I lost one of my best friends this week. Tim was a badass. He and I were friends the last two years of high school, and he had a big part in helping me be the independent woman I wanted to be. He and another friend, Derek, they were fans of critical thinking and that’s something that had been missing from my education up to that date. I can’t thank him enough for that.

Tim was gorgeous, but we both knew nothing like that would ever happen between us. He became a rock, the person I could and would talk to about anything.

What I remember most: His blue, smiling eyes, how much he made people laugh, how his parting advice in my senior yearbook was “stay away from boys with jeeps” (he was one, by the way) and how much he loved his motorcycle.

That I, we, lost him in a motorcycle accident seems incomprehensible. He survived 9/11 only to die “doing what he loved.” He had a wife Amy, who we went to school with, and two young sons. Their uncle asked people to share stories about Tim so they could tell the boys. So, below is my letter to his sons.

I love you, Tim. Thank you for giving us the most you could in the time you were here. I know you loved living as much as I do, and I promise to LIVE HARDER for you.

In Loving Memory

Dear Beau & Jake:

Your daddy was awesome. He and I were best friends the last two years of high school. We met because we were in all of the advanced classes together. Tim was one of the smartest kids in school. You should know that, because he’d want you to know that you two are bright and special, too.

So many people loved your daddy. He was kind, inquisitive and mischievous. You know, a little bit of a troublemaker. We had a chemistry lab together and one time, when we partnered up for an experiment with potassium, he broke the rules on purpose. You’re not supposed to get the potassium wet. But Tim wanted to see would happen if he picked up the chunk of potassium with wet tweezers. He caused a small explosion, burning a hole in the paper and probably the lab table underneath. I still have the paper somewhere. It has a K, the symbol for potassium, and then a giant hole burnt into it.

Tim was so sweet, but I think sometimes he just liked to shake things up to make sure life stayed fun. One time, him and another close friend Derek (THE smartest kid in our class) did something to get themselves suspended for a week. I really don’t remember what they did, but it was pretty amusing to me since Tim and our Valedictorian were otherwise harmless.

Given that we were all looking forward to college, Tim and Derek couldn’t let being suspended keep them from getting their schoolwork done. So, every day after school, I’d let Tim know what they missed and what the assignments were. We all graduated, of course, though I don’t think any of us three went where we thought we’d go for school. Tim wanted to be at Pepperdine but wound up finishing at Penn State. I was supposed to go to NYU, but then Derek and I both wound up at the University of New Hampshire.

After that, we lost touch. I became a journalist. Tim, who had owned his own company since I met him, continued on his path as an entrepreneur … consulting to other companies and helping them build the systems they needed to work properly. He lived in NYC for a short while, but your family can tell you about that.

I haven’t seen your daddy since we finally reconnected at our high school reunion. Your mom was there, too. They were happy and we all had a good time. Neither of you had been born yet. Two weeks later, I moved to NYC.

Tim and I stayed in touch here and there afterwards. I never expected to get a phone call saying he’s not here anymore.

I’m so sorry you didn’t get more time with your daddy. He was an amazing man. Gentle, smart and FUNNY. And he loved you two so much. You were his world.

So, know that he loves you. He’s probably looking out for you right now.

Love,
Emily, Tim’s old friend

It was amazing, amazing, amazing. From friends showing up early and pitching in with getting ready, to my roommate’s fiance shoveling the snow in the backyard, to Patrice doing the Cheesecake Dance at the end of the night and all the funny moments that happened that night, I was so happy and so pleased by the feelings of love in the house. That’s what made it a warm house.

There were a few milestones that day. One: I added my place as a venue to Foursquare. I had said I wouldn’t when I moved in due to privacy issues. I nixed that problem by not using my real address and instead using the address of the childhood home of one of my favorite musicians: The Notorious BIG. Benefits: Seeing a visual representation of the friends who’ve been to my house. Also fun: People adding tips on what you can find at my place, including boobs. Nice.

Another milestone: Having half the internet over to my house. We had over 100 RSVPs and, from my count, we actually had about 80 people over during the course of the day. I was humbled. The weather was bad that weekend, and on any given Saturday there so much going on in the city that sometimes it’s hard to get folks together. We had friends from 4 of 5 boroughs visit us, as well as some people visiting from out of state.

The night in tweets:
“Why are you on the Internet? The whole Internet is here” ~@patricec about #chillchill

Me: where did the candy necklace come from? Her: the bathroom. #chillchill

Had copious amounts of fun at @emilyspearl’s #chillchill. Cool peeps, smart convos, and a cup of rum that’s still haunting me. [Note: I have since changed my Twitter handle to @ECava]

We had tons of great photos taken that day, including some in the photobooth! We had a few disposable cameras on hand, which I just can’t wait to get developed this week. For now, check out the slideshow below. Please send me any photos you took, so I can add them to the set!

• You can see a couple of great photos from the late-night portion of the party after most of you left here.
• You can find the user-generated Chillhouse 1 Playlist here.

The one thing that didn’t go as planned was that I didn’t have as much time to chat with everyone as I wanted to. I really enjoy introducing cool people to each other and blowing their worlds up with awesomeness, and I just didn’t get to do that.

