Serge the Concierge

Foodies Vacations: Cooking Schools in Australia, Pork Butchery to Stocks and Soups

Your inner chef might have forgotten that cooking and food is not just about being romanced by Provence or Tuscany.

In Cooking Schools Around Australia (Australian Traveler, May 2007), Christine Salins offers a number of destinations down under for Foodies Vacations.

It runs the gamut from barbecued seafood class at the Sydney Seafood School (opened since 1989) in Sydney's Fish Market which she says attracts 10,000 students a year to gourmet vegetarian cuisine with Nadine Abensur in Byron Bay.

Her more recent book is Enjoy.

Asian food has its place of course with Thai 'Cookery Retreats' at The Tamarind in Maleny, Queensland with chef Paul Plain.

Want to get down to basics the PodSchool in Canberra recently offered Stocks, Soups and Sauces, teaching how from the 3 basic stocks, beef, fish & chicken you can create the best sauces and soups.

I almost forgot to mention programs at wineries such as Chapel Hill (McLaren Vale) which has a Pork Butchery Session on August 8th with Ian Shaw from Ellis Butchers who will break up a pig and explain the cuts, while Chef Peter Hogg creates dishes using the appropriate technique for each cut (10.30am – 1.30pm).

A quick trip down under for a change.

Tokyo Sanpo, Sketches of Tokyo Life through French Eyes

Illustrator Florent Chavouet turned his 6 months in Japan into sketches of Tokyo life as seen through French eyes.

It became a book, Tokyo Sanpo (Editions Philippe Picquier).

Get a feel for Tokyo Sanpo with this 12 Page Sample.

He continues the adventure on his Florent Chavouet blog with a Daily Sushi illustration, the latest being Suchirurgien (June 24, illustration below from his blog). Chirurgien means surgeon in French.

You can find more of his creations on the Florent Chavouet site (in French).

If you are in Paris, his sketches are on display at the travel bookstore Itineraires at 60 rue St-Honoré until June 26.

File under Culture Clash for Tokyo Thursdays # 93

Previously on Tokyo Thursdays: Eatrip, People, Food and Rituals, A Japanese Film by Yuri Nomura

Learning to Swim with Crocodiles: Jacqueline Novogratz 'Blue Sweater' & Social Entrepreneurs

In 2002, I helped put together an event during Fast Company's Company of Friends Roadshow and found the non-profits way more passionate and enthusiastic than the for-profits we also invited.

Listening to Jacqueline Novogratz in Murder, Philanthropy, Blue Sweaters (FORA.tv) recall her path from Chase Manhattan banker to Microfinance evangelist and non-profit activist at the Acumen Fund brought this moment back to mind.

She did not get where she is now without a few bumps in the road. It sounds like learning to swim with crocodiles.

Jacqueline tells us the whole story in her book, The Blue Sweater (Rodale Books, March 2009)

 

I was invited to her Sold Out presentation Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World (Japan Society, May 12). Unfortunately I will not be able to make it.

Also in New York, if you missed the Japan Society event there is a Blue Sweater Book Reading with the author at the Bubble Lounge on May 13.

Want to catch up with non-profit initiatives around the globe, Social Entrepreneurship (on Change.org) written mostly by Nathaniel Whittemore opens a window onto various projects.

He led me to Appfrica which looks at how technology in small steps can improve people's life and prospects.

I also found out about One Mango Tree (from Uganda) whose kitchen aprons (like roosterhead model, pictured above) will bring rays of sunshine to your cooking.

Its founder Halle Butvin wrote about the 3:30 pm slump...

From bonuses to good deeds, Monday Work Etiquette # 89

Previously: Trimming the Fat...Cutting the Clutter...Making Choices...Saying No

On Mother's Day Is there a Disconnect between Wants and Gets?

On Mother's Day, Zoe Bakes will be treated to Breakfast in Bed delivered by her boys

A quick look at comments from real moms on 805moms shows that a massage or time at the spa ranks way higher than going out to a restaurant with the whole gang, an uninterrupted sleep is all someone else craves.

Let me just quote Number 1 through 4 (out of 12)  in Gwen Moran's Secret Mother's Day Wish List:

1. Poopy Diaper Amnesty: Actually, I'd like to avoid contact with anything sticky, stinky, or slimy, including the refrigerator door handle, the floor of my SUV, and whatever that congealed mass is at the bottom of my daughter's backpack.
   
