Posts Tagged ‘slow food’

Posted on August 21, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Holistic Mom Power!

Bringing a new face into the world makes it a whole lot brighter…but a lot more worrisome too.

What’s in that bubble bath? Is that burger grass fed? Is that car seat in correctly? Is he/she eating/drinking/sleeping/smiling enough?

Mamma mia is right!

Holistic Moms to the Rescue!

Holistic Moms Network is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization connecting parents who are interested in holistic health and green living. (Dads are welcome too by the way!).

For $45 a year, you gain access to a Holistic Moms Network chapter meeting near you. This network of like-minded people beats at the heart of your membership. Membership includes a slew of benefits, but I particularly like the FREE digital subscriptions to Mothering and Organic Spa Magazines in addition to the Wise-E Mom E-Magazine that HMN publishes. The HealthE Mama News is free to all.

What is Holistic?

Here’s how HMN puts it:

Holistic living is the art of living in balance with ourselves and our environment. Understanding and respecting that all things are interconnected is at the heart of a holistic lifestyle.

Holistic living is about taking responsibility for our actions and choices in the knowledge that these choices have consequences for all living things on the planet.

If that sounds good to you, consider the Holistic Moms Network. And as always, we welcome your ideas and comments on living life naturally, organically and happily right here!

Read More: Baby Love: Keeping Toxins at Bay

Posted on April 15, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Develop a ‘Person-All’ Care Routine!

“In my book, the word ‘rush’ is a four letter word.”

I overheard a woman saying this today as she got a neck and shoulder rub in the ‘Whole Body’ section of my local Whole Foods.

Easy for her to say! She has time for a mid-day rub down!

Relaxation Reality Check

As the day wore on, I thought more about ‘rushing’ as villain. Foodies have embraced the ‘no rush’ philosophy with the Slow Food Movement – a global collective of people devoted to relishing every bite they eat while recognizing and celebrating the origins of their food. They aim to counteract both fast food – and fast life.

Clearly, a similar philosophy is needed when it comes to personal care!  The term ‘personal care’ itself needs a makeover; it needs to include a full-throttle enjoyment of cleansing, moisturizing, and spritzing, as well as include making time for restorative ‘do nothing’ time.

It’s time to redefine Personal Care as Person-All Care, a bath and beauty routine that takes the whole body, mind and soul into consideration. Here’s some tips:

• Schedule Relaxation: It sounds contradictory, but if you clearly schedule a half hour or more for meditation, deep breathing or just ‘chill time’ to your favorite music in a relaxing environment, you’ll make the time for it.
• Take a Bath: Bathing is therapeutic for both body and mind. Schedule one at least once a week – if not more – and you’ll feel stress melt away.
• Treat Yourself: You don’t have to spend a fortune at a fancy spa for a massage to indulge yourself. The aforementioned neck and shoulder massage at Whole Foods costs $1 a minute…so for 15 minutes and 15 bucks, you can get a 15 minute pick-me-up that will last all day!
• Breathe We breathe all day – but not the deep cleansing breathes that really detox and distress. Breathe deeply Follow these 5 steps to maximize your deep breathing:

1. Lie down or sit in a chair.
2. Rest your hands on your stomach.
3. Slowly count to four and inhale through your nose. Feel your stomach rise. Hold it for a second.
4. Slowly count to four while you exhale through your mouth. To control how fast you exhale, purse your lips like you’re going to whistle. Your stomach will slowly fall.
5. Repeat five to 10 times.

Let us know what’s on your agenda to enhance your Person-All Care routine!

Posted on March 13, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Cooking with Lavender

We’ve waxed on about the soothing, healing power of lavender in your bath, on your skin and as stress-reliving aromatherapy

It’s time to talk about spreading the lavender love around your kitchen. Read on for recipes ranging from Peppered Lavender Beef to Lavender Chocolate Bars to a yummy Lavender Syrup!