I really appreciate you all so much, and also appreciate that you rolled with it even when the house was crazy packed. We had all types in the house; wedding photographers, graphic designers, doctors, models, entrepreneurs, dating coaches, lawyers and artists.  Because you are each amazing and talented and kind, I want you all to be able to stay connected, so listed below are all the people who made it out for the day.

If I missed you on the list, it’s highly likely that I was swimming in a glass of champagne instead of being mentally present for our conversation, especially if you arrived after 8 p.m. (email me, I’ll add you to the list).

So, again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for being so amazing, so generous, so thoughtful. I can’t wait to have you all over again. Mark your calendars for Chillhouse Saturdays all summer long, and many more warm housings to come.

Adam Kraemer http://www.intrepidmedia.com/whois.asp?id=4
Amber Blatt – http://theAmberShow.net @theambershow
Amy Cao – http://amyblogschow.com/ @amyblogschow
Anne McCarthy – http://long19thcentury.wordpress.com/ @annecmccarthy
Brian Vecci – http://www.clintonhillfoodie.com/ @chfbrian
Brian Quinn – http://www.thenoblerot.com/ @noblerotnyc
Charlene Jaszewski – http://theredheadsaid.com/ @theredheadsaid
Charlie O’Donnell – http://www.thisisgoingtobebig.com/ @ceonyc
Clay Hebert – http://dailysense.com @clayhebert
Crystal Horton – http://www.tastymorselsbakery.com/ @tasty_morsels
Damien A. Basile – http://thecauseisthehabit.com @db
Dario Meli – http://www.hootsuite.com :: http://quikness.tumblr.com/ @quikness
David Blumenstein – http://www.david.com/ :: http://www.hatchery.vc/ @davidavdavid
Elliot Ronen – http://four7s.com/ @elliotronen
Emily Hanhan – http://ncsuemme.blogspot.com/ @emilyhanhan
Erin mcparland – http://web.me.com/erinmcparland/erinmcparland/Home.html
Esther Brown – http://www.estheribrown.com/ :: http://outside.in/ @estheribrown
Jackie Summers – http://jackfrombkln.com/ @jackfrombkln
Jeffrey Wilson – http://www.2d-x.com @jeffreylwilson
Joey Pasion – http://passionmd.tumblr.com/ @passionmd
Jonathan Lazar – http://justjon.net @justjon Julia Roy – http://juliaroy.com @juliaroy
Kalimah Priforce – http://www.priforce.me @kapriforce
Katie Morse – http://candidkatie.com/ @misskatiemo
Kimmie Smith – http://kittenlounge.onsugar.com @cocoabebe
Lara Ruth – http://citygrits.net @districtbelle
Leah Smith – http://www.tafaritravel.com/ @tarafitweets
Maria Avgitidis – http://mariathedatecoach.com @thedatecoach
Mayur Subbarao – http://www.mayahuelny.com/
Melissa Sands – http://forkthis.blogspot.com/ @forkthis
Melissa Zhang – http://thespatulaqueen.blogspot.com/ @SpatulaQueen
Nichelle Stephens – http://nichellestephens.com :: http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com @niche
Nicole D’Alonzo – http://nikisnotes.com/ :: http://charitymoxie.com/ @nikisnotes
Nora Sherman – http://www.noraleah.com/ @noraleah
Parris Whittingham – http://fromparriswithlove.com/ @iamparris
Patrice Callender – http://hellandheartaches.com :: http://www.theotherbrowngirl.com/ @patricec
Rima Hawkes – http://rimahawkes.com/
Rob Blatt – http://www.blattcave.com @robblatt
Ryan Holmes – http://www.hootsuite.com :: http://www.invokemedia.com @invoker
Sarah Simmons – http://homecooksuperstar.tumblr.com @sarahmcsimmons
Sarah Cooley – http://randomsarah.com/ @sarahcooley
Selena Ricks – http://www.thedizzyfizz.com/ @selenawrites
Stephanie Lichtenstein – http://stephanielichtenstein.com/ @microsteph
Stuart Tracte – http://beerdiplomacytv.com/ @Stwo
Tameeka Ballance – http://tameekatime.blogspot.com/ @tameekatime
Tim Kane – http://tim.posterous.com @tkane
Topher Ziobro – http://imtopher.tumblr.com/ @imtopher
Tracey Lander-Garrett – http://bit.ly/aDLD7r @popgoesthegirl
Biana Bakman – @bianalog
Christina Coster – @mizcity
Daphra Holder – @thedaphster
Devin Brown – @devintrix
Julian Smith – @johnjuliansmith
Lily Robertson & Charlie Elliot – @batpigthe5th
Melissa Quinn – @fortyyards
Nate Erickson -  @nateerickson
Nia Batts – @nini_b
Whitney-Amanda Horsham 

Also huge thanks to my friends and new friends Aaron, Ana & Rob, Aneil, Bill, Brian, Caprice & Matt, Chinyere, Eric, Erin & Andrew, Guilherme, Janelle, Kat, Lori & Torr and Shannon for showing love and coming to the party.

If you made it to the end of this, you deserve to see a few seconds of The Cheesecake Dance performed at the end of the night.

Flourless chocolate cake at Chez Oskar, my favorite summertime brunch spot

I love everything about it. You can eat breakfast foods and lunch foods and usually quite a bit of booze is involved. More than the food itself, what makes brunch one of my favorite occasions is the pace of the meal and sharing it with friends. On a Sunday morning, there are few things I enjoy more than quiet time around a table with close friends catching up with them and hearing about their weeks (and even more interesting weekends).

