Gracefully You: Jenna Dewan's Book Launch at Mr Purple

By: Finance Foodie

Last week, I attended a lunch hosted by The Mom's, a modern motherhood group, and Spin Master toys (best known for their adorable Hatchimals eggs) celebrating superstar dancer / actress Jenna Dewan's new book Gracefully You.  The event was held at the LES hotspot Mr. Purple, a rooftop bar located in the Hotel Indigo known for its outdoor pool and hip patrons.

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I had been wanting to check out Mr. Purple for a while now, as my younger and cooler co-workers constantly rave about their weekends at joint, so I thought this was the perfect excuse to visit. I really love the loft like space, the abundance of seating options both indoor and outside (because who wants to stand for hours on end) and the industrial yet artistic feel.  While I probably didn't get the full experience of the bustling nightlife crowd, there was something refreshing about talking babies with the mom influencers, mocktail in hand, under the disco ball, with a expansive view of downtown Manhattan.

Loft Like Space

During the Q&A session with The Moms (Denise Albert and Melissa Gerstein), Jenna, who is currently expecting her second child, gracefully (pun intended!) answered questions about her current pregnancy (she's more tired and nauseated this time around) and discussed how to feel better, focus on what’s important, and maintain a sense of balance while juggling the demands of life (sounds like everyone who lives in NYC needs to read this book!). She even busted out a dance move with The Moms - impressive especially when you are carrying another human in your belly!

Jenna Dewan with The Moms (photo credit: TheMOMS.com, by Jonathan Breton)

At the end of the event, all the attendees were gifted Jenna's book and some Hatchimals toys to take home. After the inspirational and fun interview, I cannot wait to read more of Jenna's mantras and tips for living your best life!

Dining Around the River at SHARE's A Second Helping of Life 2019 Tasting Event

By: Finance Foodie

SHARE, the New York City-based national nonprofit that supports the community of women affected by ovarian and breast cancer and their loved ones, celebrated its 16th Anniversary of A Second Helping of Life this past Monday evening at the gorgeous Chelsea Piers' Pier 60 event space.

Mushroom Chorizo dish from La Palapa Cocina Mexicana 

2019 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City Roundup

By: Finance Foodie

It's that time of the year again - a gathering of fine food purveyors from all over the world descending on the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan for the 2019 Specialty Food Association's Summer Fancy Food Show!

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During this three day event, we saw (and obviously tasted) thousands of food items - here are some of the highlights - from sweet to savory!

Ten on Top at the Summer Fancy Food Show 2018

By: Finance Foodie

One of my favorite events every year is the Specialty Food Association's Summer Fancy Food Show. Held in the massive Javits Center, this three day spectacle is every food lover's dream - aisles upon aisles of gourmet food products just waiting to be imbibed and indulged!

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There was a lot to see and eat, but I narrowed down my Top 10 for 2018 below.

Chocolate Heaven at the 2018 International Chocolate Festival

By: Irene Yang

I recently attended the 2018 International Chocolate Festival at the San Mateo Convention Center this past April. I won’t lie—my favorite part about food festivals is the free samples! There were over 40 vendors all throwing out their wares for the visiting chocoholic. The Chocolatiers are all very happy to talk to you about their work. Where they source the beans, how they make the bars, what kind of flavor profiles to expect; you can feel their passion as they walk you through the different kinds of chocolate available.

Small Batch Chocolate

Celebrating Carbonara Day at Barilla Restaurants

By: Finance Foodie

The other night, I visited the Barilla Restaurant in Herald Square to celebrate pre-Carbonara Day. Carbonara Day was established in Italy last April 6 as a way to hail a particularly delicious pasta that most believe was first made in mid-20th Century Rome as a hearty meal for Italian charcoal workers. Barilla Restaurants will bring Carbonara Day Month to the States by adding Chef Alfonso Sanna’s signature Pasta alla Carbonara on April 6 to its menus and keeping it until May 6. However, yours truly got got a special sneak peak at this tantalizing menu item along with a special cooking demo by Chef Sanna himself!

Carbonara

Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly Expo Tickets Giveaway in San Mateo, CA

By: Irene Yang

So happy to be announcing a ticket giveaway for the San Mateo Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly Expo! 5 lucky commenters will get free passes to the Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly Expo in San Mateo, CA happening November 18-19, 2017!!

Flavors Galore at the Summer Fancy Food Show 2017 in New York City

By: Finance Foodie

One magical time a year, the Specialty Food Association's Summer Fancy Food Show descends upon NYC, bringing lots of good eats and treats.  For three days straight, attendees eat and drink and be merry with over 1,000 purveyors peddling their sweet, savory, sour and spicy delicacies.

Exhibition Hall

I always look forward to this blessed event - not only does my stomach thank me, but it's also a great way to see the newest products and coolest trends in food and drink coming to market. Below are a few highlights from this year's show.

10th Annual Taste of the Upper West Side 2017

By: Finance Foodie

The 10th Annual Taste of the Upper West Side is making an exciting return this spring to bring one of the city’s most exciting culinary events to the UWS on Friday, May 19th and Saturday, May 20th, 2017.

Source: www.tasteuws.com

Featuring two nights of celebration, this fabulous event will delight guests with fantastic food from world-renowned chefs of the Upper West Side. Presented by the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District, all net proceeds will be donated to the local community for neighborhood improvement and beautification.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.tasteuws.com

The CES of Food Shows: 2017 Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco

By: Irene Yang

Being an engineer in the Silicon Valley, I’ve tried to describe the Specialty Food Association's Winter Fancy Food Show to my coworkers many times. “Big food convention,” “giant snack show,” never quite hit the mark. However, I realized the perfect way to describe the glorious event of the Fancy Food Show: The CES of Food. All the new trends and interesting takes on what America is eating come out in full force in the Moscone Center in San Francisco every January. You didn’t think they could make coffee out of chocolate? Well they did. And it’s vegan. And gluten-free (probably).

