Cheer Up With Food

I had the pleasure of previewing an upcoming comedy-drama film, The Hundred-Foot Journey , which will be released on August 8, 2014.  This movie is about the Haji family who moves to a little town in France from India to start a new chapter in their lives by opening up a restaurant right across a Michelin -starred French restaurant owned by Madame Mallory ( Helen Mirren ).  Even before the family opens up their restaurant, their rival, Madame Mallory, stirs up the competition. The way food was brought up throughout the film was sentimental. Some of the characters in this film cook food with such passion due to the influences and memories of loved ones who were a big part of their lives.  It made me think about the fond memories I've shared with people over delicious meals. Hopefully if you watch this film it will conjure up similar feelings.  Other than feeling sentimental, you will learn a bit about Indian and French cuisine! The official trailer:

Winter in Venice 2012 To all my food and wine enthusiasts out there, if you're planning on visiting The Las Vegas Strip in a couple months, there's definitely an event you must check out!  On December 5 to 8, 2013, The Venetian and The Palazzo will feature a four-day event, La Cucina Italiana Food & Wine Festival .  This event will be a part of Winter in Venice , a holiday festival.  La Cucina will feature Chef Mario Batali , Buddy Valastro , Dario Cecchini , Wolfgang Puck , Roberto Caporuscio , and Anthony Giglio . These four days will be packed of culinary events such as dining with Wolfgang Puck, how to make Italian treats, wine pairings with Carmelo Messina and Anthony Giglio, and a truffle hunt: Click to enlarge For more information on this event or suite packages , please visit http://www.venetian.com/winterinvenice  or call 866.641.7469 or 702.414.9000.

#JBFTASTEAMERICA To all you food enthusiasts out there,  The James Beard Foundation's Taste America  will be hosting the  "Local Flavor from Coast to Coast" a traveling food festival coming to 10 cities this year.  It will be coming to my hometown, Las Vegas, on September 27th and September 28th. Taste America will showcase culinary all-stars and public events exploring the unique range of local cuisines in Las Vegas along with nine other cities including Boston, Chicago, LA, Miami, NYC, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. The Taste America culinary agenda for Las Vegas includes (more details TBA): Friday, 9/27/13 10 AM-  Sur La Table at Fashion Show Mall .  This event will feature in-store chef appearances, cooking demonstrations, tastings from local artisans and producers and a special cooking demonstration and book signing with Masaharu Morimoto at 2pm. The Taste America Vehicle- The official Taste America vehicle wi...

A few days ago, California Pizza Kitchen  announced their partnership with Colby Red , a red wine whose proceeds support charities that promote heart health.  Colby Red is specifically a California cuvee of Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot , Petite Sirah , Shiraz , &  Zinfandel .  This sounds like a wonderful blend and definitely good for the heart! This wine was inspired by Colby Groom who endured two back to back heart surgeries as a child.  He enlisted his father, a winemaker, to create a wine that raises money to help others. To hear more about this story, check out this YouTube video .  After watching this video I was moved: CPK will serve Colby Red on their menu (by the glass and bottle) at all their locations through the end of April. Also CPK has also pledged to donate up to $10,000 to charities focused on heart health this year (very nice!). In other news, CPK's Valentine's Day menu will be available for four days from 2/14 thro...

Check out my first podcast!  Here I talk about my recommendation of Kabuto: Mystery Meet Podcast Episode 19 .

I made a  Cheer Up With Food Google+ Page , check it out!

If you choose to stay at the Wynn and have 'Visa Signature' across your Visa card , then you're in luck! There's a special offer from the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection which is currently giving out a $200 dining complimentary credit for those Visa card holders!  If you've read my previous post about eating great quality foods from Pizza Place, imagine the other Wynn restaurants you can eat at with that dining credit! Other perks that come with this offer: • Guaranteed best available rate • Automatic room upgrade upon arrival, when available • Complimentary continental breakfast • 3PM check-out, when available • VIP Guest status • $25 food or beverage voucher • Free in-room Internet or Valet parking For more info visit:  http://www. visasignaturehotels.com/wynn  

Here's some photos I took with my new Nikon camera! I'm starting to get used to the basic handling this DSLR camera now: Malasadas  from  Ohana Hawaiian BBQ Malasada close up Cucumber Sandwiches by Danica Gentleman Jack by Jack Daniel Distillery Shrimp Cocktail

I recently got a Nikon D3100 !!  All thanks to my better half!  A lot of my food photos will definitely look different now... Be prepared to drool! I'm new to using a DSLR camera and have to practice taking shots. So it may take awhile until I post photos from this camera.