Professor Marcel Dicke, ambassador for insects and TED speaker, to show you the possibilities offered by entomophagy (eating insects). Immerse yourself in insect cookery with live commentary and have delicious insect canapés bought to your table."

One a the Free events is Insects au Gratin :

"Insects Au Gratin focuses on the future of food, and shows the potential of insects as a sustainable food source. Enter the near future of food: experience for yourself the sensory world of harvesting mini-livestock and witness table-top 3D printing demos of possible novel insect foods that could be on our plates sooner than we think."

This is an installation created by Susana Soares in collaboration with Steak Studio. It runs until May 5th.

4 Reasons Why American Wine Professionals Should Attend Vinexpo 2013, 4 Numbers from Recent Study

With Vinexpo 2013 barely 2 months away, the event newsletter 'Vinexpo News' offers 4 Reasons Why American Wine Professionals Should Attend Vinexpo 2013 with 4 numbers culled from recent study.

"1) +55% : Projected increase in premium wine sales (above $10 a bottle) in the US between 2011 and 2016 
2) 100 million: number ofcases of imported wine forecasted to be consumed in the US in 2016 (an 11.5% increase over 2012) 
3) +25%: Projected increase in sparkling wine consumptionin the US between 2012 and 2016 
4) $26.8 billion: projected retail sales of still wines in the US in 2016 (an 11.4% increase vs. 2012)"

((Source: 11th Global Study on Current Trends in the International Wine & Spirits Markets AND Outlook to 2016; Vinexpo/The IWSR; January, 2013). The complete study is available for purchase.)

CCSW, in plain English, Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing, Another Label?

It is hard to keep track of all the organic, sustainable, fair trade stamps of approval-accreditations.

Are you familiar with CCSW? In plain English it means Certified California Sustainable Winegrowin, a mouthful.

On a less technical side, April 2013 is Down to Earth Month for California wineries.

A dedicated site shares Top 10 Reasons California Wines are an Eco-Friendly choice.

I will let you be the judge(s).

I discovered CCSW label by way of The Vegan Wine who sells wines produced without use of any animal products.

Getting Down to Earth for Green Day # 247

Previously: Besides Dressing like a Banana, What Can You Do in March? Equal Exchange Banana Month

Instant Cider, Forget About Powdered Lemonade, Here Comes Powdered Cider

Innovation rules in food sector in my native Morbihan (Brittany).

Worried that your fresh cider might go bad, Cidrerie des Terroirs solves the problem with its just introduced Powdered Cider that gives you Instant Cider anytime you feel like having a 'Bolee'.

Congrats to Cidrerie des Terroirs.

Nest of Eggs Hatching Chocolates or is it Truffles for Easter at Paul A. Young, London

The nest of eggs full of chocolates (or is it truffles?) at Paul A. Young in London might not be the largest Easter treat you could think of yet I am sure its richness makes up for it.

If you are too far from London to get a hold of one of them, you can always start Easter sunday with 2 recipes by Paul A. Young, Venezuelan Chocolate Maple Pancakes or the Aztec Hot Chocolate both from Adventures in Chocolate (Kyle Books).