Some of my brunches have gone on for eight hours. It starts with the meal at the little French bistro then moves to a bar and ends at another restaurant over more food and drinks. The wee hours race to catch us. Even while going our separate ways home, we devolve into fits of giggles over texts with inside jokes and catchphrases from the day.

Me being broke and two friends who wanted to brunch equaled the perfect scenario to have people over to my new apartment for an impromptu get-together today. I moved into a garden-level apartment a few weeks ago, and now that I have a beautiful kitchen and a backyard, I’m really excited to have my home be the place where everyone loves to visit.

New Kitchen/Living Room and door to backyard

I let friends on Facebook and Twitter know my doors were open for brunch at 1:30 today and that it was potluck. It couldn’t have worked out better.

Arriving first was Emily, who I met through my friend Katie a couple of months ago. Since then, Emily and I have bonded over our love of cooking. She also lives in my neighborhood. She came bearing cold brewed Gorilla coffee, cupcakes and a delicious quiche.

Next my neighbor Rima came over. She brought all the fixings for pancakes, an espresso machine and a board game. I spent much of brunch obsessing over her moonboots.

My former roommate and friend Guilherme arrived with tons of sweet strawberries and blueberries for a fruit salad, and then he popped out to pick up some prosecco for us at Olivino, my neighborhood wine shop.

Katie came with everything you need to make brunch right, namely orange juice. She also brought crackers, goat cheese, honey and the essential eggs and bacon.

Topping off our bring-whatever-you-want brunch menu were the chocolate Donettes and two different kinds of bacon my friend and neighbor Patrice brought.

I scrambled the eggs and tossed the bacon in the oven so I didn’t have to constantly tend to it, and within minutes we had a full spread on the table and settled in for some conversation.

Happy Brunchers

It was wonderful to have everyone over and relax. Today was another example of not needing money, even in an expensive city like NYC, to have a great time. All you need are people whose company you enjoy, great food and enough time to really appreciate both.

Throw My Brunch

Soundtrack: “Hang On Little Tomato” by Pink Martini

Quiche: “Seriously Good Quiche” made by my friend Emily

Cupcakes: “Chocolate, Whiskey & Beer cupcakes” made by Emily, recipe by Smitten Kitchen

Libations: Ombra Prosecco

Dresscode: Sweatpants. (My favorites are these from Abercrombie & Fitch.)

That was my Sunday. How was yours?

People frequently ask me why I use Twitter. Because the site limits updates to 140 characters or less, people seem to enter the discussion with the viewpoint that they could get the same mileage out of scanning friends’ Facebook status updates, reading their blogs or shooting them a text message.

I have one recent story that illustrates both the beauty and utility of Twitter in my own life.

First, I want to share four quick points on why Twitter is my social networking tool of choice.

Four Points

1) Community: I follow about 700 users between my two accounts, and have about 1,500 people who follow my updates on those accounts. I share updates mainly about food (random pics of what I’m eating/drinking, or in relation to my website MouthOfTheBorder.com), music, social media/marketing or tidbits on my beloved neighborhood in Brooklyn. I follow real-life friends, fellow food bloggers, other Brooklynites and many folks in the social media.

Although many of these are people I’ve never met in person, Twitter allows me to have a conversation with them and learn more about what they’re reading, listening to and thinking about right at that moment. My Twitter community keeps me up to date and inspires me with the breadth and depth of its available resources.

2) Ease of Use: At the beginning of 2006, after having been a member of several niche social networks since 1997, I became an avid user of MySpace and started blogging publicly. I moved from New Hampshire to Brooklyn at the end of that year. After taking a job with a start-up company, I found that I had no downtime. Being surrounded by people on public transportation, I had no privacy for phone calls when I did have downtime. It was a challenge to even find the time to reply to personal emails.

With Twitter, I found I could quickly share what I was doing or thinking with everyone at once. I could post a photo, shoot out a link to an interesting article I read or share a song I just heard. No painful HTML coding, no blog categories, no trying to remember to include everyone on an email. Boom. Update complete.

3) Instant connection and feedback: All you have to do is search Twitter for @EmilysPearl to see that it literally takes a second to get in touch with me. People see what I’m saying and are able to immediately provide thoughts, help, inspiration. If a friend asks for help with something, and I can respond immediately. Or I can “retweet” it and share it with my network of followers to try and get them help. That is immensely valuable. Had Twitter been around when I was a newspaper reporter, I would have been the first user to sign up for it.

4) It just rocks: I have a limited amount of free time. It comes in spurts, but that shouldn’t limit the opportunities for me to stay connected with friends, stay on top of trends and news pertaining to my career or to just be silly and post a picture of my delicious cheeseburger. Twitter lets me do any of those things in five seconds. No other platform accommodates my lifestyle as efficiently and elegantly.

Why Use Twitter?

On September 18, ironically the 1-year anniversary of the day I opened my second Twitter account, the utility powerfully demonstrated why it’s the best social platform to connect with a group of people who matter to me.

It started when it looked like I was going to be late for a flight to Phoenix.