Lavender: An Incredible, Edible Flower

Cooking with edible flowers goes back as far as Roman times. Lavender provides a sweet, floral flavor, with lemon and citrus notes. Thanks to its strong scent and flavor, a little goes a long way. Choose organic lavender flowers – they are the safest, healthiest way to cook with lavender.

Lavender: Savory and Sweet

There’s a bouquet of ways that lavender contributes to culinary delights.

On the savory side, lavender adds delicate flavor to pastries, meats, beverages and more.  The secret to success when using edible flowers is to keep the dish simple – don’t use too many other flavors that will overpower the delicate taste of the flower. Here are some top tips for savory success with lavender;

• Substitute lavender in place of rosemary in any recipe.
• Bake scones or shortbread and infuse the cream with dried lavender flowers or press the flowers through a sieve with the flour
• Go all out:  try making Peppered Lavender Beef using Organic Lavender Flowers– and let us know how it turns out!

Not only is lavender an interesting ingredient in sweets, it adds a colorful visual accent. For lavender’s sweet side, you can…

• Sprinkle lavender in a glass of champagne for a sweet flavor and gorgeous garnish
• Bake it  into sweets, like this Lavender Chocolate Bar recipe. This recipe also makes an unusual gift idea!
• Make a syrup with dried lavender flowers and use it to sweeten limeade, lemonade or iced tea, or pour over berries, warm cake, pancakes ice cream and more!

Lovely Lavender Syrup:

• 1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons dried lavender blossoms

Mash 1/3 cup sugar and lemon peel in small bowl to blend well. (Lemon sugar can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.)

Bring 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, honey, and lavender to boil in heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until lavender flavor is pronounced, about 3 minutes. Strain syrup into small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature. Rewarm syrup before continuing.)

Recipe via Epicurious.com

Please report back if you try any of these recipes and your fellow lavender enthusiasts know how it went!

Posted on March 17, 2009 - by napavalleybath

Understanding Green

I haven’t stopped thinking about my visit to the country….and the people who I met.  When I think back, I feel as if it were all a dream…people don’t really live like that anymore.   But then I glance up and see the tin of extra virgin olive oil that they generously bestowed on me as I was leaving and realize….it was not a dream…it was real…..actually more real then any real I have known before…and that is why it feels like a dream.

I have to say my thoughts are not all pleasant….there is the beauty of the experience but there is also a nagging…you know when something just doesn’t feel right but you’re not quite sure why….that’s it…that’s the feeling that is shrouding the experience……at first I thought it might have been the pigeon as I still can’t look one in the eye…but then I quickly realized that it was more then that….much more then that….my thoughts kept bringing me back to green….sustainability.

We are a world that is yearning to be green….fighting for the survival of our planet.  We are recycling…buying local…using solar…..downgrading our cars…..and buying very cool shopping bags to carry our groceries home.  You hear individuals almost bragging about how green they are…..and businesses, including ours, let everyone know they are green…it’s everywhere…hey look at me….I’m green.  And on this farm, in the Tuscan countryside, it was no where.  There were no color coded recycling bins….no “green is the new black” stickers on the windows…and no assortment of groovy grocery bags hanging in the kitchen….no….none of that.  There was no talk at the table of “sustainability” or  “green” practices….there was just laughter….and love…and the best vin santo I have ever tasted.

And as I sat on the wrong train going home that day, I began to process it all….the pigs in the pens…and the pigs on the salt table…the chicken and pigeons feathered and hanging in the room off the kitchen…for tomorrow’s dinner…..the ten “tail ends” of the pig hanging in the other room off of the dining room….with names on each…as its divided among the neighbors…and the same with the salami….there was the huge clump of pig lard hanging to be used to moisturize hands, gloves and boots….ah…and of my favorite…the attic….where the wine was kept…with the vin santo…and the grappa….in old wooden barrels crusted over with dried juices dating back 63 years….and the drying mats for the figs….so beautifully made….and the jar of anice that is sprinkled on the figs when they dry….the figs were so sweet..like candy…yet soft enough to almost melt in your mouth….yes, I thought about all of this….and the eggs in the basket in the dining room….one with chicken eggs, one with turkey…and the cavolo nero….a green that grows wild in their fields…that they picked that day for our salad…and the milking cows….laying in the sun….yes, all of this went through my head on the wrong train home.

