FAB food = FAB party!

I'm a foodie. I can really appreciate good food, especially with a glass of wine. Mmmmmm, to me, that's better than a spa session! Okay, maybe just as good. My husband was just commenting the other day how much money we spend on dining out every month. He's right, but I told him that yummy food makes me relax and de-stress. It's like therapy, but I don't depend on it to feel good. I just appreciate good food, did I say that already?

Being the foodie that I am, I certainly couldn't resist when Josh of Joshua Charles Catering invited me to do a private tasting...especially since his new tasting room is literally 2 miles away from my office!

I first met Josh at my good friends Nancy Liu Chin and Kevin Chin's home a few years ago. He was the caterer for a dinner party that they threw, and I remember loving the food back then already! It wasn't until recently did Josh and I reconnect, and I'm so glad he reached out to me.

Josh and his team created a fabulous menu for my tasting that day, and ofcourse I had to take photos to share on my blog!!

Here was the menu:

Butter lettuce with raspberry vinaigrette, Humboldt fog goat cheese, and homemade herb cracker

Arctic Char with artichoke confit, roasted oyster mushrooms, and asparagus jus

Roasted free range chicken with mashed potatoes, sautéed rapini and poultry glaze

Strawberry vol-au-vent with vanilla bean ice cream

I was really impressed with the food. Many of my clients frown when they hear 'chicken' as an option for their wedding menu, but let me tell you.....when you have a fabulous caterer like Joshua Charles, the word 'chicken' is no longer ordinary. The chicken that I had that day was sooooo tender and juicy, and just simply delicious!

Many people look forward to weddings for the food. I really think that having fabulous food at a wedding is a surefire way to make your guests happy. I see it all the time! When you discuss your menu with your caterer, you want to be creative. Picking the 'safest' options may not always be the best way to go. Last year, I worked with a client who wanted to go 'safe' with the menu because many of the guests were traveling here from the midwest. After some encouragement from me, and their caterer, we had a semi-adventurous menu that really gave their guests a true California culinary experience. Their guests LOVED all the food, from the sushi station to the duck entree. They couldn't stop talking about it! People like to experience what they normally wouldn't get to experience if they were to dine out on their own. So, don't be afraid to be a little adventurous!

Joshua Charles is available for weddings and other events of pretty much all sizes. They are still a 'best kept secret' right now, but I have a feeling that pretty soon, you would need to act fast to book them for your special event!

Unveiling the newest Ritz-Carlton Resort

When I first heard that a brand new Ritz-Carlton resort would be opening up in Lake Tahoe, I just knew it would be spectacular.

Lake Tahoe + Ritz-Carlton? It's too good to be true!

When I think of Lake Tahoe, I think of many summers jetskiing in the lake and many winters skiing down the powdery slopes.

When I think of Ritz-Carlton, I think of five star everything.

How can that not be a match made in heaven? Luxury experience at a location that already promises scenic beauty, super fun activities year round, and plenty of R & R for the discriminating traveler.

Yesterday night, I had the pleasure of attending an exclusive pre-opening party for this newest luxury hotel in Lake Tahoe, to be unveiled December 2009. It was hosted at one of the best restaurants in the city--Jardiniere by the very talented Traci Des Jardins. This party not only celebrated the upcoming opening of the newest Ritz Carlton resort, but also the partnership between the hotel and Traci for the new restaurant that she will run there.

The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe is situated mid-mountain in the Northstar-at-Tahoe ski area with ski-in, ski-out access and a mountain gondola connecting guests to its nearby Village at Northstar. From spa treatments to skiing to golfing to fine dining, this hotel promises an uncompromising experience to even the most discriminating traveler.

So....how does all this translate into the world of weddings? Well, where there is a Ritz-Carlton there will be weddings, and I mean extraordinary weddings. Ritz-Carlton Highlands is no exception. With ballrooms that feature beautiful scenic views, amazing culinary creations, and five star Ritz-Carlton service, couples can now look forward to planning their dream wedding at this exquisite location.

Below are some renderings of the hotel design. I am planning a hard hat tour of the property this summer, and will be sure to post pictures and updates after that!

Guest Blogger: Kevin Chin

I am super excited to feature my second guest blogger today--Kevin Chin of Kevin Chin Photography. I have known Kevin for many years, and he continues to amaze me with his photography which truly captures the timeless essence of weddings. I love working with him because he really makes people feel at ease in front of the camera, with his soft spoken and easy going nature. Once you get to know him, he also keeps you laughing with his great sense of humor! When I was pregnant, Kevin took some amazing photos of my husband and I, along with my sister (who was also pregnant at the same time) and her husband. At nearly 8 months along then, I didn't feel quite so beautiful (or mobile) but Kevin was able to make me relax and feel my best in front of the camera. We loved how the photos came out--definitely classic and timeless just like we wanted them to be.

