October 30, 2015
We have been in Milan for a week and haven’t left the city, loving every aspect of this beautiful place, but one out of town excursion was too fun to miss. How about a train ride to St. Moritz for lunch? The train ride through the Swiss alps seemed appealing, as did a visit to one of the world’s most famous ski resorts, tucked some 1900 meters above sea level in the south Swiss alps... View Article
October 25, 2015
The much anticipated trip to Italy is underway and we are now well settled in our apartment in Milano, minutes away from all the main attractions that come to mind when you think of Milan. The trip across the pond was, you know, air travel, with all the associated indignities. Take you shoes off, take the computer out, take a picture with the big camera to show it is really a camera, wait in line,... View Article
September 17, 2015
Looking to discover you inner Italian? Here is how. Gian Marco Litrico offers classes that are so much more than just learning the language. With Gian Marco you will learn how to think like an Italian, how to cook Italian dishes and how to have an appreciation for Italian art, music, style and life. The classes are conversational and structured to be fun and informative, allowing you to progress at your own pace. The goal is... View Article
September 16, 2015
I have written about Sunshine farm before here and here and wanted to share the lovely experience we had this weekend at the much anticipated annual Tomato Festival held at their farm. Each fall Jon and Sher Alcock and their family host a tomato festival on their organic farm, opening the doors to local foodies and food enthusiasts who snap up the tickets to the sold out event. The festival is held in their front... View Article
September 1, 2015
Regardless of what the calendar says, it’s definitely fall when foraged mushrooms are popping up at the farmers market. I went to our Kelowna market on a rainy Saturday morning looking for my friend Scott Moran, the local forager, and I was not disappointed. Scott has a small booth at the market with only a few items available each week, depending on what he foraged in the last couple of days. You never know what... View Article
August 15, 2015
How would you like to attend a dinner prepared by your city’s best chefs, paired with award winning local wines and served in the most beautiful and unique settings this summer? Look no further. On Wednesday this week culinary professionals, amateurs and food enthusiasts gathered across British Columbia at 30 different venues concurrently for the most anticipated culinary event of the year. The aptly named Summerdine is Canada’s largest concurrent dinner fund raiser organized to... View Article
July 15, 2015
For the third year in a row hundreds of people all dressed in white converged on a secret location in the Okanagan, flash mob style, setting long tables on the grass, covering them with white linen, white dishes and elaborate white center pieces, then wave white linen napkins in the air to signify the beginning of this special event that takes place in many countries around the world around the same time. Diner en Blanc... View Article
July 12, 2015
So you think there was no adventure left in me after 10 days on the road? think again. On our way down the Oregon coast we passed through the vast Oregon sand dunes. We had no time to stop there on the way down but there was no way in Timbaktoo that I was going to pass up driving a dune buggy on the magnificent dunes. We planned our drive back with another stop in Oregon... View Article
July 7, 2015
Before we left San Francisco we considered going for breakfast at Foreign Cinema, a chic industrial style restaurant occupying a covered courtyard in the Mission, known for its food and the foreign films projected onto the walls. It was on several of the lists for best breakfast in San Fran. After a short debate (between a foodie and a non-foodie, it would have been a no-brainer between two foodies) we figured that it would take... View Article
June 30, 2015
After spending three nights at our destination we packed the hummer yet again (getting a little tired of it as we are accumulating more “stuff”) and left Paso Robles to begin our return journey home. We wanted to make it to San Francisco and spend a couple of nights there but I had a few stops in mind along the way. We did not want to repeat the nerve wrecking drive along winding cliffside Ca-1... View Article
June 28, 2015
You know when something is special. Last year we attended a tomato festival at Sunshine Farm and I was completely taken by the people, the place, the idea. The Alcocks are special. Their background includes restaurants, fishery and farming and with this last venture they incorporated all that they believe in, including good food, mostly heirloom varieties, grown on their farm with integrity and sustainability. Sunshine farm was established by the Alcocks (Jon and Sher)... View Article
June 24, 2015
Our road trip destination Paso Robles in central California is a charming town situated in zinfandel country among vineyards, lakes, historic missions and beaches nearby. There are more than 200 wineries in the Paso Robles AVA and some 50K acres under vine. We were there to attend family events so we did not explore the area as much as I would have liked and left many things to explore on another visit. The events were... View Article