The wrong train?….oh crap…the wrong train!…as I came back to the scene outside my window, I realized that I was leaving the City that I loved so much….and…ah….that I lived in..oh man…I’m on the wrong train….I jumped off at the next stop, figuring a train would be going the other way…right?…ya just not for quite some time….and the station was desolate…I only hoped I had it right this time…

And so I sat….just me and my tin of olive oil…..with the sun beginning to fade and the air beginning to chill…and as I sat on the bench…completely alone…overlooking Florence and its countryside…..my thoughts ran right back to my new friends…

Isn’t it ironic that we cry for green yet we allow a life style that is truer to green then anything most of us will ever know, die out.  Yes…die out.  We are not allowing the most sustainable to be sustained.  There is a myriad of reasons why their infrastructure is breaking down but the bottom line is that it becomes less and less feasible to live a sustainable lifestyle….even for people who have lived this way for generations.  There is something so ironic about this….something so wrong.  We should be celebrating these people…learning from them…and the past…..doing what we can to ensure their lifestyle will continue…so we can continue.

Honestly, I think we may be too busy shopping at whole foods…and our local farmers market…and looking cool with the latest green bag….to notice….and I am speaking to myself so please don’t get offended….but that day, in the Tuscan countryside,  I noticed…and I cannot forget…no matter how many glasses of Chianti that I consume…I cannot forget…and I don’t want to forget…I want to grab hold of every piece of that farm, that existence, those people…and not let them go…it’s something carnal…as if I have awakened a part of me…that we all must have….that yearns for the simplicity of this existence….I want to go back…and sleep beneath the hanging prosciutto, in the room with the attic to the elixir of course…and wake up at sunrise…and well..I don’t know…whatever you do on a farm first thing…and work hard…with my hands..outside..and eat what grows around me…at a table filled with love and laughter…and ah..yes..vin santo!….and at the end of the day, feel the exhaustion and the satisfaction that comes with a physical days work….and curl up…back under the prosciutto for a peaceful nights rest.

I’m pretty tough…but not that tough.  These people are amazing souls..and they deserve to be supported and sustained.   And although I want to set up camp and live the life of these farmers…and find out everything there is to know about their way of life…and preserve it in some way…I also know that my reality is providing for my family…in the way that I know best….and taking from this a bit more knowledge….and understanding….to not try to be “green” but just try to live in harmony with the earth…using common sense….like they have since the beginning of time.

And as the right train pulls up to the station….I grab my tin of extra virgin olive oil, climb on board and sit quietly close to the door.  I watch the City of Florence as it slowly comes back into view….while the last heat from the setting sun warms my face…I smile….it feels good to be home.

Posted on March 4, 2009 - by napavalleybath

Dove è coltivate?

Dove e cotivate?…..an Italian sentence that I’ve mastered….it rolls off of my tongue just like non parlo italiano….you have to start somewhere…..

Where is it grown?  Yes…I’ve been knee deep in Slow Food Nation again….it’s a slow read as it is an intense book….the stories are great…..the technical parts are painful for me as spending too much time in my left brain can prove hazardous to my health…but I know…this is real….and I want to understand it all….even if I have to read one page a night to absorb this….we have a huge responsibility to rebuild our planet….on all levels….and it can’t happen if we are not willing to do the hard work….gain the understanding….knowledge…and then apply it to our choices in the marketplace.