A couple of minutes later, after getting off the phone with Delta a second time:

Less than a minute later, my phone is ringing. I’m still stuck in traffic from midtown Manhattan on the way to JFK airport. A friend I met through Twitter and now cherish in real life saw my tweet and says, “What do you need?” iPhone to my ear, I use my Blackberry to keep my followers updated:

At the same time, I receive 3 direct messages (these are private tweets sent only to me). Two are from people I’ve met in real life due to Twitter, and one is from someone who follows my updates, but whom I’ve never met.

Without taking some online relationships into real life, Twitter wouldn’t be nearly as powerful. I had a great friend on the phone looking stuff up on her computer and another friend who found a flight that we would have missed without his help. Someone else who I’ve never interacted with also selflessly provided information that helped me:

After arriving at the airport about three minutes too late to board my plane, and after Delta told me it’s going to cost me $744 book a morning flight with a layover in Salt Lake City, I feel like my options are dwindling. I let Twitter know I missed the flight, and here’s the response:

And then, she actually did it!

Every aspect of why I use Twitter came together for me that day: Community, Ease of Use, Instant Feedback and It Just Rocked.

My flock of Tweeters literally helped me take off. All told, they got me back in business in less time than it took a Delta call-center employee to tell me there were no more flights to Phoenix that night.

Twitter’s not just social. It’s usable, elastic and expansive. It brings people and information into your life when you need it, and allows you to contribute to others’ lives when they need you. It’s beyond networking, viral this or that or data. It’s a personal connection with a heartbeat, and it’s incredibly powerful.

* Once again, many thanks to my fantastic friends who helped me get on a flight that night. @vanillabean45, @PassionMD, @syntax_ and @bigkelleh, you are part of why Twitter is amazing.

One of those three cookbooks is Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back…And How You Can Too by Shauna James Ahern. I’ve been reading Shauna’s blog since a few months after she started writing in 2005. I was drawn to the site because of her gorgeous photos and lyrical writing style. She came across as an incredibly positive person, and I enjoyed her posts on a consistent basis.

I was drawn further into the content of her site because eating and cooking with whole, natural foods was something that was just then becoming important to me. I don’t have celiac disease or any other food allergies, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying her posts. It was just delicious food.

One recipe really struck my fancy, and making it has become an annual tradition for me. I have a few things I only make once or twice a year, and Shauna’s recipe for plum crumble is one of them. The original recipe is here. She wrote a retrospective of sorts in praise of plums here, and I even commented on that post about how much I loved her plum crumble.

Fast forward to 2007. I’m living in New York, Brooklyn to be precise, and a sparkly new Whole Foods has opened not too far from me in lower Manhattan. Not only that, but they have a shiny, gleaming kitchen where they host classes and cookbook signings. I had already purchased Shauna’s cookbook by the time I got the email announcement about the gluten-free cooking class and book signing her and her husband were doing. But I signed up anyway, because I wanted to meet her and see how she cooked.

It was a great time. I forget now what we learned to make, and since I can’t find the pictures, I may not recall in time to include it in this post. But it was delicious. I remember so many people at the class were ones who had just recently found out that they, or someone they loved, had celiac. Everyone was so earnest with their questions. It struck me even more then just how much a difference the quality of our food makes in the rest of our lives, and how writing about food and cooking together can be an educational, transformative experience.

It cemented my resolve to pursue my writing project. I told Shauna about the concept for Mouth of the Border that night, and she said that it sounded like something she couldn’t wait to read. Between her encouragement, and that of Matt Amendariz (who I met at another class at the same Whole Foods, this one on food photography), I knew I had something special.

But speaking of something special, let’s get back to that crumble (slideshow of my 2006 rendition of the plum dessert below).

When Shauna started using Twitter a few months back, I followed her, so I saw her tweet about needing helpers to test recipes for the cookbook she’s working on with her husband. I IMMEDIATELY emailed her, volunteering to help out however I could. She said she’d get back to all of us when the first batch of recipes were ready for testing.

Then a couple of things happened.

My friend Adam launched a blog with two of his friends, one of them a mutual friend named Emily Farris. Emily’s cookbook, Casserole Crazy is another one of the three cookbooks I bought specifically because of a blog/website. The blog they started together is called Fifty Bucks a Week, and it explores adventures in keeping their food costs under budget.

I was friends with Emily through Twitter and through Adam, but had never met her in real life before she moved from Brooklyn to Kansas City. So when she wrote that she was coming to visit New York, I told her I’d be happy to have her over for dinner and help keep her under budget while on her trip here.

A day after Emily accepted my dinner invitation, I got an email from Shauna saying they had recipes ready to be tested. On the list were a Blackberry Peach crumble recipe and a dish of beef tenderloin with balsamic onions. Remembering the amazing plum crumble, I snapped up this crumble recipe right away. I also thought the tenderloin would be a nice treat for Emily since that sort of dish would be outside the scope of her $50/week budget.

I can’t share the recipes with you here and now. They’re original recipes created by Shauna and Daniel (her husband, who is also a chef). But the good thing is you’ll be some of the first to know when they’re available in cookbook format because I’ll tell you so. You can see the pictures of the two dishes by clicking through to my photo set on Flickr below.

The dishes both came out delectable. Homey, satisfying and special enough to make you feel loved and cared for. The fancypants feel of the beef tenderloin with balsamic onions was balanced by the relative ease of nearly foolproof summer fruit cobbler. Emily and I both loved the food, and would barely change a thing.