Ever since my daughter was born, my husband and I have purchased 2 DSLR cameras, in hopes to get the most amazing photographs of every living, breathing moment of our little princess. But, it didn't quite happen that way because we didn't know how to operate such a complicated piece of equipment! In talking to other parents, they felt the same way....that they often just relied on the auto feature to do its work. That seems to defeat the purpose of such an expensive purchase though! What to do then?? Perhaps it's time to call upon an expert....

Here is Kevin...

We all know the importance of hiring a professional photographer for life’s many important events. Milestone events such as a wedding only happy once. You don’t have a second chance if the photos don’t turn out well. Children grow up so fast and these precious moments need to be captured by a professional. Once they grow up, the will never be at that precious stage again and hopefully you have professional photos to always remember those moments.

But what about the times when you don’t have a professional photographer. There are many consumer cameras out there that you can purchase and the all take great photos. Digital photography has made it very easy for anyone to pick up a camera and start taking photos. Of course the disappointment comes when you realize the photos you take don’t always look like professional quality. Have you ever taken a photo that looks like this?

By simply adjusting the camera’s aperture to allow more of the background lighting to show, you can improve your photo to look something like this.

Both of these photos were taken with a “point & shoot” consumer camera. I know a lot of you own DSLR cameras and many of you are not making full use of your camera’s potential. Are you one of those that put the camera on “auto” and never learned to use any of the camera’s “manual” or “semi-manual” modes? Do all of those controls confuse you? The last thing you want to do is miss “the moment” as you fiddle with your camera.

If this describes you, I am offering an introductory photography class that I will be teaching later this summer. The goal of this class is to greatly improve you photos by better understanding you camera and using it to it’s fullest potential. It will be taught in a very non-techie, easy to understand format. I will announce the dates for my class and other details soon so check back to Jubilee’s blog regularly. You can also contact me at kchin@kevinchin.com.

Day 8: {Cannes, France}

Today was our final port day, and we were thrilled to get a flavor of France here. We've seen and heard so much about Cannes whenever we watch the coverage of the annual Cannes Film Festival on television, so needless to say, we were excited to know that we will get glimpses of the pre-setup today since the festival will officially start next Tuesday. I was disappointed that we wouldn't get to be at the actual festival, but Alan convinced me it was just as cool to see the setup.

Cannes was every bit as beautiful as we remembered it to be on television, with a beachfront that seemed to go on forever. Indeed, much of the sandy beaches were closed as the immense effort of setting up for such a huge event was in progress. We saw tent after tent, stages, and even the red carpet being laid out in the opening theatre! It was hard to believe that in just a few days, stars like Brad Pitt and George Clooney may be walking on that very red carpet!

I felt rushes of adrenaline as I watched the crew setup the stages and lighting...imagining the logistics involved in pulling off an event at this caliber.

As we strolled down the shoreline, we decided to find a totally different type of transportation for ourselves today. So far we've tried the segway, bicycle, small taxi, taxi van, tour bus, and a convertible. What else is left? Leave it to my husband to suggest a motorcycle! Let me share a little secret with you. My sweet, quiet husband is actually a die hard biker! He has owned a sports bike for many years and have taken it down to race tracks to get his bit of adrenaline rush. That's probably his number one hobby...one that he hopes to pass on to our daughter!

I agreed it would be fun to rent a motorcycle since the weather continued to be just PERFECT (May seems to be the best month for Europe travel!) and a ride along the coast sounded tempting. After asking around a few locals, we finally found a company that rented scooters which was as close to a sports bike as we could get in short notice! My hubby was okay to settle with that, thank God! I hated having to wear a helmet, but safety comes first for me these days.

I had a great ride to Nice, which is north of Cannes, and being in the backseat of the scooter reminded me of the days when I first met my hubby and he used to take me for rides on his sports bike all the time! So nostalgic....I was loving every minute of it, except when he started going over 70 mph and I had to remind him this was not a sports bike.

When we got to Nice, we stopped first at their local farmer's market and just roamed around a bit watching the locals do their grocery shopping. I just love experiencing the life of locals in a foreign country.

After that, we drove down to the beach and found a nice restaurant right by the water for our lunch. We just couldn't seem to ever get tired of being close to the water.

We walked off our lunch by strolling along the beach, before getting back onto the scooter to make our way back to Cannes. There was an open air market there that featured local artists, and we got to enjoy that a bit before heading back to the cruise ship. Oh, and I ran into a bride and groom!

Ahhhh, another super relaxing and fun day for us--the perfect way to end our lovely vacation. Tonight, I couldn't help feeling bittersweet. Our vacation is ending, but we cannot wait to get home to see our little Bridgette!

