One night i was watching No Reservations hosted by Anthony Bordain.He was visiting my hometown seattle and of course eating.During the show there was a segment about these private dinners chefs were putting which is an exclusive club that only the elite can get in.I thought that was so cool but why make it so exclusive?There's plenty of talented cooks,chefs out here.Right then and there i had a plan to something like that but with cooks and some chefs because in the end we are all cooks and there are alot of really good ones out there.On top of that idea,there is the pop up dinners which are the new craze where chefs take over a restaurant space and do anywhere from 1-3 day events for a set price,setup,shutdown then popup again in a totally different place.I figured why not combine both and put one on every month?That's where I came up with "A Night with Us".Three to four cooks a set amount of guests wine cocktail paring as well as entertainment under one roof.It took about three months to plan but i got it together with a great team consisting of my friends that i work with,ride bikes with etc.The location was an artist loft that we converted into a candlelit dinner for 20 guests.The cooks consisted of Nate Simmons, sous chef at Cicchetti,Clayton Kinsey, line cook at Serafina, Sarah Muhammed (desserts) server at Serafina and I.Sommelier Solomon Navarro of Serafina,mixologist Luke Mckinley of Ravish Seth Sexton,server and bartender of both Serafina and Cicchetti. The rest of the team were,photographers Blu still of blu still photography and his friend Emerson and additional help of kitchen staff from culinary school and of course servers.It was a stressful few days before all the way up to the hour before the event.To make the evening a blessed one we had a singer player flamenco guitar serenading to the guests making it a beautiful night.The menu:15 courses cocktail and wine pairing.That's right FIFTEEN! Zampone,sweet bread po boys,chicken fried beef tongue,chocolate and caramel cheesecake with bing cherry relish was just some of the dishes prepared for that night!How did the guest s think about everything?They loved it!At $150 per person we had to give them best food they've had and we did it.It was a success but also a tough night for everyone but in the end everyone had a great time with guests yearning for the next one!I took about three days and i'm back at it looking for new locations as well as cooks.So be on the lookout for A DJ and a Cook coming to a neighborhood near you!

Victoria Tweed Ride 2011

Well Victoria's 1st annual Tweed Ride was a success despite a tiny sprinkle of rain,but in the end there were laughs,tea,beautiful neighborhoods,lots of bikes and lots of tweed!We met in front of the ever famous Empress at noon slowly one by one dapper riders were showing up in the finest attire with smiles on their preparing for a fun day!Tandems, penny farthings,trikes and more began filling the yards of the Empress.After about an hour meets and greets,registrations and bike stories we finally departed.Riding through Victoria on a Sunday afternoon was great despite the light winds and chills.It was no doubt we were the sight as people were pulling out cameras,fingers pointing as we stroll about 100 plus deep.There were pitstops along the way to stop and nominate best dressed,best teacup,tweediest bike and best socks.After a stop for tea and cucumber sandwiches we got back on the road and headed to the final stop Penny Farthing Pub for an afternoon of drinks,laughs,awards (i won best tea cup)a snack or two and of course good byes.Had a great time up here and there's plenty to do.Oh get this,Simon who is the creator/organizer for the Victoria Tweed ride is also a foodie! He's the owner and chef of Red Fish/Blue Fish which is one of the top eateries in Victoria serving up some of the best seafood out of a shipping container! So to all who haven't been or havent had the chance to be apart of a great event, there's still time.Seattle will be hosting their second annual tweed ride Sunday June 5th meeting at Denny Park at 11am.So hopefully i'll see you there,CHEERS!

TWEED!TWEED!TWEED!TWEED!

Wassup everybody!It's been awhile.I've been soo consumed with school and work and teaching i haven't had anytime to blog.But i want to let you guys and gals know that i only blog when i'm traveling,especially abroad because there's a lot going on with what i enjoy.So finally i have 4 days left of culinary school which i'm proud to say i did it!Made through nine months of ups and downs,early wake up calls,cooking creativity,and washing school uniforms!In the end i had a great time and now it's time to move on.So you all know i love bikes,iv'e been riding them since i was a kid but without a car since 97 and still loving it!I participated in the 2nd annual London Tweed last year and it was a blast!Hundreds of dapper cyclists,sweet pristine bikes and lots of tweed!Well i tried to go this year,but it was too expensive to go there for only four days.I had to be in another tweed ride but didn't no where because i had already missed Portland,New York,D.C. and a few others.But i found out through a website that keeps track of all the rides and Victoria B.C. is hosting one which is perfect because of being close to home.So i got everything together,a cool 1972 Sears Tote folding bicycle, and a new outfit consisting of a fedora,a Harris Tweed coat,plus fours,hankerchief courtesy of London Tweed Run,suspenders,tweed tie and a nice pair of shoes.Everything had a nice mix and went well together.Bought a ticket taking the Victoria Clipper for the first time and headed out friday afternoon.The weather has been going back and fourth,rain no rain,rain and so fourth and so on.Finally the head organizer decide on making Sunday the date and i'm praying as well as the rest of the riders for a clear day to enjoy!So talk to you all tommorow with video and and pics.CHEERS!

