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Monday, November 10, 2008

Stone crabs in Safety Harbor

Sunny Florida was a welcome respite from the cold weather we have been having in the South! I came to visit for a gallery show at Syd Entel Galleries and a wine dinner hosted by the gallery and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse, both of which were great nights full of art and entertainment. To take a break from painting, my friends Bill and Jodie invited us over for a true Florida treat - stone crabs!

Paired with some Far Niente cabernet and a little music from my ukulele, it was the perfect lazy afternoon.

Thanks to Bill and Jodie for sending me some great pics for my blog!

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Tasting with the wine club


Every month I look forward to meeting with the Elvis Wine Club to share some great wine with the guys. We're not a formal group - just a bunch of winos that like to get together to drink wine and talk about what's new on the market. When we meet, we each bring a bottle that we think no one else has tried so it's a great way to taste a lot of new wine before making a big purchase.
I was really impressed with the 1991 Saddleback Cabernet and the 2007 Carnival of Love.
Dave and I were on kitchen duty this week!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Ultimate Destination in St. Augustine


St. Augustine is one of my favorite cities to visit because I love to work on the boat and it's a great place to travel with my family. Most people travel to the city and stay in a hotel or house but marina life is always a great time so we decided to charter a boat. It's just the right size for the family and if you don't like the view, you can always move. . .


There are many companies that charter boats, but we like
We really enjoy entertaining on the boat because the atmosphere is casual and laid back. Vanessa makes her famous Bloody Caesar to pair with an easy lunch of shrimp burgers with cole slaw and sweet potatoes. It's the perfect start to a great weekend!




As soon as we pulled into port, I stopped in at Opus 39 to say hello to Chef Michael McMillan and review the menu for the evening. Vanessa and I always enjoy bringing our friends here for dinner because of the unique concept: guests are invited to choose wine from the great selection in the connecting wine room to pair with the fresh menu that Chef Michael creates daily.

The highlight of our trip was definitely the evening spent aboard the Schooner Freedom for the "Ultimate Destination" sunset cruise. Inspired by the painting I created at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival, Chef Michael and his wife Christine opened up their cellar to share all of the wines featured in "Ultimate Destination" with a group of thirty lucky guests who joined us for the cruise. Galleria del Mar hosted a Dom Perignon reception at the gallery before departure which set the tone for an amazing evening of great wine and even better company.




Thank you to all of our friends who came out to join us this weekend and we look forward to seeing you again in January at the





photography by Pisarello Photography

Monday, October 20, 2008

Cleveland Rocks

What a great trip to see all of my friends in the Cleveland area and at Picadilly's Fine Art! We drank some great wine and I enjoyed sharing a glass with all of the collectors who came out to support me.




The Johnsons hosted a nice evening of boutique wine tasting at their home featuring some great vintages from Walla Walla. I particularly liked the K. Vintners The Creator and the 2006 Roma.


One of the highlights of the trip was hanging out on the Lanigan & Malone morning show. It's always a good day when there is wine for breakfast! Thanks to John, Jimmy, Chip and Tracey for inviting me to start the morning with them on Majic 105.7.

To download the podcast, click here and then choose 10.17.08 to hear the interview.





Oregon wine country

Although I always look forward to visiting Portland to see all of my friends and collectors at Shaffer Fine Art, this was my first visit to Oregon wine country. I took a day with my good friends Aaron and Renee Meyer and Gail Shaffer to take a trip outside the city for some new inspiration.


We had a great day in Newberg where we stopped in to taste at Beaux Freres, Ken Wright Cellars, and Anderson Family. Mike and his staff were in the middle of harvest at Beax Freres so we really appreciate the time he took to give us a tour.



We were lucky to catch them at lunch so we enjoyed the opportunity to meet everyone at lunch and to share some wine around the table.



After lunch, we took our visit up the mountain to meet Ken Wright at his vineyard. Ken is a wealth of knowledge about the different microclimates in the area, and we all gained a better appreciation for the science and farming techniques that winemakers use to produce the best wines in the world. We stopped in at The Depot afterwards to enjoy the fruits of his labor and I can definitely say that his knowledge is paying off - the pinot is amazing!






We couldn't miss taking a trip to Anderson Family Vineyard where Cliff and Allison graciously hosted a tasting for us at their hilltop home. The view is stunning and we enjoyed tasting the pinot and chardonnay that Cliff and Allison produce as well as other neighboring wineries that use Anderson Family Vineyard grapes.



With so many great wines, we had to end the day in style. We dined at The Painted Lady and enjoyed the special tasting menu put together by Chef Allen.
photography by Pisarello Photography

Thursday, October 02, 2008

A visit to Greensboro

We had a great trip up to Greensboro for a wine dinner at Fleming's hosted by The Art Shop and a Silver Oak dinner at the Greensboro Country Club to benefit the North Carolina Museum of Art. A lot of people were surprised to see me since Greensboro is such a small town, but I like to visit collectors all over the country - small towns included. I am always amazed at how many people share a passion for art and wine, no matter how big or small the city.

Thank you to all of my new friends in Greensboro who came out to visit me at the Greensboro Country Club. Roberto and Annabell Diaz came out to appreciate my original work "Pouring Into It" and to share some great recipes for Annabell's cuban cooking. I'm looking forward to getting together for some authentic latin specialties!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Roy's Aloha Kitchen Challenge

To celebrate his 2oth anniversary, my friend Roy Yamaguchi hosted an Aloha Kitchen Challenge here in Atlanta which matches culinary students with well known chefs for a five course dinner. I was invited to attend as one of the celebrity judges and had a great night enjoying the creative specialties of the students.


We enjoyed champagne and wine paired with each course as the students showed off their culinary abilities. Although all of the courses were good, student Ellen Anderson and Chef Justin Ward of The Art Institute of Atlanta won over the palates of the judges to win the competition with their Asian Marinated Lamb Loin with Spicy Plum Nam Plah Vinaigrette.


The evening came to a sweet close with Chef Mac Lynch's Kahana Coconut Haupia Mousse and Macadamia Nut Brittle with Kona Coffee Ice Cream that made the perfect end to a great evening.

top photo courtesy of Haigwood Studios

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Paint the Town

Thank you to all of my good friends and neighbors who came out to support the Second Annual Paint the Town event to benefit St. Jude! Vanessa and I are honored to be a part of such an amazing event. The Melting Pot, Vinings Gallery, Eric Waugh and I all partnered together to create the Paint the Town event featuring great art, food, wine and most importantly, a great cause.


A special thanks goes to my new friend, Alex, who is currently undergoing treatment at St. Jude. Alex donated a beautiful painted crate that she created just for this event and I am excited to be among the first to add her artwork to my personal collection. Keep up the brave fight, Alex, and I look forward to seeing more of your artwork in the future!





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