Things we love...

There is all this hype about a little place called Porchetta here in NYC. We think the sandwich is tasty, but be sure to try the Brooklyn Flee version which is by far tastier than the storefront (it's the bread!). A lot of people have weighed in their opinions on this sandwich- some absolutely love it and some are not impressed, you can Read NY Mags review here. Well we are here to tell you that while we love the sandwich, the real gem at Porchetta is the SALT! Full of Sicilian sea-salt, fennel pollen, fennel seed, sage and other deliciousness it is like magic savory fairy dust and we can not get enough of it! If you live in NYC go get this salt. If you don't live in NYC call a friend and have them go get it for you and pop it in the mail. It is that good. At $6 it is a steal, and don't limit yourself to pork- this stuff is delicious on anything- we love to rub it on chicken before we pop it in the oven, and it is equally good on veggies like brussel sprouts!

Things we love = Porchetta salt rubbed chicken

Vans x Mademe Launch Party

Vans hired me to do some snacks for their launch party for the new colab sneakers with Mademe. The new House of Vans space in Brooklyn is ridiculous and the event was literally "totally off the wall". Performances by Nina Sky and Kelis, live photo booth projection, skateboarders going full throttle out back, confetti fluttering from the ceiling, people decked out in the most amazing outfits you've ever seen and the Calexico boys even rolled in for the pre-party press event. We supplied candy for the bodega style bar set ups and popcorn in black vellum cones and vans cups. I was thrilled to be a part of this event- The House of Vans was poppin'!

Terrariums and Tasty Tidbits

It's Editor's day once again at BPMW agency. Those ladies are always challenging us to prepare simple snacks for their guests with a themed twist. This season they had terrarium building thanks to the lovely girls at Twig Terrariums. Each guest got to make their very own little world in a jar after perusing next seasons must haves. We went with a simple theme: Green! All the usual suspects were there like crudites and herb rolled cheese balls, but we also included some awesome new finds like kiwi berries and toasted split peas. It was a really beautiful spread, and very very green.

I'm still thoroughly obsessed with my tiny terrarium. If you need a gift this holiday season for the person who already has everything- get them a terrarium kit!

Art Show!

Theme Magazine approached me to cater a show they had curated in conjunction with Scion, the show was called "Small is Beautiful" and was based around some really cool dioramas. The entire show was a play on scale so Theme asked me to come up with some food that were large or small. The small menu was served via butlered tray service and we had 2 tables in the back with the larger items. It was a really fun project- my team had a blast!

Small Menu

Miniature Tostada Salads
a tiny corn chip bowl filled with seasoned beef, lettuce, salsa, cheese, sour cream and jalapeno
Mini Falafel
with cucumber, tahini and zhug
Mini "Hostess" Cupcakes
tiny devil's food cakes filled with cream and topped with ganache

Big Menu

6' Long Sandwich Table
fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil and pesto on italian bread hero
Cheese Wheels
whole wheels of cheese served with crackers, crisps and fruit

Derby Birthday Party

We LOVE a themed party, and this one was a doozy!

Derby Day Menu
Benedictine Dip with Veggies and Breadsticks
Pimento Cheese Tartlets with Tomato and Pecans
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Mini Hot Browns
Honey Baked Ham with Biscuits
Coconut Cake

Congrats Baskets!

I was asked to create gift baskets to congratulate three magazine editors on new positions or posts. They were delivered by messenger on one of the first sunny days of spring -- I think they would have been perfect for an impromptu picnic on the Highline (or at their desks)!

I love making gift baskets, and I always want to fill them with some usual suspects (sweets, baked goods) along with a mix of unusual items to make it all a little more personal.

These are a great way to say thanks, sorry, feel better, congrats or happy anything, anytime.

I work with all budgets and for all occasions - email me!

Gift basket #1 -- Fashion Editor, Lucky magazine

Contents in a chartreuse bicycle basket:

2 cans Sofia Blanc de Blanc

Mexican chocolate brownies

Chocolate chunk cookies

Handmade sourdough pretzels

Vintage candy

Tiny Japanese eraser

Pretty cocktail napkins

Miniature potted pansy

Party popper!