For me, the moral of the story is that social media combined with my love of whole, tasty, natural food brought two women I admire close to me. Through Shauna and Emily’s websites, I discovered them and then bought their cookbooks. But it was the immediacy and “ambient awareness” of Twitter that brought the three of us together again as adventurers in food.

Wonders never cease.

I had no idea what I was getting into. I had just got home tipsy from a fun dinner with a friend. My holiday vacation had just begun. I was laying in bed with my iPhone, scrolling through email when I saw a note from my friend Cathy Erway. She wrote those of us on the NYC Food Bloggers’ mailing list about a fun contest she was co-hosting with a group of amateur photographers called Photojojo and a couple of local supper clubs.

My strength is making food that tastes good, not food that looks good. I’ve taken a workshop on food styling, and I photograph damn near everything I eat (see here), but I have a long way to go before I can make food that looks gorgeous.

This contest would be a fun way to challenge myself to make something beautiful, and give me a chance to get some additional photography and food styling tips before I launch my food writing site next month.

The next night, I found inspiration as I drank nearly an entire bottle of wine (vacation!) while I was watching a PBS show called Made in Spain. They were making a savory dish with quince paste and a Spanish cheese. I came up with an idea to make poundcake squares filled with mascarpone and topped with a spicy blackberry sauce.

Fast forward and it’s already contest day. I woke up late, all mussed up and of course with none of the necessary ingredients to make my dish. I had gone hunting for mascarpone the night before but my local cheese shop had only 7 ounces of it. I needed 12-14 oz., as I needed to make enough to serve 10 portions.

I hopped a train over to Carroll Gardens and went to Stinky Bklyn cheese shop and got the mascarpone. It’s near 1 pm, and the contest starts at 5 pm. I know it’s 1 because I’m missing the last Pats game of the season, which has started at my Sunday football bar directly across from where I’m shopping. I head to the grocer and scoop up Sara Lee poundcakes, 4 pints of blackberries, ginger, a lemon, candied ginger and head home.

At home, near 2:30, I toss the blackberries in a pot with the fixings from this recipe. I’ve thrown the sauce together before, and I know it’s quick. In a pinch, it can make a mean cocktail addition.

While the berries cooked down, I got to work scooping out the poundcake squares. It’s about 3:30 at this point and I’m starting to sweat. I throw the mascarpone into a bowl and get bored with how white and smooth it is. I have leftover shredded coconut from making Christmas cookies, and decide to throw that in to make the texture more visually interesting.

I throw the blackberries into a blender, then pour it all through a strainer I bought at the hardware store. There is blackberry juice staining my counter, it’s 4 pm, and I haven’t even filled the poundcake yet.

Miraculously, I get the cakes filled, the sauce packaged up, and somehow get myself in a cab to the secret location of this event.

The event was hosted at the loft apartment where The Whisk & Ladle Supper Club takes place, so no one can publicize where this apartment is. Supper clubs are a secret, social thing that has significantly increased my happiness since moving to New York. It’s just a group of strangers who get together weekly or monthly for seated meals at people’s homes. My local supper club is the Ted & Amy Supper Club, which happens to be run by my pretty, talented neighbor Kara. Another group participating in the contest that night is the somewhat renegade yet illustrious group called A Razor, A Shiny Knife.

I had no idea I was going to be hanging out in the kitchen with fools like Mark from Whisk & Ladle and Mike from A Razor, A Shiny Knife. These guys are straight up madmen when it comes to doing weird, yet delicious things in the kitchen.

For instance, at one point I turned around and they were demonstrating how to use a meat bonding agent to bond meat proteins to make skirt steak sous vide and bonding different fish to form visually interesting rainbow rolls.

NOTE: All photos below are mine, unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to share, but do link back to this post.

My friend Cathy (the one who invited me), was doing a pie lattice demonstration. She can make pies with even the juiciest of fruits, like grapes and pineapple, but the star of this occasion were her crusts, adorned with cutouts of autumn leaves or basket weaves.

Latticing again.

And then there was Kara, who runs the Ted & Amy Supper Club – I’ve been to her apartment more times than I can count, and not just for dinner. Kara was doing a demo on how to make pumpkin ravioli using wonton wrappers. Making ravioli is a little hectic because you have to work fast to seal the edges before the dough dries out. So, while she mixed up the filling, I hopped in and painted the edges of the wontons with water.

Punkin raviolis :)

Across the room, a chef named Akiko (who also runs with the A Razor, A Shiny Knife crew), was making a multi-layered dessert using agar agar (similar to gelatin), yuzu zest, green tea tapioca pearls and a milk foam. She was quite busy layering her dessert and dissolving things, so I ran a KitchenAid mixer on the floor to whip her milk layer while she carefully composed her masterpieces on the table above. Total chaos.

Mille feuille (not the pastry, just so many layers)

We also got to eat some succulent, inventive food. We had squid ink pasta with delicate sea bass, sesame and butter sauce. There was the sous vide skirt steak, stuffed with herbs and seduced with a mushroom reduction sauce. There were more little, beautiful dishes than I can even remember now, but I tasted almost all of them…

My two favorite parts, though, were watching an amateur (soon to be professional) bartender show us how to make vermouth and watching the food stylist style my dessert to make it beautiful. When I was done assembling desserts, I gave our bartender my blackberry sauce and he made us a lovely cocktail with gin.