The book brings out some very interesting points to ponder….one in particular that has made me reflect is that we need to pay attention to the carbon footprint of the product we are buying….and perhaps organic zucchini grown in Mexico has a bigger footprint then a zucchini that is locally grown….but not necessary organic.  Don’t get me wrong…I’m not an advocate of eating pesticides but there are so many farmers who farm without sprays, etc…but cannot afford to get the certification of organic.  So…dig a little deeper into the stories of your food…

I have to admit that I used to buy zucchini at Sunshine Market that was organic…it was from Mexico (that is why I used that example)…and it always felt a bit odd…but I wanted organic…..aha…..I want I want……I never gave thought to the resources that were used to transport it to our market….

Another example of my ignorance…we have been buying the most amazing apples from Elizabetta…the kids are devouring them…..the other day….after I learned my new sentence…I asked Elizabetta, “Dove e coltivate?”  She looked at me with a confused look as most Italians do when I try to speak their language…..so I said it again….very slowly….”Dove e coltivate….le mele?”  and she again looked as if I just told her that her mother was ugly….so finally I said….”grown…mela…dove grown?”  She laughed and said “ah…….”…and then she got a squimish look on her face….”ah….those come from Argentina….they are not in season here so we have to get them from Argentina.”….my heart sank……and I could tell she was not proud to give me that information…..as the majority of things in her shop are local….and the best…and I know just by all of my encounters with here that she believes in local…..but she’s in business…..I get that…and she has to give the people what they want….so she can survive…..and as a small business owner, I know how she feels.  But herein lies the problem my friends….we are each others own enemy….don’t demand…she won’t have to carry….and the planet wins….the only loser is the “ego” that WANTS an apple.

So I went home…with my dieci (10) Argentinian apples and announced to the girls….these apples are from Argentina…..and they both looked at me…..wide eyed….”but mom…we have virtually no carbon footprint here compared to home” Kaelin cries, “ In our biology class last year, we had the second highest carbon footprint of anyone in the class….can’t we just eat the apples since we don’t have our suv?!” she joked.   I stayed quiet for a few minutes as I pondered the whole situation….I try not to be fanatical about things…but this is real….our planet is suffering and we need to do whatever we can with the knowledge we have to support its recovery…..our habits need to change…..it isn’t really about the 10 apples….buts its about the priniciple…how can I be an advocate for our planet and then make choices that don’t reflect that…I believe that’s called hyprocrisy.

hypocrisy |hiˈpäkrisē|
noun ( pl. -sies)
the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform; pretense.

Yes….that is hypocrisy.

Why is it such a big deal?  If I continue to demand things that are not in season…nor grown locally…then I will be feeding the supply…I will be supporting a market that is not healthy for our planet.  I don’t want to be on that team…nor do I want to set that example for my girls.  Is it a pain in the butt to believe that we, as individuals, have impact?…oh yea it is!  But one thing we tend to overlook is the emotional and (I believe), spiritual impact that good choices have on your being…much more satisfying then the fleeting sensation of a sweet apple.  (and I had NO intention of tying this in with good and evil….hmmm )….so if we can just get past ourselves and our ego and receive the real goodness that comes from that then it will be all down hill from there…

And…please…don’t get overwhelmed or fall into the “my small choices don’t really matter” club….just break it down…one ingredient at a time….and next time you pick up a food product in your local store….ask yourself that tough question……Dove e coltivate?  And make the right choices..for yourself…and your planet.

Oh…and about the apples….the kids have never asked for them again….although I’d like to believe that I have molded them into teenage advocates for the planet….I think it may have more to do with the discovery of the oldest gelato shop in Florence…just 3 blocks away…..lots of footprints there…but they are mainly ours leading to and from our apartment!

Posted on February 11, 2009 - by napavalleybath

The Pursuit of Real Food

As we sat down to eat dinner on Monday night, the girls asked me what I did all day….I thought about my day, laughed and said, “Today I was in the pursuit of food!”

