Today I was on chartered bus with over 40 others who were from Australia, London, Glasgow, Ottawa, California. We are all in Israel to attend a wedding that is taking place this week. #luckyus

The tour was organized by my fabulous relative (the mother of the bride) and here’s a recap of our day:

730 am – We were picked up the Sheraton Hotel in Tel Aviv. As we drove up north, the tour guide provided us with some interesting facts about Israel i.e there’s more museums in Israel per capita than anywhere else.

10:00 am – Arrived at the Atlit Detention Centre. where we had a guided tour of this national site which serves as an educational center for teaching the heritage of clandestine immigration. As you know I’ve been to Israel several times before but had never heard of this museum. What a great way to start the day.

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm – Arrived at Tishbi Winery for a wine and chocolate tasting. My cousin really knows how to impress her guests!!

See this sign? Do you think I turned right or left? LOL

1:00 – 2:30 pm – We were treated to a delicious lunch at Tishbi Winery. So tasty. So fresh. Of course lunch involved more wine.

2:30 – 2:45 pm – We went on a very quick tour thru Zichron Yaakov which is just gorgeous. (ps this was my first time in Zichron Yaakov)

5 pm – We arrived back at the Sheraton Tel Aviv and went directly to the 18th floor to enjoy these views. Not a bad way to end the day.

Huge thank you to my amazing cousin for organizing such a special tour. As you can tell I’m having a fabulous trip.

For more information about Israel, please click here

 

 

 

According to my blog, I haven’t attended the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo since 2010. Here’s the blog post! So I’ve decided it’s about time I return. I’m really looking forward to eating and drinking (my fav combo) and helping them celebrate their 20th Anniversary. This year’s expo offers more than 1500 wines, beers, sprits and gourmet foods to choose from. I took a peek at the exhibitor list and quickly came to the realization that I won’t be leaving the expo hungry or thirsty!

Here’s the details about the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo:

Website: http://www.foodandwineexpo.ca/ ( a great place to buy tickets in advance – HINT)

Hours: 

Friday, November 21, 2014,       2pm-10pm
Saturday, November 22, 2014,  12pm-10pm
Sunday, November 23, 2014,    12pm-6pm

Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building

Hope to see you there. Cheers!!

This isn’t going to be a typical blog entry!! However I have permission from my friend Kevin that I can blog about it. You see….I can’t believe I have a friend whose favourite drink is MANISCHEWITZ  CONCORD (on ice).

He was recently in Toronto visiting with his lovely family. His parents threw a party for the occasion and  I noticed there were TWO bottles of Manischewitz amongst the wine/scotch/and beer. I was so surprised to see this brand that I said something to Mrs. D….and she replied: “Oh that’s Kevins favorite drink…he requested for me to buy two bottles”.

Seriously…. this just blew me away.

Please meet Kevin who could be the poster boy for this SWEET…SWEET (err…off the scales SWEET) wine.

Most Jewish people (including myself) have a long history with this brand but it’s not something we drink socially…except for Kevin!

A few years ago, I found out that this particular brand is one of ten listed products that you will find in EVERY SINGLE LCBO store. I asked the sales rep: “Who is drinking this brand?” and he replied that it’s widely used in PUNCH, due to its’ high sugar content. Too funny.

Anyway…cheers to my friend Kevin!

 

 

 

Here’s a few events that are on my radar:

a) The Niagara Integrated Film Festival (Thursday June 19 to Sunday 22, 2014). This is a great chance to see some wonderful films AND drink wine! Not a bad combo at all. There’s a wide range of films (Canadian, Animated, Documentaries and more) and you will be watching these movies in a truly unique setting. Please visit their website for more info www.niagarafilmfest.com. 

 

b) Restaurantacular on Wed. June 25th from 4 – 9 pm. This is a great way to eat your way thru Mount Pleasant! There will be a variety of food from local restaurants that will only set you back a loonie or two or three!! LOVE IT. For more information please visit: www.mountpleasantvillage.ca

c) Night It Up 2014 Night Market takes place this year on Friday July 11th to July 13th. I’ve gone for the last two years and always find something that I’ve never tried before. For more information please check out their website www.nightitup.com

d) Summerlicious will be taking place July 4- 20th and I’m sure I will be checking out a restaurant or two. I’ve already make plans to visit Pukka for a $15 lunch with a bunch of friends. What great value. For more information – please visit their website www.toronto.ca

Take a peek at how many festivals are going on…there’s no way one can be bored during the summer.

PS many thanks to my friend @sackman66 for sending me this list!

Have a wonderful summer everyone!

A while ago, (Oct 24th to be exact)  I received an invite to attend an event called the Strut Tour.  Here’s what the invite said.

Join us at the inaugural STRUT TOUR driven by BUICK; a unique professional event for leading influencers.