2. Shower Power: Not the kind with lots of presents - I'm talking about the kind with hot, steamy water. And soap. And time enough to shave my legs without looking like I've just starred in a Wes Craven slasher flick.
   
3. Silence of the Clan: Give the new drum set a rest. Lower the volume on the 1,876th screening of "The Lion King." (And if I ever find the person who gave us the mini fire engine with realistic lights and siren, I can't be held responsible for my actions.) I need sweet absence of noise without the worry that only very bad things happen when it's so quiet.
   
4. Roll-over Minutes: It could be an extra half-hour with the bed all to myself or a lazy afternoon nap. I'll take any opportunity to lie horizontally with both eyes closed and no elbow, foot or Chicken Dance Elmo jammed in my back.

Worst offense if you do take your mother out to a restaurant is to make a 10:00 am reservation.

Cook breakfast for her instead.

Anything before 12:00 Noon lacks manners and good taste in my book.

File under Mother's Day 2009 ruminations

Pavillon Christofle in Boston, Mother's Day Shopping Destination, Opening May 9

Your mother likes only the finest things in life and is on the lookout for a centerpiece for her dining room table. You happen to live in the Boston area, could there be a better way to treat her right for Mother's Day than take her shopping at the Pavillon Christofle at 296, Boylston Street which opens today, May 9.

If she's more into neckwear than tableware, the Palmaceae Necklace by Michele Oka Doner might be worth considering.

Online luxury lifestyle magazine Sybarites describes the Palmaceae (picture above, from their site) as "designed to resemble a wreath of palm leaves, Palmaceae is the latin name for the common palm tree. The Palmaceae necklace is made of sterling silver and features hundreds of little silver leaves representing the leaves of a palm tree making it perfect for summer."

Found out about the store opening through the vagaries of e-mail...

Treat her right on Mother's Day 2009

Will Our Digital Memories Survive Us? Maybe with Legacy Locker

I never gave thought on what would happen to my digital traces and ruminations once I am gone.

Would any one care enough to rummage through them?

Is our online presence the modern equivalent of diaries of the past?

So even though the topic of saving my modest contribution for the future was on on my horizon, Legacy Locker has turned it into a business plan.

They planned their service as (I quote) "a safe and secure way to pass your online accounts to your friends and loved ones".

You pick who inherits what and they find out if I got it right via Legacy Letters that you penned for each person.

A new twist on estate planning and wills.

The Grassy Aroma of 'Igusa' Tatamis

Since I woke up tired (blame it on my wine tasting marathon a day earlier), there could be no better topic to start the day with than 'Igusa' tatamis.

I neither own a tatami nor knew what Igusa was until I read Natural Fibers with a Heavenly Aroma: Soejima (Tokyo Art Beat, March 19).

This piece, part of a series of interviews by Japan Brand, a project aiming to bring fresh blood to Japanese traditions, sheds light on the craft of natural 'Igusa' tatamis thanks to Naoki Ishibashi of Soejima who wants to keep this craft alive.

Actually we learn that the 'classic' tatamis made of igusa and rice straw "has good breathability, and with maintenance the same set can be used for decades. The natural material breathes, which helps keep the house cool in summer and warm in winter."

Soejima's project for Japan Brand named Kusawake describes igusa as "an organic, eco-friendly material with forest bathing, air cleaning, moisture adjusting, and anti-bacterial functions. Furthermore, it is safe and user-friendly."

It can be very colorful after being dyed as picture above (from TAB piece) illustrates.

It is said in addition to help with "air cleaning, moisture adjusting, and anti-bacterial functions".

Is hanagoza (woven patterned mats) the same thing as tatamis, I am not sure.

Would I wake up rested if I took a nap on one of them?

Getting down on the mat for Tokyo Thursdays # 80

Previously on Tokyo Thursdays:
New Yorker vs Nihonjin: Steve Reich and Nobukazu Takemura at Japan Society, March 19

Related: 'Umbrellas of Happiness', Hand Crafted by Mr. Kitazawa (via PingMag Make)

Merci, Do-Good Haute Shopping in Paris, Opened March 5th

After building their chic children's clothing brand Bonpoint, Marie-France and Bernard Cohen decided to give back by opening on March 5th the aptly named Merci (Thank You)...