Over the weekend we moved into a new apartment….a whole other series of stories….the apt we were in was 400 sq. feet…a temporary dwelling until we could figure out where the kids friends and life would be centered….we lived in the best neighborhood…right off of what I always called “rodeo drive”…..a few doors down from the Gucchi Store and across the street from the Robert Cavalli Boutique and Cafe….although we were a bit tight in our space, we learned the value of a warm and inviting building and landlords, a “hood” with everything you could want, and the joy of endless sleepovers ….as our kitchen and living room became our bedroom at night….

I began searching for a new place weeks ago….stumbled upon a lot of beautiful large apts in different parts of town but most were dated and I never got “the feeling”……. then one day…when my hope was fading….I inquired about a flat…it was way over my budget if you calculated the weekly rate but I thought I’d give it a shot….after all….with the economy…a long term renter….and good ones at that…..maybe they would give me a break……and sure enough….they came down in to my price range….well..I had yet to see the place so I was still doubtful….the girls wanted to go see this one so we booked at apt for the weekend.

…. as we were having lunch and eagerly anticipating seeing this new prospect, I warned the girls not to get their hopes up….the places are usually dated and not “dreamy” by any stretch….it was cold and rainy and we waited outside for the owner to show….the door of the building opened and out she came….a totally cool chick……she was the architect as well….she and her husband had remodeled three flats in this building and one was just finished……we walked through the large heavy door that is typical of these buildings…. into the hallway that was cold….with high ceilings….and an old lantern hanging that reminded me of  “jack the ripper” …. I knew it…..another old apartment…..up the cold cement steps we stepped…24 steps that is(40 less then our other place)….the owner then  opened another heavy wooden door that went into a tiny space….as we approached I could see two doors within that space…….she waited for us to meet up with her and then opened the door to the right…..she began to apologize for the minor things they had to finish and it would all be done by Sat when we would move in….our jaws collectively dropped….it was beautiful!  It was a loft….and completely remodeled with spectacular taste…..a winding staircase leading to the large loft that holds the bedrooms and bath for the girls and a downstairs with a bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom…..and if that wasn’t enough……..a washer and dryer!!  A place that I dared to imagine but never thought would materialize……we are very grateful for our new home!

So…once again….we are settled….we are on the other side of town….away from my bakery……my grocer…….my routine…..I could dig deep and discover all the treasures on this side of town…..but not today….I am hungry….for familiarity…..for friendliness…..and for good food!

I worked all morning and then grabbed  my big bag and walked a whole 12 minutes over to my grocer….she had not made fagioli beans today but they had received the fresh mozzarella from Sicily…..she knows how much I enjoy her beans so I think she was compelled to let me in on her recipe…….she packaged some of the dried fagiolli beans for me….they are fagiolli but without the skin…I couldn’t understand the full name and I didn’t want to be an idiot so I just went with it…..she said they are better and used more in Tuscany…..I was to take them home and put them in a pot…..fill it up with water as deep as my five fingers…put in one tomato….one piece (clove I assume) of garlic….keeping the skin on(she said that twice so I think that’s important)…..and salt….a few sage leaves and a drizzle of olive oil…..she made a large S in the air as if to say “that much”….

I needed to simmer them for about 2 hours(not the large heat…but the little heat…the beans should not get too hot ….another hand gesture to show me boiling water vs. soft simmer…my assumption is simmer low)……then drain…..and serve with olive oil and salt…..like before.

It’s such a simple recipe but if you pair it with the beautiful accent that permeated every english word….the hand gestures….the yelling at others in the store for english translations….and the joy that she exuded as she shared it with me…it is recipe that I will bring me great joy for the years to come….

I loaded up with fruits and veges…..my fresh mozzeralla….and was sold on a ricotta that she had me taste from the same producer as the Pecorino Cheese that I love…..it just came in from the Chianti region….again….never have I tasted ricotta like this…the softness of the texture matched the flavors that were melting in my mouth…..I couldn’t pass that up….and then a nice slice of the Pecorino Cheese….a favorite….drizzled with our local honey….

