On Today's Show: CRNtalk.com
Larry Van Aalst Sommelier "Equus Restaurant"
The Equus Restaurant and Loungebar has been transformed into an inviting casual dining experience. The California fusion menu highlights local ingredients and emphasizes classic flavors with Mediterranean, Spanish and French influences. The Loungebar features Friday evening wine tasting and Saturday entertainment. Equus Restaurant and Loungebar…make it your next stop.
Jil Child - Chief Sommelier "Wine Tours of the World"
Jil greatly enjoys conducting wine education presentations, travel industry speaking engagements and on line chats with Wine Tours of the World clients. She loves her role as wine educator and wine itinerary developer and ongoing communication with the individual wineries. She loves to share her passion for wine with all levels of wine consumers from the novice to the most discerning wine connoisseur and traveler. Jil’s international travel experience, combined with her wine knowledge helps our organization hand craft the best possible wine itineraries in the industry for each individual traveler. She looks forward to assisting each of our clients with a special, very personalized wine
Matt Daimler - Founder Award Winning travel website WWW.SEATGURU.COM
In the last decade, having flown over 800,000 miles in 40 different aircraft models, Matt has achieved ultimate frequent flyer status. Prior to SeatGuru, Matt worked for technology companies in San Francisco and Seattle and currently resides in New York City. He has a BS in Computer Engineering with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Management from Johns Hopkins University. If you see him on your flight, walking the aisles and jotting down notes, be sure to say hello (and tell him about your seat). Ever feel an unnerving draft when sitting next to the window on a plane? Have your attempts to recline ever been thwarted because you’ve been seated in the row before the emergency exit? Or have you had the lovely experience of sitting next to a heavily used toilet on an interminable overseas flight? How can these scenarios be avoided? Just like you would check the seating chart before you purchase concert or sporting event tickets, you need to know where you’ll sit on a plane for an optimal experience. Whether flying off to an exciting vacation destination or even a short routine business trip, after making it through all the airport and homeland security hurdles, a good seat can help get your travel groove on. While you may not be able to choose who's sitting next to you, Matt Daimler founder of SeatGuru.com, says there are some measures you can take to make sure you have the best seat possible. Daimler is available to share the entertaining results from Seat Guru’s first annual Jet Vetting Survey along with his tips for choosing the best seat on any flight you book. He’ll also have some entertaining travel tales about love, friendship and even some nasty things people found on a flight!
Dave & Rachel Caine - "A Matter of Taste"
A 25-year veteran of the wine and food industry, David is an accomplished cook and collector of fine wines. His career began in the late 1960's as a San Francisco Bay area radio personality and television producer. He conducts tastings and classes for wine enthusiasts with the emphasis on matching food and wine, a favorite topic that he shares regularly with his listeners. At a young age, he developed a keen palate, which grew into a passionate vocation. David was the first Cellarmaster of San Francisco's London Wine Bar, the first of its kind in this country. In New York, Cane hosted "The Wine Spot"; the nation's first one-hour call-in radio show devoted to the subject of wine on WOR radio in New York City. As a wine consultant, he has stocked private cellars for collectors worldwide and developed wine lists for restaurants. During his travels, David has taught Chinese cooking to Tuscan chefs in Italy and wine appreciation to food lovers in Hong Kong. He has extensively toured and met with owners, growers and winemakers of the vineyards of France, Italy, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Washington and California to research and study the unique techniques and styles of their wines. David and Rachel's audience journeys with them to foreign places through their live broadcasts, most recently to South America, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, London, Scotland, Italy, France, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, the Caribbean, and aboard the QE2, sharing the food, wine, sights and sounds of these exotic places. David has been a panel member at New York University's "Radio Roundtable" for food and radio related topics. He has appeared on "Alive and Wellness" on CNBC's America's Talking Network. He also wrote and produced for the Travel Channel's "Vacation Store" series, including hosting their cruise segment through the Panama Canal, and was frequently seen as "The Kitchen Crafter" on Aleene's Creative Living, broadcast nationally on TNN. David and Rachel met in New York at the Wine Experience, an annual event created by Wine Spectator; America's most widely read wine magazine. Rachel Cane is the well-known producer and owner of Lasko Productions. She spent over 20 years as a prominent television and radio producer in New York, focusing on producing TV and radio commercials. Rachel now produces and co-hosts the radio program with David. They are both members of the International Slow Food Movement, which promotes the experience of food in its natural state, the artisanal production of traditional foods and wines, and the slow pace at which they are best enjoyed. David and Rachel's extensive travels have created a new focus of expertise that has led to their consulting business. As connoisseurs of lifestyle they are very in tune with the latest and best of everything. Their trained eye sees the good, the bad and the ugly. Their unique ability to evaluate problems and find solutions has won them the gratitude of a loyal following.
Ken Hinman President - National Coalition for Marine Conservation
Restaurant chefs and seafood retailers take heed. American consumers are overwhelmingly alarmed about the dramatic decline in marlin and other billfish populations. By taking the “Take Marlin Off The Menu” campaign (www.takemarlinoffthemenu.org) to the stomachs of American consumers, The International Game Fish Association (IGFA), the National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC) and The Billfish Foundation (TBF) are striving to take a bite out of commercial overfishing in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, which accounts for more than 90% of the annual marlin mortality. The challenge facing the Take Marlin Off the Menu Campaign is drawing awareness to the plight of marlin and other billfish. Unfortunately, many Americans are not aware that marlin have suffered a dramatic population decline. Once knowing that marlin populations have declined excessively and are in peril, 70% of American consumers said they would have a negative impression of restaurants and seafood retailers that serve marlin. When it comes to ordering marlin at a restaurant or purchasing it from a seafood retailer such as a grocery store or an independent seafood retailer, 78% of Americans said they would not eat marlin, and nearly a third surveyed said they would not walk into an establishment that serves marlin. In addition to warning consumers about the perilous status of marlin and billfish populations, the Take Marlin Off The Menu Campaign also intends to alert chefs and consumers about the possible health risks associated with eating marlin due to the high mercury level. To assist restaurants and seafood retailers in going marlin free, the Take Marlin Off the Menu Campaign will promote all restaurants and seafood retailers that take the “Marlin Free Pledge.” The campaign will list any chefs and restaurants that are dedicated to not serving marlin and billfish, or seafood retailers that decide not to sell marlin. Because there are many sustainable alternatives to eating marlin, the web site features links to seafood guides that point American consumers to the restaurants and seafood retailers that sell sustainable species.
Robin Abrahams - "Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners"
The "Miss Conduct" columnist for The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine…and now she's here to share her advice to the world! Are men still expected to pick up the dinner tab? Is it possible to request a "doggie bag" with dignity? How do you talk religion without offending? These days it seems like we're in etiquette limbo! Miss Conduct is here to help!