This interactive holiday extravaganza will hit the streets of Toronto on:

Tuesday, November 26th from 1:30pm-5pm

At each stop we promise you access to industry experts and leading brands in the social space.

Cocktail reception, 5-7pm

I checked my schedule and RSVP’ed right away.

Several weeks later I received another email with more details about the event. I was even more excited. Here’s a recap of the Strut Tour.

At 130 pm: I checked in and was super impressed that all sorts of info was on the back my name tag! I was also pretty happy that I was going to be driven around in a RED Buick with 5 other bloggers!!

The first workshop was held at the Jazz Cellar and the topic was: How Well Do You Know Your Brand. The panel included:

Duri Alajrami – VP Social Strategy North America, BlastRadius Andrea Dart – VP Weber Shandwick / GoldinHarris, Rachael Faucett – Founder, Handmade Charlotte Michele Bosc, Director of Marketing, Chateau des Charmes, Jennifer Cruxton – Manager, Business Development, Media Relations Rating Point (MRP)

Sadly we arrived late and missed most of the discussion however I did enjoy 2 glasses of amazing wine!

Workshop #2. Was held on the set of the Marilyn Dennis show. The topic was:

Think you’ve got what it takes to pitch a leading producer or be a spokesperson? 

The panel included Michelle Crespi – Executive Producer, The Social & Marilyn Denis Show , Lis Travers – Executive Producer, Canada AM. Mary Ann Zoellner – Producer, TODAY Show, Alicia Ybaro – Producer, TODAY Show,Sandra Martin – Editor-in-Chief, Walmart Live Better Magazine

P.S. I was pretty proud of myself and pitched a story. Stay tuned. LOL.

Workshop #3: We proceeded to HomeSense for yet one last interesting panel discussion. The topic: How Creative is Your Content. The panel of experts included –

Jen Reynolds – Canadian Living Editor-in-Chief  Nadine Silverthorne – Today’s Parent Managing Editor Tamara Robbins – PR Manager, HomeSense

I had to dash at 5 pm and missed the cocktail reception, but I know I would have enjoyed it! Nothing beats chatting one on one with other bloggers and brand representatives.

Many thanks to ImpressionsPR and WeeWelcome for the invitation!! It was a wonderful day that included a lot of learning and networking. Looking forward to Strut 2014.

 

For 20 years, I lived at Bathurst/Sheppard. Therefore, the Milestones at Empress Walk was my “go-to” restaurant for a drink. Never ate there though….till last week when I was
invited to a six course tasting menu.

This menu featured culinary creations showcasing twists off Milestones’ upcoming Summer Chef’s Menu, paired with a selection of Constellation Brands finest wines. I have to say, I felt pretty honoured to be invited to this event. It was not only a “tasty” event but educational too as Executive Chef Jason Rosso and the Milestones Management Team were also present and spoke to us about the new initiatives at Milestones.

I have no doubt that these items will be a hit with customers this summer!

1. Crispy Quinoa Shrimp in a chimmi churri ailoi served with a vegetable slaw: This dish was my favorite. It had everything going for it and I KNOW I will be ordering this on my next visit

2. Panko Blue Crab Cakes with Fennel and Arugula Slaw and Chipotle Aiola. Again, another great dish!

3. Spicy Thai Basil Stir Fry – rice noodles, shrimp and coconut milk. Something tells me that this is going to be a popular dish.

4. Surf and Turf: A duo of grilled flat iron steak and lobster fricassee

When coffee was served at the end of the meal, I turned to the Director of Operations for Eastern Canada, Todd  Attridge, who was sitting next to me and said: “Wow – this is really good coffee” and he replied “We just partnered with Starbucks!”. I think this is great fit for both brands and delighted to have  my coffee of choice (Starbucks)  after a fantastic meal.

Milestones has it all – cocktails, wine, great food, and great coffee too!

Congratulations to the whole team at Milestones for such an amazing evening.

PS Loved the fact that the COO @FindlayMark was tweeting throughout the meal. #impressed.

I went to the Interior Design show on Thursday nite and walked thru aisles and aisles of beautiful furniture, textiles, art, carpets, kitchens and more. Everything was stunning. I truly didn’t know where to look first!!

It was also the first time I brought my new camera with me to an event!! I am now the proud owner of a Canon EOS Rebel. So allow me to share with you a few pictures.

Don’t you just love how the designer made sure  you had easy access to your favorite wines!!

I’m also in love with this fireplace.

The Jenn-Air booth featured some pretty fancy ovens and I have to say, I fell in love with Boiled Bronze!! I’m predicting that OPI is going to name a nail polish this color too.

Came across this display of tulips and thought “I WANT THIS”.

Last but not least, I stumbled across this wallpaper by RollOut and was impressed with their unique designs. How cool.

This show is awesome . Period.