Bloody good. Photo of Mayur, our bartender, by me.

The flowers come out. Photo of Pablo, our food stylist.

As soon as I walked in, I was accosted by a guy named Pablo. Pablo apparently thought I knew what I was doing, because he started showing me all these tools (weird nozzles and tweezers and things a dentist would use) and asked me how I wanted to style the dessert. I looked at him blankly, handed him my platter of cakes, then we went upstairs with the blackberry sauce so he could have his way with it.

Sounds dirty, but he made that stuff look gorgeous!

Photojojo Photo Safari. Photo courtesy of Semel17.

The outcome: A photo of my dish won second place, out of hundreds of photos taken by the event goers. Hot stuff. The first-place photo was of a knife, so I’m interpreting this to mean that I actually *did* have the most photogenic FOOD there :) And it was delicious! That coconut really did something special for the mascarpone, and the spice and intensity of the blackberry sauce was exactly the right element to cut through thr richness of the poundcake and creamy filling.

But, more than than, this was an amazing opportunity to hang out with some creative, passionate people who aren’t letting their day jobs get the way of their creativity. For some people, like Cathy (who has a book coming out) and Mayur (the amateur bartender who’s about to open a restaurant), this unchecked passion is leading to great things. I admire them, and totally basked in the opportunity to play with them.

If you’ve read this far, then you’ll enjoy a slideshow from the event. Remember, this was mainly about how to create beautiful photographs of food, so everyone at the event snapped away and then contributed to the slideshow. You can see everyone’s crazy, fun & delicious photos (including mine) in the slideshow below. Enjoy.

God provides: I emailed someone about an apt. Thursday night, heard back from her Friday, saw the apartment Sat. morning before I headed to the beach and by the time I got home from the beach I had a new apartment and an appointment to sign the lease Sunday morning. And it’s in my neighborhood in Brooklyn, but only a half hour from my office in the city.

I’m working on big things now. Cleaning out your brain to focus on what you really want, while keeping your karma in clean, working order is no joke. The whole scenario above happened after I spent a happy, relaxing Sunday in Central Park listening to this musician I’m now really impressed by: Santogold.

She inspires me because she’s so young, but she’s doing whatever she wants musically. She’s had her hands in everything – writing other people’s blockbuster hits, collaborating out of nowhere with big names. And she doesn’t fit into any one genre, which I love. I love every track but one on her album. So, I wanted to share one with you, and also share an email I sent to someone about moving to New York. Funny I found myself needing to move just a few days after sending him the email.

My song of the moment: “Shove It,” by Santogold. Never have there been more perfect words for my life.

First video. Then lyrics. Then the email I wrote to a MySpace friend who asked me for some advice on moving here to NYC next month:

Lyrics:

Brooklyn we go hard
We on the look for the advantage, we work hard
And if we seem to rough it up a bit
We broke but we rich at heart
Pull ourselves up now we won’t choke
It’s our time, put the lights on us

War tactics, they make me sick
Reel your heart in, run away with it
Smile in your face, undermine your back
Got guns for the strength they lack
So if you know another way
You can’t look the other way
If you know another way,
Tell them so right to their face

We think you’re a joke
Shove your hope where it don’t shine
We think you’re a joke
Shove your hope where it don’t shine
We think you’re a joke
Shove your hope where it don’t shine
We think you’re a joke
Shove your hope where it don’t shine

I pay for what’s called
Eccentricity and my will to evolve
I hear them all say
That I got heart
but not everything that it takes

Taint my mind but not my soul
Tell you I got fire
I won’t sell it for no payroll
Let ‘em hold me down
I know if I know another way
I can’t look the other way
I know another way
I’ll tell them so right to their face

We think you’re a joke
Shove your hope where it don’t shine
We think you’re a joke
Shove your hope where it don’t shine
We think you’re a joke
Shove your hope where it don’t shine
We think you’re a joke
Shove your hope where it don’t shine

And, lastly, the email to my friend. This is for anyone else who may eventually want to move to this great city of New York.

“Hi ______!

Congrats on making the decision. That’s the first step. The next is committing to it! Once you start hearing yourself telling your friends and family that you’re moving, you know it’s really (and let me be the first to welcome you here – we’ll be waitin’ for ya!)

I will tell you up front from what I have heard that it is very difficult to get a job before you move here. It would be better for you to even find a friend who lives here, list their address as yours on your resume and perhaps even get a local cell number. The reason for this is that so many people SAY they’re moving then wind up not taking the leap. Companies don’t want to gamble on that.

That said, I moved here without a job with only about $1K to get me by. I was temping while I was looking for a job in my field and wound up staying for the company I temped for and have done very well. It’s not the end-all, but I’m happy and passionate about it and have done well financially.

So, you could at least start with a temp agency – this will allow you the flexibility to interview for jobs you really want while still pulling in enough of a paycheck to at least cover rent.

Craigslist is your bff – make it your b*tch to get an idea of other jobs you could do here while you’re looking for “the one.” I hear you’re looking for stuff in the event industry here – if you’re not familiar with BizBash, I’d suggest starting your job search there. ([I know] the CEO, perhaps I can ask him for more leads if this isn’t the type of stuff you’re looking for).

