YumSugar

A Taste of Taste of the Nation

partysugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:50:35 -0700

Last Thursday, Yum and I had the pleasure of attending a delicious fundraiser in San Francisco. Taste of the Nation is a one-night event held in major cities across the United States; the proceeds are donated to Share Our Strength - an organization that fights the hunger crisis in America. Chefs from all over the city came together to serve bites that represented their restaurants and culinary point of view. Here, you'll find out what we enjoyed at the tasting reception that was held at the Giants stadium.

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PartySugar Behind The Bash: Taste 2008

partysugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:51:08 -0700

Last Thursday night, I attended one of my favorite parties of the year: Taste 2008. Taste is a fundraiser for Root Division - an organization here in San Francisco - that provides studio space for up-and-coming artists in exchange for their services as art teachers. Food and art expertly clash at this event that invited some of SF's top restaurants to create dishes. To take a look at the food art and the artful food, click the "Start" button.

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PartySugar Behind The Bash: Beats For Boobs

partysugar — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:33:33 -0700

Last Thursday night, I was invited to a fundraiser that kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness month. Put on by the organization Beats For Boobs, the event was a celebration of art, fashion, food, and music with the focus on breast cancer awareness. The annual fundraiser began in 2003 as a reaction to event producer Juliana Cochnar's mother's diagnosis with breast cancer.

The Invite: In flyer form with the image shown at left. It stated that guests wear pink... and lots of it!

The Look: An over the top explosion of all things pink. Tons of fresh, beautiful pink floral arrangements, pink tablecloths, pink ribbons, pink silverware, napkins, etc.

The Menu: A smörgåsbord of scrumptious, slow roasted pork tenderloin chunks; fresh vegetarian spring rolls; sticky sweet barbequed chicken wings; crunchy crudites with creamy dips; cheeses; crackers; and much much more. For dessert they had cupcakes with candies in the shape of nipples for garnish!
The Music: A rowdy mix of remixed hits, bumping beats, and smooth house. To promote feminine empowerment, the DJs were all female.

To check out all the pictures I took - there was a fire dancer! - and to see my tips on how to host a breast cancer party in your own home, read more

Invite friends to come over for a cocktail style bash. Create an all pink invite and encourage guests - boys and girls - to come "pinked out." Ask guests to make a donation to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. When friends arrive, ask them a trivia question that relates to breast cancer knowledge. For example, at what age should you start to get a mammogram? (Answer: 40) Remind guests of the importance of performing a self examination each month.
Decorate with everything pink. Check out your local party supply store. Most will have plenty of breast cancer themed goodies. Streamers, balloons, ribbons, etc. all of it should be in shades of pink. Fill vases with your favorite pink flowers.
Serve a selection of your favorite foods. Offer a little bit of everything from meats to cheeses to crackers, breads, olives, and veggies. Get pink plates, silverware, and napkins.
Play a mix of your current favorite songs and get the party started!

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PartySugar Behind The Bash: Barneys SF Opening

partysugar — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:18:33 -0700

On Tuesday night I had the honor of attending the Barneys opening after party. Barneys, the New York fashion mecca, has finally opened their doors here in San Francisco. To celebrate their arrival, a blowout bash was thrown in clear plastic tents, in Union Square, several blocks from the store.

The party's 70s glam, meets Las Vegas showgirl theme, was set by the invitation:

You would be insane to miss the Barneys New York Opening After Party
Burlesque Glamour - Mardi Gras Realness - A Disco-Inferno

The Look was an interesting mix of sleek, lux, and casual accents. Disco balls, sunflowers, silver accents and graffiti abounded. The ground was covered in a lush carpeting and deep purple banquets offered a nice space for lounging.
The Menu was originally meant to be an all dessert one, but instead there was a full buffet meal catered by Quince and chef Michael Tusk. There was creamy pasta with mushrooms, incredibly juicy smoked duck, and a scrumptious heirloom tomato stuffed with cheese and basil. When the desserts were finally rolled out, I could not stop popping the fabulous chocolate truffles in my mouth.

