On Today's Show: CRNtalk.com
Joel Fisher - "Wine Guru" - lists Wine Events Nationwide
The wine columnist for the Culinary Connection of the Chefs de Cuisine Association of California. He was a Contributing Editor of Patterson's Beverage Journal. From 1999 to 2006 he was a wine instructor for the Culinary Arts Department of the Art Institute of California-Los Angeles and is a founding partner of the educational Wine Vine and Dine, which conducts programs throughout CA. LA WINE FEST IS JUNE 6 -7 AT RALEIGH STUDIOS
Karen Adler "300 Big and Bold Barbecue and Grilling Recipes "
Karen Adler and Judith Fertig, the BBQ Queens (www.bbqqueens.com), are both from Kansas City, Missouri, and have authored more than 20 cookbooks, nine focusing on barbecuing and grilling. They have been featured on the Food Network and in USA Today and the New York Times. They are also members of the prestigious culinary associations Les Dames d'Escoffier and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. How to barbecue and grill everything from a steak to an apple. This superb collection of recipes for the barbecue and grill is not only bold, it shares many grilling secrets from expert chefs. The recipes deliver flavors that will blow away the toughest critic in the family. Each recipe has tips on how to build that bold flavor before, during and after barbecuing. The authors provide instructions for barbecuing or grilling virtually any food. From planking and rotisserie cooking to barbecuing a whole hog or lamb, from grilling "all piastra" to "alla brace," from stir-grilling to grill-roasting, from grilling foods wrapped in a banana leaf to grilling with a kiss of smoke, and from achieving a "bark" on barbecued pork shoulder to herb grilling, this book reveals all. Bringing a steak to that perfect "black and blue" or any other degree of doneness is easier than ever.
Yvonne Lembi-Detert - President / CEO Personality Hotels
Yvonne Lembi-Detert, president and CEO of Personality Hotels, is a true pioneer of San Francisco boutique chic, having made her mark with the opening of the city's first boutique hotel more than 20 years ago. Fresh out of the Rudolph Shaffer School of Design, her talents were enlisted to remodel and convert a prewar hotel building into the Hotel Union Square in 1982. Since then, Personality Hotels has grown to become San Francisco's largest privately-owned boutique hotel operator, with seven boutique hotels including Hotel Diva, Kensington Park Hotel, Hotel Union Square, Hotel Metropolis, Steinhart Hotel and coming Fall 2008 - Hotel Vertigo and Hotel Frank. A Bay Area native, Yvonne has a strong eye for trends and innovative designs. With a focus on aesthetics and function, her ongoing mission is to offer guests an oasis of escape with the pleasure of feeling at home. "My home is filled with eclectic designs and many unique objects," says Yvonne. "In a sense I try to bring a collection of personalities into the properties as well." Yvonne's sense of home and family strongly influence her design conceptualizations. A mother of two daughters, she realized after frequently traveling with them that hotels were not catering to their needs and the familiarization of home. This realization was the impetus to the development of the innovative Kids' Suite at Hotel Metropolis. Fashion is also a great inspiration for Yvonne who admits that guests buy image as much as a good sleep. "Fashion is a great indicator for whimsical touches as well as pragmatic necessities," says Yvonne. "It puts me in better touch with guest expectations. With fashion I find a kaleidoscope of ideas." Yvonne credits her father and San Francisco real estate mogul, Frank Lembi, for her knowledge, drive and energy. Lembi is the founder of San Francisco's Skyline Realty/CitiApartments, the second-largest owner of rental units in city. In addition to owning more than 150 buildings including three office buildings, five boutique hotels and over140 large apartment houses throughout San Francisco, the Lembi family also owns the computer training center Learn iT! and runs a brokerage firm, a property-management company and a mortgage brokerage firm. In addition to attending the Rudolph Shaffer School of Design, Yvonne is a graduate of San Francisco State University where she earned a Bachelors of Arts in Interior Design and is honored on their Alumni Hot Shots List. She lives in San Mateo with her husband and two children, two dogs, a cat and four chickens. She is a passionate supporter of San Francisco's Tenderloin Learning Center and an avid gardener. Personality Hotels, San Francisco’s largest privately-owned boutique hotel operator, has reignited the boutique hotel industry with the opening of its two new flagship properties - Hotel Vertigo and Hotel Frank. Hotel Diva Fact Sheet Hotel Frank Fact Sheet
Kensington Park Hotel Fact Sheet Hotel Metropolis Fact Sheet Steinhart Hotel Fact Sheet
Hotel Union Square Fact Sheet Hotel Vertigo Fact Sheet
John F. Weaver - President & Master Roaster - Weaver's Coffee & Tea
John F. Weaver began roasting coffee in 1980, where he apprenticed directly under the late Mr. Alfred Peet and Mr. Sal Bonavita. John is one of the most accomplished coffee roasters and coffee and tea tasting experts alive today, having been trained by and still tasting with the worlds best. He has tasted thousands of green coffee buying samples over his 27-year tenure as a Master Roaster. As our Coffee Buyer, his skill at selecting, roasting and blending great coffees is at the specialty coffee industry's highest level. As Master Roaster, John roasts-to-order all of the coffees Wild Card Roasters offers today. The art of roasting and blending is a never-ending learning process. A skilled artisan, John roasts each lot of beans with its particular characteristics in mind, using temperature and timing to extract and preserve all of the inherent flavor and body each coffee has to offer. He then crafts all of our blends to our specific themes, each having a different taste profile all its own.TEA > Early in John’s career he had the privilege of learning the expertise of tea tasting and blending from Mr. Peet. John has cupped and compared thousands of tea samples over the years. This has exposed him to the myriad of choices the world's tea gardens have to offer. As our Tea Buyer, John has now re-immersed himself in the craft of selecting and blending extraordinary teas. Wild Card Roasters offers his favorite tea selections as well as tea blends in loose-leaf form.