Craigslist is also your bff for finding apartments. I basically went on clist, called/emailed 20 people whose listings looked good and spent a day going to six of them (I had only one close friend here, and she came around with me to make sure they were safe areas/non-shady people). Wound up taking the first one I looked at and I still live here 1.5 years later. Please don’t take my experience as normal – I was very lucky but I don’t want to give you a bullshit picture of the moving experience. It’s important to find a bunch of places in your price range cause if they are all open house showings, people show up, money and references in hand and they go quickly.

You can find apts. in nearly any price range if you’re willing to leave in a closet in bumfuck. If you want to live here badly enough, just get here and the rest will work itself out. You’ll find a job and six months later will be able to look for a nicer, bigger, more geographically desirable space. Be willing to live in the boroughs if you don’t have a ton to spend right now. I live in Brooklyn and LOVE it though I hate commuting.

My timeline was that I made the decision to move in May, and my goal was to get here by New Year’s Eve as that’s my favorite holiday. I didn’t actually start doing stuff until end of Sept. You’ll obviously have to condense things as you have a month. This is how I did it:

* 9/25 made a list of bills / commitments I’d have to take care of before I bounced (utilities as I was splitting an apt. at that time and that tenant was staying behind, etc.)
* 10/2 listing everything I could on eBay / made deals with friends to sell off my shit (all my furniture, TV, stereo equipment -basically anything of value that I could get money for I sold)
* 10/9 contact headhunter / temp agencies (I didn’t do this step then, but I did set up my first job interviews then)
* 10/16 compile master list of all jobs I was interested in applying for
* 10/23 have all resumes out to the above list
* 10/30 follow up calls / send additional info to the above
* 11/6 double-check for additional jobs to apply for, give notice at current job
* 11/13 schedule job interviews in NYC
* 11/20 start looking at craigslist for apts. (for move-in date between dec. 15-jan. 1)
* 11/27 have all money for rent/deposit, reserve moving truck
* 12/4 schedule apt. visits
* 12/11 choose apt., pack
* 12/16 move

To see how all that played out, you can read some of my blogs about moving here:

* Diary of a Decision
* The First 72 hours in NYC

And I guess if I could leave you with two things it would be this: NYC is truly a city of who you know, not what you know. The people who do best here are people who can make connections and then leverage those connections to their advantage, whether that be in finding an apt. or asking for a job recommendation. Getting your foot in the door almost anywhere here is so much easier if you have someone greasing the wheels for you.

That said, this city is a “city of finalists.” Everyone is at the top of their game or climbing on someone else to get there. No matter what you do or how you live, there is always someone at your heels who wants it more than you, who will work harder than you and who does it better than you. If you do not relish competition, constant activity and stress, this will not be a city you call home for long ’cause it will wear you out then spit you out.

I am thankful every day that I made the choice to move here. I love this city so much more than I expected to, and had wanted to live here for 10 years before I was ready to move. But when you’re ready, there’s no better place on earth to be!

My cell is ________. I am usually hard to get a hold of on the phone but can respond to texts and emails more quickly. :-)

Good luck. Let me know when you’re landing so I can buy you a drink or a cupcake!
-Emily”

What I Didn’t Do (Yet. Or Maybe Ever.)
1. Go to Staten Island. This is only important because I’m Italian, and they gots Eye-talians there.
2. Go to art house cinema. This is only worth noting because I want to and because I live within walking distance of BAM. I need to go. Immediately.
3. Go to the Statue of Liberty (though Bunny and I did go look at it from Manhattan while she was in town)
4. Go to a concert of an artist I’ve always wanted to see
5. Meet Ruth Reichl, Jay-Z or Lil’ Kim
6. Move to Manhattan to be closer to my office, or get my own place in Bklyn
7. Go to enough museums (there’s still The Met, the Whitney and The Museum of Sex).
8. Join the Park Slope food coop. :-( This is something I want to do, but just can’t justify due to the distance and time commitment.
9. Take a dance class.
10. Write more.
11. Go to some famous New York places, like Biggie’s apartment, “233rd and White Plains” or Queensbridge.
12. Joined the New York City Public Library (my only resolution for 2008).
13. Go to Coney Island
14. Go visit the Latino food vendors (famous for their food’s authenticity) at the Brooklyn ballparks.
15 . . . I give up. I did more of what I wanted to do, and less of what I didn’t want to do. That was the point of moving to New York City. The “things I want to do” list will always be full, even as I cross off dozens of items on a weekly basis.

Goals For 2008
- Join the NYC Public Library (see above).
- Launch that damn food blog I’ve been “researching” for a year now. I’m not leaving this city until I get all those ideas out on the World Wide Web.
- Leave work at a reasonable hour or move closer to my office, so I can have more of a life.
- Love more. And be loved more (if and when possible).
- Seek out new authors, musicians and visual artists and start to explore theater.
- Buy some new furniture and invest more in my home, regardless of whether or not the street address itself is permanent. I am worth the investment and the feeling of security that stability brings.

And, while I’m here, I have to say congratulations to Nina and Donny on the new life they’re creating. Can’t wait to see you this weekend, Neens!

(Thoughts) Something that made me sad today: A man was walking ahead of me on Madison Avenue as I was on my way back to my office. I saw him saying “Excuse me. Excuse me,” to a lady in front of him. She had earmuffs on. Whether or not she heard him or not, I don’t know. He shook his head and she kept walking.