The music was a mix of classic hits, like Prince's "Kiss," and current favs, such as Rihanna's "Umbrella". FabSugar and I danced the night away and were both wonderfully surprised when we looked over and realized Simon Doonan - Barneys creative director - and Jonathan Adler - interior designer extraordinaire - were dancing beside us!

If you live in the Bay Area, be sure to check out the new store. If you don't, browse through the pictures of the event and read my tips on how to host a similar party in your own home! Just read more

Invite friends to come over for an after dinner dance party. Create a glittery invite and encourage guests to come dressed extravagantly - 80s bow hats encouraged!
Serve an all dessert menu. Make a few of your favorite finger food desserts and stock up on goodies from your local bakery.
Decorate with disco balls, silver accents, and lots of mirrors. Fill every vase you own with fresh cut sunflowers.
Create a playlist of quintessential dance hits and let the party begin!!

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Coming Soon: Coverage of Slow Food Nation '08!

YumSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:00:43 -0700

Tonight marks the beginning of Slow Food Nation '08, the highly anticipated celebration promoting sustainably grown food. The first-ever Slow Food festival to be held in the United States, the event has been declared "the largest celebration of American food in history" by chef Alice Waters.

I'll be present, along with the other 50,000 people expected to attend, and I can't wait to share my experiences at the taste pavilions with you. I'll also give you the update on what I've learned at the event's panels and lectures. Be sure to check back for my coverage of this groundbreaking event. And if you're in town, maybe I'll see you there!

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Aspen, Here We Come!

partysugar — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:00:25 -0700

This weekend the who's who of the food industry - including yours truly and YumSugar! - are headed to Aspen, CO, for Food and Wine magazine's annual Classic. Yum and I are super excited to check out the seminars, speakers, and of course, parties!

We plan to share as much of our experience - the chefs, the food, the wine - with you, so be sure to check back for our coverage of this fabulous event. And if you see us at the Classic, don't be shy and say hello!

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How to Prepare For a BBQ Festival

YumSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:50:23 -0700

Over the long weekend, while many of you were hosting barbecues of your own, I headed over to Sparks, NV, for the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off, one of the country's largest outdoor barbecue events. I was more than stoked to chomp down on award-winning ribs all day long, but - given the scope of the festival and its four-hour driving distance from my house - I wanted to maximize my first experience there by being as prepared for the event as Michael Phelps was for the Summer Olympics. If you're planning on heading to a major barbecue festival (or any food extravaganza, for that matter), I've got some tips to share with you.

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Racking Up Ribs at Nevada's Best in the West Cook-Off

YumSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:50:44 -0700

How much do I love ribs? I'd say that I was probably born with one in my hand, that's how much I love them - and grilling up a distinctive ginger-infused batch of my own recently only heightened my desire to indulge more. I've always had the itch to go to the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off in Sparks, NV. With more than 500,000 visitors and 100 tons of ribs, the six-day, free-admission rib festival is one of the largest outdoor barbecue events in North America. At the last minute, I decided there was no time like the present, and drove square across California and into the smoke. To find out what the event was like, keep reading.

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Cheese Lovers Battle It Out at SF Macaroni Cook-Off

YumSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:00:26 -0700

Call it the daddy of all mac-and-cheese battles: Earlier this month, a new group, SF Food Wars, hosted its first-ever event, a macaroni and cheese cook-off. Twenty contenders - and more than 200 eaters - attended the inaugural event, which benefited the San Francisco Food Bank.

Among the cheesy plates of pasta? Bourbon Duck Cheddar Mac 'n Cheese from Beer and Nosh, The Modern Halitosis Lovers' pungent Makeout Mac, and Milo's Macaroni and Cheese from Team Fromage. KKR and Bike Basket Pies took home the big-ticket prize with their Mac & Cheese Pies, which were filled with blue cheese, spinach, shiitakes, and walnuts.

View more savory sights from the competition after the break.

Photos of Mac Battle Royale w/ Cheese

YumSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:16:04 -0700

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