SoBe Wine and Food Festival: OMG where did my week go?

Hey there! Well, needless to say I am sooo behind here. Is it ok with you? I feel like I had an assignment and I'm late. Reminds me of the people I used to work with at the magazine I edited. Everyone waited until the last second to get things in, but things still looked good! Hope that's the case here, let me roll out the remaining pics and stories from this year's SoBe Wine and Food Festival (check the link, there are pics there too!) ...

Saturday I headed out to the Grand Tasting Village for my cooking demonstration. Promptly after a sweet intro by Lauren Mueller, our director of public relations, I hit the stage at 3:15 to cook, for real :-) ...
That's me welcoming the crowd. It was packed, save for about 10 seats in the direct sun, some smart people decided to stand in the corner instead of sweat! It was hot!! I'm wearing jeans because my closet is a mess, I have no idea were my cargos or shorts are, I'm lucky I'm not wearing a turtleneck, as it's still cold in NYC lol. Anyway, I had a full menu with my Sweet Potato Hash and my Easy String Beans and Onions, but started with my Sweet Glazed Butterflied Chicken. All of these recipes are on the way in season 9 of Cooking for Real, can't wait for you to see it! First things up, let's do the butterfly!!I'm a skin junkie and the butterfly is the way to maximize my happiness. I like to start my cooking demos with technique so I can spend the rest of the time gossiping and talking about life stuff. If you were there, you now know which American Idol I can't stand, simply because she makes "it" look so easy! So, really ... I LOVE HER! You also know the difference between my South Carolina grandma and my North Carolina grandma teeheehee. Ok, so mid-way through my cooking demonstration, I noticed people a bit distracted with something left of the stage. I quickly turned to see these guys walking up to join me on stage for the fun ...We actually took that pic after my cooking demonstration was over. Guy and Emeril were so kind to jump on stage with me, it was a total surprise and really nice of them both. As I've said many times, Emeril gave me my start, with out him, I wouldn't be on Food Network. Then, Guy was the first host I met at the network that basically said to me "here's all my info, call or email if you have ANY questions about the gig". I took him up on the offer (which people hardly ever expect when they offer) and like a champ, he imparted some serious jewels I'm still very thankful for. So, it was really nice of them to jointly step up on the stage with me and say hi to the crowd. Just an hour or so later, I'd do the same and walk onto Guy's stage with Emeril and Robert Irvine. We went out to start the show and his crowd was so wild they all stood up in anticipation of Guy. I took this picture from the back of the crowd after we did the intro ... Pretty crowded, eh? You can barely see him, may have to click to enlarge the pic. I told Guy he's all over the place in NYC because now there's a Minute to Win it lottery ticket. Crazy. I was so excited to tell you about Guy and Emeril joining in on my demonstration, that I forgot to tell you about the Oscar winning celeb we had in the audience ...That's DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia. Of course, they won an Oscar a few years back for a soundtrack song to Hustle & Flow. I was totally caught off guard when he walked up to me and said he watched Cooking for Real all the time! I then asked him if he was "ready for this!?", he said "yup", so I told him how about 10 years ago when I turned 25, he performed with his group at my birthday party in Detroit, Michigan along with rapper Trina. Yep, I loved them long before the Academy Award :-). I was a radio dj at the time and begged for them to come perform and they did. The party was a sellout and it had so much to do with them showing up for the fun. He immediately remembered the night because of some unique circumstances, but it was neat for him to realize it was me then and here I am now, lol. Really funny moment and so neat to find he watches the show all the time. He talked to me about specific recipes and everything, pretty cool. I plan to have him visit the show in the next season and he's promised me he'd bring the Oscar along. That should be a fun episode, I'm already planning the menu! We all chatted for a few, then I bumped into this b*#chin' chick ...That's Nadia G, Host of Cooking Channel's B*#chin' Kitchen. I saw her the night before at the BubbleQ event, but it was too crowded to get to her, so I was happy to stop and chat at the grand tasting tent. She's really neat, check out her show if you aren't already b*#chin' :-). Ok, thennnnn the night before I stopped by the BubbleQ event and quickly found I had to go straight to the back of the tent for a trio of fun ...Word of mouth is the way to go at these events and it's usually the first thing I'm asking people "where's the good stuff?", as if it isn't all good, but you get me. I can't possibly eat all 30 booths of food. So that pic above is from the booth in the back with all the buzz. The chef is holding what I lovingly will call a "trough of love". It's one-third each of mac n cheese, BBQ and baked beans. Look at the display they had to advertise the "trough of love" ... I think the baked beans were the best followed by the BBQ and the mac. I headed over to get some cheesy grits from another booth and ran into Alex Guarnaschelli getting some desserts from a guy walking around with food furniture attached to him lol ... is that what you call it? "Food furniture"?? ...He was really nice and funny. I looked, but didn't get a dessert. I was saving myself for some cheese grits ...I must admit, I only ate the grits. I know there are short ribs involved and I'm a sucker for them, but after the "trough of love", I didn't have much space left. Alex actually came on stage with me at my demo the next day and told the crowd how I asked for an extra serving of grits, I totally did. I mean, a dollop of grits?! That just isn't right ... I mean a couple of spoonfuls, yes ... a dollop, no. Teeheehee, plus they were super creamy. Really can't go wrong with creamy grits. right after that, I started heading towards the front of the tent to leave, it was such a huge tent that it really took about 45 minutes to get from one end to the other. Right as I got to the end, I ran into Ingrid Hoffman ...She's so delicioso :-), I told her I watch her show on Galavision to learn the language faster. I already know plenty of food words in Spanish, so it makes it easier to learn the other words. Love it!