My grocer wondered why I was getting so much and I told her we had moved so I’m stocking up….she was so pleased and excited that I am still coming to her shop…..she reminded me of the store hours and that she would have her Ceci tomorrow…..after many ciao grazies I was on my way….stopped at my bakery and picked up some fresh bread…..these olive oil crackers that they make every day that the girls are addicted to….a favoarite pastry that looks like a “doughnut hole” with cream inside…..also addicting…. then I crossed the cobblestone street to the butcher and picked up a petti di pollo (chicken breast) and I was all set.  Loaded down…. I started my trek back to the “other side”!

On my walk back, I started to piece together my dinner….fagiolli beans with olive oil and salt…..chicken breasts and sage….and broccoli and beet greens…..with some “donut holes” for dessert….then… my mind began to wander…as usual…..

I could take you through the maze of my thoughts but I’m afraid…no actually sure…that I will lose you…I sometimes lose myself.  The conclusion of the endless banter in my head was that I was going to start a club…..a club is nothing more then a group of people who share a common interest…..ok….so we have that…..I have had olive oil clubs in the past but it just wasn’t the right time….operationally and creatively we were not ready…….but guess what…..we are now!  Our operation is running beautifully and I have been given the gift of time….to think…..absorb……and create……

The club had several names on the walk home….but I’ve landed on one that fits the origin of the thought….”The Pursuit of Real Food Club”.  A marketing person would have a field day with that…..I know the name has issues…..but so do I……and when I hear the words…..Pursuit of Real Food…..it will bring me back to the dinner table with my kids…explaining my day……and I will draw on that spirit that drove me on that Monday….and then it will get the best of me…..and I will use it to inspire…..all of us……to never compromise on anything that goes into our body (ok maybe a few vices are okay)….so….here we go……

As a 2009 Pursuit of Real Food Club Member you will receive the following:

A.  A quarterly shipment of ingredients and recipes that are centered around the pursuit of real food.  The cost will be a maximum of $60 TOTAL.  This is retail price on our products with FREE shipping.  The first shipment will be on March 1, 2009.

B.  Wholesale pricing (30% discount) on all products for the first quarter of the year….January 1 through March 31…late this year but think to the future!

C.  10% “local” discount during all other months.

D.  Invitations to quarterly Pursuit of Real Food Club Member Only Events….the first one happening in June….centered   around the lavender harvest.

HOW DO YOU SIGN UP?

Go to our website and place a Pursuit of Real Food Club Membership in your cart.

In ordering a Club Membership, you are agreeing to sign up for our Pursuit of Food Club Membership with the first scheduled shipment date of March 1, 2009.  Your credit card will be charged when product is shipped.

Upon shipment of your first package on March 1, 2009, you will be officially set up as a club member and given your wholesale discount codes to use until March 31, 2009.

All membership priveleges will be in effect as long as you are an active member of the Club.

Ciao.  Peggy

Posted on January 30, 2009 - by napavalleybath

L’arte d’arrangiarsi!

Two things you must do if you haven’t done so already…..read
EAT PRAY LOVE…..and watch Babette’s Feast! Sandi, who keeps our St.
Helena store running, gave me EAT PRAY LOVE for a going away
present….I read it quickly and loved it…..and now I am reading the
phase where she was in Italy again…slowly….and literally laughing
out loud….she is very witty…..in one chapter she reveals an
Italian expression that I am now obsessed with….L’arte d’arrangiarsi
- the art of making something out of nothing…”the art of turning a
few simple ingredients into a feast or a few gathered friends into a
festival”…. how great is that? It’s also so true to our brand….on
every level….from the story of the Company…..to the production of
the products….and the emphasis on simple healthy meals…..and the
philosophy of the displays of 100% found objects….something out of
nothing…..and as the book says and I can attest to….you don’t have
to have money to do that! Now….if I could only pronounce it!