It's been a long time......

A rapper once said that.Wassup everybody!i hope all is well and we're being blessed with positive energy!Yeah it's been awhile .When i got back i didn't feel like doing anything.Just goto school and camp i my room all day.The transition was hard for awhile.But im back in business!I have alot to catch with you all!Have to finish the rest of the trip and culinary school.Yeah CULINARY SCHOOL! I'll chat with you guys tmrw!HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Hot straps.......

When i was in London,i went to Tokyo Fixed Gear Shop in SoHo and purchased some velcro straps to try them out.While spending time with my girl here in Germany there is a German company called Aurora that make velcro straps.Available in 6 colors,these are made here in Germany,can be used with cages/clips and cost 25 euros or 30 euros shipped outside Europe.Here is the link for those who want to order a pair. Aurora velcro straps.Oh leave some comments about them i'm curious to see how they feel.

Cycling in a library?

You know sometimes when you say to yourself "I thought i've seen it all till..."Well with bikes i've seen some outrageous builds,races,art etc.Until i heard about this a while back.How about a mini velodrome in a library.That'a right,a mini velodrome called Circuluslocated in the Seeley G. Mudd Science Library at Pomona College in Claremont,CA.With 45 degree banks,this perfect round drome was bulit as an experiment and as a way to use an abandoned building that had no use.Average time per rotation: 5 seconds.

An American diner in Germany.......

One afternoon while we were having dinner with my girl's parents,she was talking about this place where they make really good ribs.She says every time she thinks of that place, it makes her mouth water.So i'm like,bbq in Germany?It's a diner that's about an hour and a half drive from their house.I'm game,so when do we go?So last night,my girl called up a couple of her friends,hopped in the van and headed to a small town called Oyten.Mind you my girl and her family live in a city/farm town and once you leave there,it's mostly farm land.Once we reach Bremen we pull off the exit and "Daisy's Diner" is sitting right off the freeway,excuse me autobahn.We pull in to the driveway and it's a pure diner.Afew old classics are parked out front,an black on black mint condition 1970-71 Buick Riviera,an old 40's panel wagon,and a few others,with diners standing outside smoking cigs and talkin cars.We step inside and it feels like a 50's old diner with tunes form the fifties playin,different metal signs adorn the walls such as,Indian,Green River Soda,old Coca Cola signs and more.What's was interesting was the menu.Even thought it was in German,it was completely in english too!Remember we are in a small town in Germany,never thought we would find an american themed 50's diner here!But according to my buddy Jake, there were american bases within 15 miles of here.Everything you could think of is on the menu.Hamburgers,crispy curly fries,giant malt shakes,and of course ribs!Hot dogs,potato wedges,steaks and i mean large steaks!Rib eyes,porterhouse,filet 10/12/14 ounces.Then there are the ribs!Sunday is rib day.There were 5 choices:the Jack "Daniel's" ,Tennessee,Homemade old fashion bbq,Sweet Apple,and The Hot.Your choice of spareribs or beef.We went with Jack Daniels, two apple,and two homemade.Plus with a couple order of fries and a baked potato meal for my girl.While waiting for our food,the drinks come,being nosy on other tables seeing what people are ordering.The plates are big!Be very hungry when you come here.One thing was cool,was the Seattle Seahawks pennant on the wall!SEATTLE REPRESENT!Our food arrives and the plates are big!Basically for 10 euros you get a slab and a half with a tomato cucumber tickle of two slices,two slices of garlic bread, napkins, toothpicks and we dig in.There was one hiccup,only four tiny wet naps came to the table!Sorry you get knocked one point for that!Besides that, the meal was filling.The ribs weren't bad,i like my ribs to fall off the bone but these were pretty good.More than plenty bbq sauce dressed the ribs,the baked potato came with a side of blue cheese dressing,but the salad was a nutty combo,Corn,lettuce,kidney beans,tomatoes,bell peppers and thousand island dressing.Once dinner was done,and a few minutes to relax a bit they ordered ice cream which is the small Ben and Jerry's ice cream with 5 choices.After it was said and done this was a really good meal Now we have a hour half ride back home!