Banana Car

Here are some of the best new brands and ideas in food.

The Art of Earl Grey with Twinings Tea

By Finance Foodie

Last night, I attended a cocktail celebration at Haven's Kitchen honoring the official launch of Twinings’ new Earl Grey blends – Lavender, Jasmine and Extra Bold. Twinings is an English brand of teas with a rich history - they been around for over 300 years and sell over 200 teas in more than 100 countries around the world. They obviously know their stuff when it comes to tea - so I've come to the right place for my evening caffeine fix.

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A Bear-y Good Time at the Care Bears x Sprinkles Party

By; Finance Foodie / Alex Loanzon

In honor of the 35th Anniversary of the cute-as-a-button childhood favorite Care Bears, the awesomely delicious Sprinkles Cupcakes has teamed up with these lovable bears for limited edition Care Bear-themed cupcakes in stores until January 25th.

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Serving Up Smiles and Good Eats with enCourage Kids Foundation

By: Finance Foodie

The other night, I had the honor of attending Serving Up Smiles, benefiting the enCourage Kids Foundation. Held at Chelsea Piers’ breathtaking new venue Current, this event “served up” lots of smiles (and food) from a whole host of awesome restaurants and food purveyors from the New York City area.

Crowd

Sweet and Succulent at Summer Fancy Food Show 2016

By Finance Foodie

The Specialty Food Association's Annual Fancy Food Show in New York City is probably one of my favorite things to attend - I mean, where else can you indulge yourself with over 150,000 types of food related items over the span of three days?

Welcome Indeed!

Think high end Costco on autopilot and you will get the picture. Like every year prior, I try to take as much in as possible, but alas I probably only hit less than 25% of the items. So until science can build me an extra stomach, you will just have to settle for some of the highlights I perused this year.

Ballin’ in Brooklyn: Like a Local Tours’ Williamsburg Bites Food Tour

By: Finance Foodie

The Mister and I are absolutely obsessed with taking walking food tours as a way to explore new neighborhoods, imbibe in delicious gems while getting some outdoor exercise (yes we are the couple who wear the matching athletic gear walking around town). Since we stayed local this past Labor Day weekend, we decided to take Like a Local Tours’ Saturday Williamsburg Bites Food Tour. In our numerous years of living in Manhattan, we realized we had never been to the hipster hangout across the river! Given that the city traffic pretty much dies during Labor Day weekend, we thought there was no better time to check out the local flavor in this trendy Brooklyn enclave.

Williamsburg Waterfront

Women’s Health Magazine / FEED Foundation RUN10 FEED10 10K Charity Race in NYC

By: Finance Foodie, in partnership with Women's Health Magazine 

This fall, Women’s Health magazine will once again host its signature RUN10 FEED10 event with a mission! Kicking off the event series in New York City on September 20, thousands of participants will run down the West Side Highway for the timed 10K race.

We All Scream For Sugartooth Tours Ice Cream Summer Sundays Frozen Treats Tour

By: Finance Foodie

Summer in the City, back of my neck getting dirty and gritty…what to do about that? Answer: Operation Cool Down! Last Sunday, the Mister and I decided we weren’t going to let the blazing hotness keep us locked in doors – no, we were going to beat Mr. Heat by fighting it with Ms. Sweet’s cool confectioneries on Sugartooth Tours’ Ice Cream Summer Sundays Frozen Treats Tour.

Our sweet tour guide Allyson

And the Award Goes To....Summer Fancy Food Show 2015

By: Finance Foodie

Every year when I attend the Summer Fancy Food Show, I try to come up with a game plan in order to maximize the sampling while minimizing the bloat in my stomach. Unfortunately, every year I fail at this, and this year was no exception.

Enter at Your Own Gastronomical Risk!

8th Annual New Taste of the Upper West Side - May 27-30, 2015

By: Finance Foodie

An outstanding list of restaurants and chefs will participate in the 8th annual event taking place on Wednesday May 27th, Friday May 29th & Saturday May 30th. NBC's Adam Richman will host "Comfort Classics" on Friday, May 29th and Food Network's Marc Murphy & Anne Burrell will host "Best of the West" on Saturday, May 30th. Highlights include Momofuku Milk Bar, Bar Boulud, Boulud Sud, Parm, RedFarm, The Meatball Shop, Sarabeth's, The Mermaid Inn, Luke's Lobster, Gotham West Market's Genuine Roadside, Magnolia Bakery, Shake Shack, Rosa Mexicano, Tavern on the Green, Dovetail, The Ribbon and many more! For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.newtasteuws.com.

Tasting The Tradition Of Italy—And Getting A Lesson On Authenticity, Freshness And Where The “Classics” Are Created!

By: Anne M. Raso

Being a fan of authentic Italian cuisine, especially fine cheeses and gourmet “salumi” like prosciutto, mortadella and Cotechino Modena, I was very happy to recently attend “Tasting The Tradition Of Italy” event given by The Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Association Of Geographic Indication Consortia at the Osteria Del Principe. Italian cuisine has become so widespread in the USA's foodie culture for the past 75-90 years—and it is arguably the most popular type of foreign cuisine that we have--yet there’s still so much to learn about quality and authenticity of the products Italy has to offer. Guest speakers were Pier Maria Saccani from AICIG, Mary E. Barham of the American Product Of Origin Research Foundation.

Pecorino Romano and Pecorino Toscana Cheeses