Alright, that's it for my visit to Miami except for a place that has become a must-visit. I'm talking about Haitian restaurant Tap Tap. I ordered the stewed chicken, rice and peas and fried plantains ...Geez, I was so happy I took it easy all weekend so I could indulge in some goodness! Ok, that's all I have left of the 2011 Sobe Wine and Food Festival! Mark your calendar for 2012 ... February 23-26!!!

Stick around, I have a photo shoot tomorrow with a contestant from this season of Apprentice, can you guess who it may be??

My Foodie Holiday @ Barneys!!

Hey there! A couple of months ago I got an email from Lee Schrager asking if I'd like to be a part of his cookbook launch party and partnership with Barneys New York. Lee is the beautiful mind behind the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and the one here in New York as well. He always donates the proceeds to charitable causes and his events are like an all-out celebration of food, wine and the city. I just love that the one in New York has the Burger Bash in Brooklyn!!! Anyway, Lee's new book The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Cookbook is now on sale and filled with recipes from the events and behind the scenes stories as well. Funny thing, I don't think I'm in the book, but I was way too excited to be invited to join some major names in the windows at Barneys, so I of course said yes.

Ok, so fast forward a couple of months and the Simon Doonan designed windows are up! Here I am outside the big event ...

That's Rachael Ray on the left and Martha Stewart on the right. My picture is actually above and between them ...

Can you see it? It's a total click-and-enlarge, but I'm in good, sweet and delectable company next to cake maven Sylvia Weinstock and Top Chef Just Desserts host Gail Simmons. Pretty cool! Here are some more pics of the windows ...

I took these pictures and then did a few interviews on the red carpet. With the breaking news of the royal engagement of Prince William, everyone wanted to know what I would make for the wedding. I opted for the groom's cake, red velvet all the way! Here I am talkin' cocoa ...

Right when I was about to head into the party, I ran into my girl, Alex Guarneschelli ...

Alex is a hard working chef and every time I see her she is all smiles. Doing the restaurant, her television shows, she's a mommy ... so much and she's always such a joy to see. We said our hellos and I headed inside to enjoy the launch party for Lee's book.