Gift basket #2 -- Fashion Editor, Esquire magazine

Contents in a wooden crate:

Fifth of Jameson Irish Whisky

Mexican chocolate brownies

Chocolate chunk cookies

Handmade sourdough pretzels

Vintage candy

Spicy, artisinal beef jerkey

Japanese twin ice ball tray

Miniature potted pansy

Party popper!

Gift basket #3 -- Editor-in-Chief, W magazine

Contents in a Shaker picnic basket:

Split of Prosecco

Mexican chocolate brownies

Chocolate chunk cookies

Handmade sourdough pretzels

Vintage candy

Frank Lloyd Wright cocktail napkins

Party popper!

The finishing touches....

BPMW Editor's Day Spring 2010

WILD STYLE!

I was asked to provide snacks and refreshments for editors day at BPMW again this season. The men's wear pr showroom hosts editors from leading magazines, plus stylists for hour-long appointments to preview collections. This time they were showing A/W 2010 and went with a wilderness theme, inspired by all the Americana and plaid running through the collections. With invites that said "Wild Style" the showroom was then decked out with taxidermy and tree branches a la The Blair Witch Project.

I decided to make two platters, put out in the early afternoon for continuous grazing. One with fruit, cheese, crudite and the other with cheese, crackers and assorted meats. I used some nice greens to line the platters and tin cans to hold the breadsticks and meats for an outdoorsy/camping feel. Crowd favorites were the spicy beef jerkey I hunted down in Chinatown and a local buffalo wing-style, sharp cheddar from Yancey's Fancy Cheese

I also made Black Forest cupcakes - dark chocolate with pastry cream and sour cherries with ganache frosting. I piped a cute little cherry on top of each one. I stirred up a huge bowl of whiskey sour punch with floating blood orange slices and a fun time was had by all.

Brownie SOS!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies

After eating one of my Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies at the (capsule) trade show, one of the buyers from Bloomingdales said she couldn't stop thinking about them. Of course I told her about my special home delivery service and a batch was baked, carefully packaged and sent over to her place. These brownies were created out of my love for Mexican Ibarra chocolate, and they are mighty tasty. Email me if you want some to share with friends, or all for yoursef!

All dressed up and ready to go

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I was asked to make some St. Patty's Day snacks for an office party. I pushed the green theme as far as I could while remaining fresh and yummy without being over-the-top. I was really happy with the results:

Mini chocolate cupcakes with green vanilla buttercream

Green goddess dip with green and white crudite

basil chicken salad in pastry cups

Compass Tradeshow

I was asked to provide afternoon snacks for the vendors and buyers at the Compass trade show here in NYC. It took place on the ground floor of the Puck Building on Lafayette St Monday and Tuesday. I decided to keep it very simple and make a few yummy treats that people would like to grab quickly after a hard day of wheeling and dealing on the show floor. 'Switch was there providing sandwiches for lunch and the cafe Bustelo girls were there hawking nice strong cups of espresso and cappuccino. I set up shop on the Puck building's long, antique wooden bar in the north side of the first floor. I brought along an amazing antique sterling tray that I found in Brimfield many years ago and displayed a sample of each tasty treat on a little doily. All the stock was individually wrapped in cello bags to take on the go. The first day went so well that they asked me to bring breakfast the next day too, so I whipped up some apple bran muffins at 5am and headed down to one of my favorite spots Kossar's Bialys, a real old school NYC joint and picked up a few dozen bagels. A big crew from Nordstrom were there super early and they were hungry!

For sale were my Mocha S'mores Brownies, 7-Layer Bars, tiny Zucchini Loaves, Monster Cookies, bags of Candied Spiced Nuts, Mini Vanilla Cupcakes with Marshmallow Buttercream, and Mini Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes.

*Compass photos via Freshnessmag.com

*Food photos by Jacob Krupnik