Mississippi Caviar: Bean Saladfeatured
Finding a good make-ahead recipe is like finding the perfect shade of red lipstick. Once you’ve made your discovery, you’ll come back to it time and time again because you know it works.
A good make-ahead recipe will serve you well. It’s a tried and true win. It’s your secret weapon.
Friends, meet the latest addition to your arsenal: Mississippi Caviar.
More »
Connectedness, Inspiration, Soap: EVO Conferencefeatured
I just spent the last four days surrounded by lush mountains and stunning views at the EVO Conference for women in social media. There was a lot of femme-tastic geeking out, a Friday the 13th blackout, awkward prom poses, and a ton of laughs – the kind where you laugh so hard you start to cry and wheeze and almost pee a little.
I learned a lot, reconnected with old friends, and made new friends – you’ll hear all about it all – but today, I wanted to share just one story. It’s the story of Derreck Kayongo, a keynote speaker that had the entire room captivated from the moment he literally danced up to the stage.
Derreck is the founder of the Global Soap Project, an organization that takes partially used soap from hotels, cleans and reprocesses it, and distributes it to people who need it around the world.
Derreck had us laughing, crying, even singing. More than anything though, he set the tone for the weekend, and hopefully beyond.
I know this isn’t usually the sort of thing I post about. There are no jars of salted caramel, eat fests, or epic sandwiches involved. I promise, I’ll return to the scheduled programming soon. In the meantime, I hope you dig this story as much as I did – it’s all about connecting the dots, connecting with one another, and making a difference.
More »
Q&A with Chef Peter Merrimanfeatured
I am convinced I was an island girl in a past life. Palm tree dotted vistas, blue skies, candy colored tropical flowers, golden sun…it all speaks to me. I may be back on mainland now, but my mind is still in this happy place…somewhere in Maui with a coconut shave ice in hand.
It’s easy to see how people come to Hawaii and never leave. Take chef Peter Merriman for example. Originally a Pittsburgh native, Merriman got his education at UPenn before embarking on a career in the culinary world. Hawaii lured him away in 1983 and I have a feeling he hasn’t weathered an East coast winter ever since.
Today Merriman has prominent restaurants on the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. He is the founding president of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine Chefs Organization, and a pioneer in the burgeoning farm-to-table movement in Hawaii.
I had the pleasure of soaking up the drop dead gorgeous ocean view at Merriman’s Kapalua and stealing a few moments with the chef. Here’s what he had to say about Hawaii’s culinary scene, doing the right thing, and three local foods you have to try.
More »
Coffee Farm Tour {Maui}featured
If you are a coffee lover, you no doubt have heard of Kona coffee, grown on the Big Island of Hawaii. Well, Maui is giving the Big Island a run for its cup o’ Kona. Maui has more than 50 coffee farms and over 500 acres in production. And, as I learned on my last trip, Maui’s coffee is like homegrown aloha in a cup.
To get a taste of both a small coffee estate and a commercial scale farm, Hua and I joined the “West Maui Coffee Tour” offered by Maui Country Farm Tours run by the lovely husband and wife team, Marilyn and Ricky Lopes. Marilyn is a doll, and Ricky, who was born and raised on Maui, will keep you entertained with all of his colorful stories.
More »