That's Marcus Samuelsson, he has a new show starting on Martha Stewart's Sirius channel and Russell Simmons was his first guest.
Super packed right? Look who I ran into ...
It's Anne Thornton, the host of Food Network's newest show, Dessert First. I watched her drizzle maple glaze on a pie last week and silently cursed the woman lol. I told her I can't watch if I'm close to my pantry. Her show makes you want to cook ... and cook something baaaaaaad :-). My bestie Natina came from Chicago to celebrate the night with me ...
I actually had her on Cooking for Real with me. It's an episode called "Girls that Grill" and I blogged about it on a post I called "Really, where did January go?". It was nice to have her here to celebrate! The party was actually plenty of fun and not the stuffy affair you might expect, most of it owed to the DJ ...

That's my long lost text-buddy Beverly Bond! Back when I was in radio we kept in touch here and there with just basic hellos and kindness among two women in the biz. We lost touch, but we've both been busy. She founded Black Girls Rock and just a week ago a show she produced for her movement aired on BET to record-breaking ratings. Check the Black Girls Rock page on BET (Warning before you click link:music plays automatically on homepage). Pretty cool to run into her again and say hi. So happy for her!!! Ok, I'm off to lunch! Enjoy the day!

Foxwoods Food & Wine Festival 2010: Celebrity Bowling Bash

Hey there! Hope you are enjoying the weekend if that's when you catch this :-). I took a ride out to Connecticut yesterday from my home base in Brooklyn so I could hang out at the Foxwoods Food & Wine Festival. I remember my first time here back in 2005 was on a near perfect date--minus the guy lol (isn't it horrible to say that? but I can't be alone, the person that goes on a date and thinks about how much more fun it would be with someone else. Coincidentally, the someone else I was thinking of ended up not being so great in the end so ... tmi, huh?). Ok, so then my second time here was my first ever food and wine festival as a Food Network host. I blogged about the experience in "I survived my 1st Food & Wine Festival!". So now on my third visit, I think I'm finally getting the full complex covered. It's huge here and really hard to see everything in just a day or two.

Last night was the Celebrity Bowling event here within the complex and the last time I was here, I don't remember there being a bowling alley. I asked about it and turns out it is brand spanking new and was broken in by Kim Kardashian and her heels, she kept them on even while bowling they said. Cute, but my feet can only handle heels for a cumulative of about 8 hours a week lol. So I got my size 9.5 bowling shoes and went to work on some gutter balls. I'm not saying it to be cute, look at our final scores ...I love how the graphic conveniently covers up all of my zeroes lol. My gutter balls were like the O's in Warren Buffet's bank account ... they kept going and going and going. That's until a guy on the team in the lane next to us offered some help. I used it and began actually hitting something. Midway through the game I looked over to ask him his name and noticed the screen said "Jesus". Teeheehee, Jesus taught me to bowl. Sounds like a t-shirt. He and his girlfriend and another couple hung out with us all night. Here's Alex Guarnaschelli on another one of her day's off :-), finishing her last frame -- one foot in her heels and the other foot out of the bowling shoe, but not yet back at home in the matching heel ...I had to get that photo because Alex actually had a great last frame, but missed most of the game because she was being interviewed. It was a loose game and anytime someone was missing in action, we brought in a pinch-bowler ...Joey Fatone!!! Woooohoo!!! Did I just bury the lead? Teeheehee, well he was super nice and a GREAT bowler, I half wished I'd been MIA during the beginning of the game so he could give me some of his pin-action. He's here at Foxwoods hosting a casino version of Let's Make a Deal. I always thought he was one of the better dancers in 'Nsync, so it only made sense that his footwork and coordination were both on point to make some great frames.

Ok, that's it for last night! I did an interview with FollowCb.com before I started throwing gutters and he already has it up! It's called "The Extremely Sunny Anderson". Then I also spoke with Track Gals TV from Boston. So plenty of clickin' around if you want to read up on their coverage of the festival.