Day 7: {Tuscany, Italy}

Our port today was Livorno, Italy which is about a 2 hour drive away from Florence. Thus, 'Florence' was the real destination for all our shipmates. However, given our experience in Rome yesterday, Alan and I decided to venture out on our own to be away from all the 'must see' touristy spots. We decided that we would discover Tuscany on our own!

When we got off the ship, we were prepared to book a taxi by ourselves today. Instead, we were greeted by rental car companies Hertz and Avis! A-ha! How fun would it be to rent a car and explore on our own? Then we would have FULL freedom to do as we please, on our own time! What a perfect plan!

We made absolutely sure we were to get a GPS with the rental car, and then off we went in our cute little convertible.

Our first stop was the historic town of Pisa, where we witnessed the famous Leaning Tower.

We then took a beautiful scenic drive in the countryside, and we couldn't help but stop several times to take in the extraordinary panoramic views.


Our second stop was the charming town of San Gimignano, a town that fits the picture perfect description of Tuscany. We roamed through small shops that had handmade leather goods and crafts by local designers and artists. We eventually settled down at a casual outdoor cafe for lunch, and we couldn't help remarking to one another how relaxed we felt today compared to yesterday in Rome.

As much as we wanted to stay in San Gimignano forever, we had to get going. Our next and final stop for the day was Siena, about an hour drive south. We did not mind the drive at all, because each road was so incredibly scenic and we just loved being in the countryside!

In Siena, we spent some time at Piazza del Campo and Town Hall before grabbing our very last gelato in Italy and heading back to the cruise ship.

Sure, we probably would have enjoyed Florence quite a bit too, but we wouldn't have traded our Tuscany drive and experience for anything.

Day 6: {Rome, Italy}

Our port today was right outside of Rome. Like yesterday, we joined another family to share the costs for a taxi and made our way to the many historical sites and monuments of this 'Eternal City.' Boy, talk about feeling like a tourist. At each stop, the crowds and lines were unbelievable with numerous tour groups at every corner. Traffic was bad, and the day just felt incredibly hectic. From the Colosseum to Piazza Navona to the Fountain of Four Rivers, we visited almost every site that Rome is known for. I probably enjoyed Piazza Navona the most, where we got to see a lot of local artists and their work, and had the BEST tiramisu we've ever had.


We ended our day with a visit to the Vatican. St. Peter's is truly amazing. It just leaves you in awe from the very minute you step foot inside.

Admittedly, we were a bit disappointed today. It's not that we don't enjoy architecture and history, but the experience itself (with the crowds and the rush) just did not suit as well.

Day 5: {Naples, Italy}

I woke up feeling extremely excited today because we were finally going to be on Italy soil! Woohoo!!

Right after breakfast, Alan and I got off the ship and headed staight to the streets of Naples. We decided to be more adventurous today and did not sign up for any shore excursions. Once we left the port, we immediately were bombarded by taxi drivers offering their best rates for day tours around different cities. I was not the least bit alarmed as I've experienced this many times in my previous visits to China. I knew to take it slowly and to utilize my negotiation skills. It quickly became clear that it would be most cost effective if we were able to group up with another couple or family to share a taxi. Just as we were contemplating on this, we were approached by a nice couple around our age asking if we would be interested in sharing a taxi. We liked them immediately and said yes, since we were interested in the same destinations. After some negotiation with the taxi drivers to get the best price, we were on our way to our first stop--Pompei.

As we walked through the ruins of Pompeii, a city that was once destroyed by an erupting volcano, we were astonished at the remaining structures still intact and imagined what it was like to have lived there.

After Pompeii, our friendly taxi driver drove us to another city--Sorrento, where we enjoyed a nice Italian lunch of pizza and pasta. There were a lot of small boutiques in narrow streets which we checked out briefly before taking a semi-long hike down to the harbor for a ferry ride to the beautiful island of Capri.


The ferry ride was not very long, and gave Alan and I the opportunity to get to know our new friends Caroline and Richard a little better. They were from Ontario, Canada, and we exchanged a lot of stories on our lives in the different countries and our work.

Upon our arrival to Capri, we wandered around the open air cafes and ships before hopping on the tram to take us uphill. We couldn't stop staring at the gorgeous panoramic view surrounding us! There were lots of high end shops, like Prada, as well as boutiques that featured the work of local artisans. Ofcourse, in between them were LOTS of gelato cafes!

We were reluctant to leave Capri, but eventually hopped on the ferry again and returned to Naples. Since we still had some time, we walked around Naples a bit but were not too interested in its bustling, busy streets.

Sadly, we said goodbye to our new friends, since they were on a different cruise ship. It was definitely a delight to have met them and to have spent the entire day together! Italy is all about making friends right?