12/14 - Kathleen Daelemans, Duggan McDonnell, Don Rubinstein,

Kathleen Daelemans - Food and Nationally Recognized Entertaining Expert

When the holiday season meets a stubborn economy it's time for a party at home. Whether you’re having a traditional family dinner, a gathering of friends and coworkers, or an open house for the whole neighborhood, our national food and entertaining expert Kathleen Daelemans will provide essential entertaining tips from simple and tasty foods and recipes, festive cocktails to quick and inexpensive decorating ideas that will help make your next holiday gathering a success.  Décor: Easy floral Décor for the table: Do one type of flowers so that there is no time consuming arranging might make you tear your out! Don’t forget hand towels, a candle and small bud vase filled with fragrant flowers in the bathroom. These three things will make a difference and guests will feel like they are at a high end restaurant. Potlucks: In this challenging economy, think about potlucks with your friends and family so that you can all see each other without huge expenses falling on one person. Perhaps designate a theme and ask people to bring along a dish of their choice that fits the theme.  The Menu: Don’t be overly ambitious with the menu. It’s better to offer simple and tasty dishes that will satisfy all appetites than try to replicate a complicated recipe.  Drink Up! Set up a proper bar, even if you are only serving wine and beer. Put wine in a wine cooler, line glasses up on trays; be sure to have extras like sliced citrus for water, a bottle opener and a small garbage can nearby for trash.  Mingle: Take your time to introduce your guest to each other, note what each may have in common or how you know them, and make sure that no one is left without a glass in his or her hand. Named one of the country's "top Ten Rising Star Chefs" by John Mariani, chef Kathleen Daelemans' recipes have been showcased in respected food and wine journals including Bon Appetit, Wine Spectator, Gourmet, Food & Wine, and Eating Well. Not only has Daelemans received praised from the culinary community, but her work is regularly featured in fashion and fitness magazines such as Elle, Shape, Self, Harper's Bazaar, L.A. Style, Fitness, Esquire and House Beautiful. Richard Sax, Roy Yamaguchi and others have showcased Daelemans' recipes in books featuring West Coast, Pacific Rim and American Regional cooking. Daelemans combines her comedic banter and culinary wizardry with a modern sensibility towards good health regularly on NBC's Today. She wrote and hosted a weekly Food Network show, Cooking Thin with Kathleen Daelemans for three seasons. In addition to regular appearances on NBC's Today, Daelemans has appeared on hundreds of local and national television and radio shows including Oprah, NBC's Dateline, and CNN Headline News. Daelemans' recently wrote and hosted the highest rated cooking Pledge Special for Public Television this spring and is currently in pre-production for her own series to be distributed by American Public Television. Daelemans is the author of the New York Times best selling cookbook, Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen: 200 Easy Recipes for Healthy Weight Loss, Getting Thin & Loving Food! 200 Easy Recipes to Take You Where You Want to Be, and Chef Kathleen's Cooking Thin Daybook: A 52 Week Plan to Lose Weight, Get Fit and Eat Right.


Duggan McDonnell -  “America's Best Mixologist

Duggan McDonnell has been a fixture on the west coast beverage scene for the past ten years and is finally getting the recognition he deserves. In addition to being named a Rising Star Bar Chef by StarChefs.com this year, he was honored by Food & Wine Magazine as one of America ’s Best Mixologists, and also served as a Cocktail Designer for the Sundance Film Festival. McDonnell has an undeniable ease with guests and colleagues alike, an inventive spirit, and a knowledgeable, highly trained palate. Duggan has shaken up a number of San Francisco spots, including the Repastoria Satyricon, the bars at the Clift Hotel, and Mecca. Prior to his work in San Francisco, he tended bar at Wild Ginger in Seattle, the area’s foremost Pan–Asian restaurant. Among his currently preferred mixology techniques is the use of essential oils that result in very focused, intense flavors. The practice originated from a fascination with healing and aromatherapy, and he creatively applied the technique to the bar. McDonnell’s depth of knowledge and love for beverage extends beyond the mixed cocktail. He has toured wineries, distilleries, and breweries throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, and Australia, and has also received Level One Certification in the Court of Master Sommeliers. Prior to focusing on a career in mixology, he served as a wine advisor for WinePro Services in Napa and Seattle, where he was responsible for selecting approachable, consumer-friendly wines for wholesale food centers, markets, and special events.
 
Don Rubinstein - "Dr. Soda"

I founded Dr Soda in 1984 with $350. My first job in the soft drink business was way back in 10th grade selling ICE COLD COKE at the Memphis Blue's Baseball Games at the Fairgrounds in Memphis. I later followed my golf dreams to become a caddy on the PGA Tour, where I had many inredible adventures, & met everyone I ever dreamed about meeting. While on tour, I also wound up working with ABC Sports along side the greats in the industry. Chris Shenkel, Dave Marr, Byron Nelson, Chuck Howard, Jim Jennett, Bob Goodrich and even the immortal Henry Longhurst. After finding my way to California, I stayed in the golf business until I started Dr Soda in 1984. Everything that did come around, came around...so the saying is true. Life is very good to me only because those i have found myself surrounded by have been better to me than I feel I have been to them. Our Dr Soda family consists of 21 fun hard working team members. Yes, I am married to Kim (after just 1 date) for 25 years. We are always proud of our 2 girls, Elizabeth & Christina. I have learned several things in building Dr Soda. One is that size definately does not matter. It is about quality, at least in my mind. We Are Now A Company Of Over $4,000,000 In sales. The Growth Of Our Company Has Been Slow And Steady So As Not To Loose Focus Of What We Do & Who We Do It For. If it comes to the point of not being fun, I will stop doing this and shut the doors, but for now, I am having a blast!