Babette’s Feast follows the same story line…..she had a bit of cash,
but the emphasis of the entire movie was on the feast that she
prepared and the connection that came from those gathered around the
table….a connection that they tried to deny at first but could
not….the meal was too powerful….it’s a classic and I’m sure many
of you have seen it….but rent it again….it will remind you of the
simple pleasures we can all partake it….no matter what is happening
around us.

A good life story….I’m not sure how many of you have read this in my
blog but I will quote it here….

“When I traveled with K and Em to Italy many years ago….I think they
were
5 and 7ish……we spent two days in Florence…..we were walking down
a
street and looked in a bar where there were many people having a good
time…..laughing and drinking……and I remember thinking how fun it
looked and having a
bittersweet feeling because of where my life was at that time…..and
as a good girl does when she feels a bit down….I wondered into a
boutique a few doors down and bought a jacket that I really shouldn’t
have….it was a simple light black jacket with “Mosshino” written
in small letters on the bottom….but more important….in larger
font, capitalized, written on the cuff of the sleeve was the word,
“LIFE”….and it had an arrow, which I interpreted as pointing to the
bar….oh no…I mean pointing forward…..I had to have it….it was
my symbol that life was moving forward….it’s amazing how we
rationalize these purchases isn’t it ladies?

Anyway, that was a
great trip but also tough…my first time out of the country and a lot
of
uncertainty in my life at the time….new life with the girls….new
business…new home…new career…in the Napa Valley…

FAST FORWARD to this journey…first day…..our taxi dropped us off
at
our apartment and we settled in. We quickly decided to
explore..turned left out the front door of our building and began to
soak it all in…walked no more then two doors down and looked in at
the jovial sounds
coming from our local bar….I stopped…..and immediately
knew….this was THE
bar….and I looked across the street….and there was the
boutique…..NO
JOKE….Chris was still with me at the time so went into the bar and
had a drink…we made a toast…..because nothing in life is a
coincidence……and I knew at that
point that this journey was a gift…and to enjoy it to its
fullest….no
matter what the days ahead may bring!”

And how does this lead to Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino?….ah
another coincidence is brewing….when I was cleaning my office before
I left I came across a bag of seasonings….Spaghetti aglio, olio e
peperoncino …. I laughed….I had bought them while I was in Italy
with the kids the first time…..they were amazing….and
simple….and I wanted to figure out what it was and being the
capitalist that I am….produce it. Obviously I got a little side
tracked….timing is everything…..so I took them home and started to
do some research….well I didn’t need to go far because this is a
classic Italian dish….not the seasoning secret that I had imagined
would have put my on Oprah….none the less..it was a cool product and
I wanted to make it….so I figured out the combination and then
sourced the best organic garlic, parsley and chili peppers that I
could find….and made the first batch right before I left…..and
it’s a hit!

The blending of the herbs is all done by hand in 5 gallons
batches….Margarita and Lourdes helped me as I made the first
batch….I almost killed us all…the aromas were so intense we
started choking…..eyes watering…the whole nine yards…..so next
attempt…I bought masks….we looked ridiculous but it worked. Since
my departure I’ve heard that they have ditched the masks and are
making smaller batches….but let me warn you…it’s intense!

Once I made it I realized it would be the perfect seasoning to use for
a dipping oil….use our Sevillano Extra Virgin Olive Oil and our 6
Year Old Balsamic with a small amount of the seasoning….it creates
that spicy oil that everyone seems to love…and you know that we
believe it’s better to add your own ingredients for dipping rather
than buying oils with stuff in them…..better quality control…..and
you can also sautee the seasoning in our olive oil and toss it into a
spaghetti….finish it with parmesan cheese and you have a meal!

If you want to check it out, you can go to our website and see the
product…it’s called Dipping Oil Herb Blend
or we put together a kit that is called Attention All You Dippers [

I challenge you now to take some time out of every day and practice
………L’arte d’arrangiarsi!