Tonight, I'm headed to host the Bon Bon Boogie Bash. They had me at Bon Bon and sealed the deal with a Boogie. :-).

Hope you liked the new Cooking for Real: After School Special today, if you missed it, reruns! Monday at 4PM eastern!

AC Food & Wine Festival: Pictures and about a thousand words

Hey there! Well, I've finally recovered from a packed-tight weekend at the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival. I had such a great time!! I gambled a bit, sipped a bit and ate a bit. Between all that, I met some nice people and enjoyed what turned out to be some beautiful weather after a rainy start early Thursday. I have so many pictures to share from the last two days, so I guess I'll go in order ...

On Saturday, July 31st ...

I caught a ride on what I call Monopoly way ...
It's my view from a wicker rickshaw. That was my preferred mode of transportation this past weekend along the boardwalk passing streets like St. James Place and Park Place. Sure, it took a bit longer, but I get car sick very easily and it's hard to justify taking a car or taxi just a few blocks when I'm by myself. The weather was perfect for it so that's what I did Saturday morning to get to the Blues, Brews and BBQ event at the Showboat Casino. The event was hosted by The Neely's and musician Robert Cray.Can't see Robert Cray that well there, but I was also trying to get the checkered table cloth in the shot because I liked that it was BBQ down to the decor. Here's a better stage shot...Not too much better of a picture, but I did my best :-). I walked around a bit and got my hands on 2 little cups of beer then stopped to take a pic with the Neely's...They took pictures with everyone that came up to them, then ended the event by signing copies of their cookbook. After that, I took the rickshaw back to Caesar's for a late lunch at the Pier Shops and by the time I was done, it was time to start getting ready for my Sunset, Sliders and Spirits pool party that evening. I got to the party 30 minutes before the official start for a VIP reception and I was so happy to enter hearing the DJ play Billy Idol's Flesh for Fantasy...

Billy Idol - Flesh For Fantasy

I just can't say how crazy it was to hear this song! Brought back memories and I instantly thought how I was about to make some more memories that night. A huge thanks to DJ Sonatra He navigated the 80s, 90s and the 10s, with style. Like I said when we ended the night, there's no party without a DJ. Here are some of the people that stopped by ...That's Jen from the comments section here and the blog "one curly fry in a box of the regular". We've chatted plenty in comments and email, but this was our first meeting. We had a bet that I had to find her in the crowd based on her picture and I'm happy to report not 2 seconds after I stepped onto the pool level to find her, I said aloud to myself, "I'm looking for Jen". She actually turned around and I thought ... "is that her?" I walked closer to get a better look and it was!! Here are her girls ...How neat to finally meet! It got packed pretty fast and the next thing I knew the party was in full effect/swing! ;-)
That's the southern dream-team of the Neely's. Word has it they are expanding, official details to come soon :-). Pat and Gina are always so nice to me. They both often ask how I'm doing and ask if everything is ok. Pat feels like he could be an uncle giving out sage advice at every turn ...
We had a second to chat and then I ran into someone I missed at Thursday night's NFNS: Kick Off Party ...
It's Aarti, Next Food Network Star finalist! She looked like the sunset with her color choice and radiant smile. I kept seeing her throughout the weekend, but this was our first chance to chit chat. It was so nice of her to come to the party! It was sold out, but there were several "lists" so, it was packed to the brim and I made sure to move around to see everyone. I headed upstairs next to catch the sunset and ran into these partying ladies ...