In Fashion family decides to say "merci" (IHT, March 6th), Jessica Michault informs us that "the shop, which opened March 5, gives luxury customers exactly what they need right now - guilt-free shopping. All the profits, after production costs are deducted, will go to a children's charity in Madagascar."

Looking for relative bargains check the perfume bar, the author suggests as "the fragrances of Annick Goutal, who was Cohen's sister, are pored into generic bottles or any bottle that a costumer might bring to the store. Since the brand is not taking any profit on sales, the scents cost 40 percent less at Merci than at the brand's own boutique."

Upstairs she notes is "a home furnishing area where Baccarat crystal vases can be found mixed in with inexpensive flatware. Down in the basement is an Ali Baba's cave of knickknacks and home supplies, and a restaurant filled with long tables designed to bring strangers together around a meal cooked from seasonal produce and a well-stocked wine bar."

I wish I had a photo of the store to illustrate this piece.

In Merci do call again (FT, How to spend it, March 7, only in print right now) Lucia van der Post  shows Marie France Cohen putting the finishing touches to the store and surrounded by home items such as an African clay-bead chandelier by Werner and Philippa du Toit going for a modest 4500 Euros.

A good splurge?

The store is located at 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais in the Marais (11th arrondissement).

Related: Menu for Hope 5

Just Signed Up for my 2nd Gambero Rosso 3 Bicchieri...NY Edition on March 6th 2009

Sometimes the invitation is in the mail, sometimes it is not.
I realized a couple of days ago that this was the case for the Gambero Rosso 'Tre Bicchieri' 2009 Edition in New York and just gave them a call today to fix that...

I kinda zoomed through it in 2008 as it was crunch time in the preparations for my Just Over 50 and Not Dead Yet panel at South by Southwest.

The 2009 selection is a little narrower, over 100 wines versus 300 plus wines in 2008.

This tasting is a collaboration between Gambero Rosso and Slow Food USA.

The New York Tasting takes place on March 6th from 4:30 to 7:00 pm at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street.

There are 2 other Tre Bicchieri Tastings in the USA.

On March 2: Los Angeles 4:30 - 7:00 PM at The Fairmont Miramar Hotel 101 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, CA 90401.

On March 4: San Francisco 4:30 - 7:00 PM Herbst Pavilion at the Fort Mason Center (between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge on San Francisco Bay)

According to the official site:

Complimentary tickets are no longer available through Slow Food USA but may be purchased for $50, which includes a complimentary copy of Gambero Rosso’s Italian Wines 2009, the ultimate guide to Italian wine—a $40 value. They are on sale now through the following outlets:

NYC:
Morrell
212-688-9370
http://www.morrellwine.com

San Francisco:
K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.KLWines.com

Corti Brothers
916-736-3810

cortibros@sbcglobal.net

Los Angeles:
Wally’s
310-475-0606
http://www.wallywine.com

A great wine experience if you can make it.

To wet your appetite Scruggy compiled a list of articles on the 2009 edition.

Last Year bit:
Ready to Sniff Out great wines: 'Gambero Rosso' Tre Bicchieri Tasting, March 3rd, New York

Build, Renovate, Live Green in New York at 'Green Depot' 1st Retail Outlet

The core principals of Green Depot are they say "to Make "green" building and living solutions accessible, affordable and gratifying."

The company was founded in 2005 and already had showrooms in Brooklyn, Newark, Philadelphia, Boston, Greenport, Chicago, with Albany and Newark (Delaware) to follow in 2009.

They decided to expand by putting their wares on display for all New Yorkers to see in a new retail outlet (emporium).
The Green Depot store offers not just building and renovation items but household cleaning products including their own line which could make it affordable for more people.
As a bonus that line is Made in New York and Fragrance Free.

In the baby department, the Green Baby Apparel is made from Texas Cotton in Pennsylvania.
A bit pricey maybe in our Consumed to Thrifty times with 3 Onesies or T Shirts setting you back $35.

What guides their choices on what to stock and who to work with is something they call their Green Filter to stay clear of false statements (Greenwashing) and dogmatism which might put the product 'green' lineage before its effectiveness and usefulness.

I can judge their efforts only from what I read about it since I have not yet visited their Manhattan store located at 222, Bowery.

Until I have a chance to I give them 8 out of 10 for trying and the think global, act local approach.

Bob the Builder on the agenda for Green Day # 66

I discovered Green Depot on Springwise.

Previously: Is Natural Wine Elitist?