Chelsea Market

If you happen to stumble into the the west end meat packing district of NYC you must make your way into Chelsea market! Built amongst the crumbs of an old cookie factory, Chelsea market has some of the best bakeries, chocolate stores, fish markets that NY has to offer!
Great to spend a slow afternoon and watch the bustle of people coming in to grab a coffee and fresh pastry
Delicious!

A~

Food truck heaven

While strolling down NYC we had to stop and taste the latest fad that is food trucks.... And if you haven't watched an episode of "Eat Street" get on that... Some of the food varieties out of trucks are amazing! Anyways, needless to say the 3 of us needed to check them out for ourselves! Enter taco and cupcakes! We were so excited they actually have great flavor and varieties, who knew!

Those where the only two we tried however we did see our far share of unique food truck cuisine from specialty cakes and cheesecakes to breakfast special sandwiches eggs Benny to Indian, Japanese, etc etc...
Too bad it flopped in Toronto it's a great concept and something to definitely chat about!

~A

New York the food mecca of the world

New York, my second city home. It's true when people say you fall in love with that city more and more each and every time you go. I went over mid December with some friends for shopping and of course eating! What better way to share vacation time and adventure stories than over food at NYC foodie specialties. I fell in LOvE with an Italian's heaven "Eataly" located in the flat iron district, this italian's north American dream is set up as a marketplace where you can stroll in and get home made pasta made daily, fresh meat and fish, all the finest in olive oils, Italian imported ingredients, cheese emporiums and bakeries bakeries bakeries....and at the back a small resto where all these delicious foods come together. Needless to say you will be salivating from entry to exit!

Walking through the aisles brought me back to my days and the ingredients my Nonna's would use and the stories that accompanied the meals and recipes. That is what Eataly gave me. A nostalgic reenactment of the days I would watch all these ingredients, foods and meals using all the familiar foods around me come together by the ones that are now gone. This place brought me back to the basement kitchens of my family home and the memories and stories we shared and that will always be remembered

Happy memories
A~

Dinner Party Friends...

Once a month four food loving friends get together for wine, cooking and sharing it all together. The concept is we each get a course and bring the ingredients to the hosts home and we all cooking together.

There has been everything from homemade pasta, homemade ice cream, salad rolls, pork chops, decadent appetizers. More and more and more....... What makes these nights so special is the passion we all have for great food and the company of great friends! Our food is from local organic farms and farmer markets. Our ideas are from the enthusiasm we have for trying new things!
Photos taken from the last dinner party!

Stay tuned for more !

Self Entertaining ....over macaroons!

The last Sunday in October and it is a beautiful one. I rarely have "me" time and decided to indulge in some freshly baked macaroons and tea. I also realized why I keep myself so busy (20 minutes with my inner monologue is killer). But anyhow, it's so beautiful to see the streets bustling with people. And it's also nice to take some time for you. Enjoy you and breathing in things around you. It is food that brings people together but it's also brining together a sense of peace in yourself. It's good to share self experiences once and a while. Reflect on life and oneself. ... And over 3 delicious macaroons is definitely not hard!

If anyone is in the Queen west area pass into Nadege for some tasty treats.

Happy eating and self reflecting

~A.

The ITALIAN Wedding

What comes to mind when thinking of an Italian wedding.... The FOOD!

Just recently I celebrated my beautiful sister's wedding... which turned out almost 400 hungry Italians ready to see the spread and compare to other previous weddings.  Well my Mom did not disappoint!  To start off we had about a 100 Meter long antipasto bar (pictured below) that brought everything from meats, cheeses, clams, oysters, shrimp, sushi, grilled veggies, fruit, risotto, lobster, crab legs.... that this was before the 5 course meal!!
In my opinion I think this is a great idea to keep people moving and entertained while waiting for the wedding party to set up and prepare for their grand entrance!  already filled from the antipasto... we had homemade pasta, sausage, chicken, vegetables,potato's, salad, dessert... etc.

What is so special about this was the conversation, laughs, jokes and special memories shared by all there that night!  this is the meaning for a wedding.  The celebration, and coming together over a great meal with amazing family and friends surrounding you.

12 AM strikes and out comes the pizza, cakes, cookies, chocolate, meat, fruit, pastries.... and more... needless to say there were a lot of left overs to bring home!

despite all the deliciousness from the night... I did not eat a stitch as I was so nervous for my speech and simply watched how much food people can consume in one sitting. :)

Congrats to my sister and I am so happy to be Italian!

A~