On of them had two drinks and I said, now these are my kinda girls!! I mean, they were tiny drinks so why not have two at a time? Then I headed down the steps and caught a glimpse of one of my favorite rays of sunshine ...
Awwww that's my girl Alex Guarnaschelli of Chopped, Alex's Day Off and her home, Butter. I met her when we were both trying out for Food Network shows. We auditioned together on set and out of all the people I auditioned with I thought she was the most pleasant and interesting, besides being a great chef. I wake up to her show most Sundays at 9:30 and immediately get hungry! Here's someone I just met a few weeks ago ...
That's Serena from this season of NFNS. She was just eliminated last week, but she still has dreams and desires to be on the network, so you never know! She and I both got lucky and caught a tray of sliders and my Summer Corn Salad coming out from the kitchen and hijacked it for a couple of bites. I was so happy with every thing; the food, the music, the weather. Then I met someone I never expected to meet, much less in this setting!
She should look familiar to you if you watch Food Network faithfully. It's Marlie Hall, she once hosted Recipe for Success on Food Network. There's also another special she hosted that I always watch when I catch. I can't remember the name of it, but it's a candy convention in Las Vegas and I can't turn away from it. It was so nice meeting her as I was a fan long before being on the network. Then another face I missed the first night of the festival popped just in time to close the night out ...

That's super mommy Melissa D'Arabian. She had such a busy schedule for the weekend so it was so nice that she made it out. It truly is a busy weekend for all of us with many parties overlapping or closely scheduled, so it was hard to make every event. With that being said ... NOTHING was getting in the way me heading over to Sandra Lee's Sweet & Stylish party right after my pool party was over. I quickly changed and headed over to the ballroom to catch her on stage hosting a fashion show ...I took that standing right next to a table with my offering for the event, my Easy Blueberry Peach Cobbler.That's Gerry manning the table and passing out my desserts with a smile. When Sandra was done working I caught her backstage to say hi and get a photo for the blog. Her outfit was sooooooooo pretty. She looked just beautiful, this picture does no real justice ...Foxy lady and just the sweetest! I finished my night by heading to an after party, sorry no cameras ... and then I went to my favorite night spot "Club Bed", with a bottle of water for bedside table service to combat the dry air of a hotel room. :-)

Sunday August 1st ...

I slowly pushed myself out of bed around 11am and headed over to the House of Blues for a little brunch with Jen and friends at the Neely's Gospel Brunch. I walked in to the sounds of church ...The choir sounded so crisp and full. The acoustics in the House of Blues are great in so many cities. They really put music first there. I said my hellos to the Neely's and promptly sat down at the next table with Jen and her girls eager to get a full pot of coffee in my system lol. We ate and chatted between songs as much as we could, then when it was over and we got up to leave Tony Neely, Pat's brother, stopped by to say hello.I ran into him the day before at the Brews and BBQ event while he was overseeing the menu, this time we had a bit more time to chat. Not for long though because I had plans to quickly make my way over to Alex's Farm to Table Brunch at Caesar's. So, I hopped in a trusty rickshaw and headed back down the boardwalk to another plate of Saturday night recovery food.Looks classy, eh? I got there just in time to sit down and catch Alex's introduction and explanation of the menu ...Next to Alex is a representative from Wild Horse Wines, the featured vintner for the brunch. Here's my view of brunch. No words needed. It was yummy, just wait until you scroll down to dessert ... OMGrizzlyGoodness!! Click on this first pic to read the full menu on the side. I didn't get all the parts and mostly because the beignets came out warm, so no delaying for a photo! They were tender chewy little dough balls filled with raspberry jam. I had one, then split the guilt over a second one with a neighbor... Take a look at the salad when you zoom too ...

JUST LOOK AT THAT!!! The guy across from me killed his in no time flat so I corralled another one and before you know it, it was empty just like the first serving. This is where I try to end simply so this last picture can speak for itself. It was the perfect ending to my weekend. However you think it should taste ... is how it tasted and more. It was pretty darn perfect. After this I went back to my room and headed into a much needed food coma. Thanks for getting through this marathon post and if you were in Atlantic City this past weekend and we met, thank you so much for saying hi! I had fun at every turn and can't wait until the next one ... NYC is on the way!!! Tix are available now here.