I couldn’t help but make eye contact with him when I passed. He said, “Excuse me,” so I paused. It was a busy street, I wasn’t worried about myself. He said, “Are you from New York? I’m from Yonkers – I’ve been in the city since last night and I’ve been walking a very long time. All I’ve been asking people, what I want to ask you is, I’m very hungry. Can you help me get something to eat?”

I have a soft heart for homeless & hungry people. I’ll never get over it. I don’t give every beggar change, but I always feel sad. Anyways, I had nothing on me except my legal pad and office keys. I told him I was very sorry, and he went on his way. It broke my heart. I looked up at the city skyline and hoped — asked — God to help him.

————

New York is just this amazing place, you know? One second, I’m surrounded by old money and power suits, the next second, I’m turning a corner into Chinatown where everyone is short and no one speaks English. I love that. It’s stinky here. The people have a rep for being rude, but they’re actually nicer than Boston natives. They’re not rude, just extraordinarily direct. Time is money here, no matter what echelon you belong to, so you better know where you’re going and what you what you want all the time.

I don’t know who said it first, but “New York is a city of finalists.” I’m surrounded by people who are at the top of their game. You have to want something very much to get it here, because there’s always a chance that the person at your heels wants it more badly than you. It’s awesome. Good thing I’ve developed a competitive streak and a bit of a mind for business.

There’s this woman sitting behind me and she keeps yelling “Hola!” into her phone. It’s driving me nuts.

———————–

I would have to sit down tonight and really think. About the ways I’ve changed before I set it down to e-paper. Living here has changed me, but not a ton. My relationship with the ex-fiance changed me more than I’d like to admit to anyone – to the point where I should probably have sought some counseling. He was emotionally abusive, and it took its toll.

I also deal with a lot less bullshit, but that has been a result just of growing up, I think. I am more self-protective all around. I give people fewer chances to f*ck up before I cut them off. This has been a good thing.

I understand men, sex and women’s reactions to both vastly more now than I did 2 years ago.

I moved to NYC because I wanted to surround myself with people who were smarter, more driven and more culturally aware than myself. I’ve gotten what I’ve needed in all those respects. It has allowed me to grow in ways I was unable to in NH. But I still miss how easy things were there, and I really miss being around now that all of my girlfriends are having kids. Heather – my best friend in the world – having her son last year … that was almost enough reason for me to not move. I hate missing the chance to see him grow up, and giving up the chance for our kids to play together.

————–

The book “The Four Agreements” changed my life, and the second agreement influenced me most of all. If you haven’t read it, here they are:

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.
———-

The winter lager by Sam Adams actually is one of my favorite beers. Other faves are a Belgian called Delirium Tremens, another Belgian called Duvel and I’ve always been a fan of Blue Moon. There’s a Hefeweisen I can’t remember the brewery of that I like very much.

Fave car is still the old school Jag S-type, though I do miss my pearl white Escalade with the amazing sound system.

Favorite book: not even a question I can answer at this point. So many books I read last year will have a lasting influence. I think Robert Greene’s “Art of Seduction” wins most valuable player, though. That book rocked how I operate across the board.

Favorite liquor: Grey Goose vodka or genuine absinthe (which is legal again here now)

Favorite new author: Haruki Murakami. His prose manages to be sparse and lush at the same time.

———————-

Oh, about the title of this blog. It’s strange, man. To find out people keep tabs on you via blog. That’s all. I don’t expect it to stop, but maybe some people will take a clue. Worry a little less about my issues and worry about theirs a little more. Or a lot more. Whichever.

“What a beautiful thing, a sunny day. The serene air after a thunderstorm!
The fresh breezes banish the heavy air . . . What a beautiful thing, a
sunny day.”

We should be happy when our lives follow our intentions. We should
always respect the way we manifest the kind of energy we put out into
the world. I put my sun out into the world.

I’ve always been happy that my birthday is during the same month as
Thanksgiving; a day we specifically set aside to be thankful for
family, friends and emotional wealth.

How can I not be grateful for all that I’ve been given? I have my
health, the opportunity to see my family next month for Christmas and
a challenging, rewarding job that is teaching me so much. I have
awesome new friends here and loving, loyal friends back in New
Hampshire. I have a man of integrity and character in my life who
cares about me, and whom I care for very much.

I love this day. Because I can’t have all my closest friends with me
tomorrow, I wanted to thank them here.

And let my sun shine in your face.

MY OWN SUN (O Sole Mio)

What a beautiful thing, a sunny day.
The serene air after a thunderstorm!
The fresh breezes banish the heavy air…
What a wonderful thing a sunny day.

But another sun,
that’s brighter still
It’s my own sun
that’s in your face!
The sun, my own sun
It’s in your face!
It’s in your face!

Shining is the glass from your window;
A washwoman is singing and bragging
Wringing and hanging laundry and singing
Shining is the glass from your window.

But another sun,
that’s brighter still
It’s my own sun
that’s in your face!
The sun, my own sun
It’s in your face!
It’s in your face!

When night comes and the sun
has gone down,
I start feeling blue;
I’d stay below your window
When night comes and the sun
has gone down.

But another sun,
that’s brighter still
It’s my own sun
that’s in your face!
The sun, my own sun
It’s in your face!
It’s in your face!