food network — pleasure in simple things

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a life-size gingerbread house

December

Yes, I am a Food Network junkie. And, since I love to bake, I particularly enjoy any show that includes baking! Currently, that show is The Holiday Baking Championship on Monday nights!

I was recently lucky enough to meet a current contestant, 35 year old Lerome Campbell, one of 3 bakers at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort in Naples, Florida.

At this time of year, Lerome is something of a local celebrity because of his part in creating a gingerbread house in the lobby of the Ritz hotel. Each year, pastry chefs at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort plan, bake and construct a life-sized gingerbread house. This year’s creation used 60,000 pieces of candy, 1,200 gingerbread bricks, 464 eggs, and is held together with 400 lbs. of icing! No small feat, the house required 1,000 hours to put together!

The first challenge on last Monday’s episode of The Holiday Baking Championship was for contestants to prepare a classic chocolate holiday dessert with the addition of two common pantry items. Lerome chose to create a chocolate trifle that incorporated potato chips and red wine…interesting combo! Coating the potato chips in melted chocolate and then sprinkling them with peppermint insured a crunchy, flavorful chip. He simmered the red wine into a thick reduction and layered it into the dessert.

Even with the twist of having to incorporate the secret ingredient of fruit cake into his second dessert creation of a pecan financier on the episode, Lerome was able to avoid elimination and is advancing to the finale.

I’m rooting for my new friend Lerome next Monday (December 17^th) when he competes on the finale episode!

I should mention, since the gingerbread house at the hotel is not available for tasting (it is lacquered after constructed – so it is totally inedible), I made sure to taste every one of Lerome’s creations while visiting his hotel! I probably tasted at least a dozen desserts and they were all beautiful and delicious! One of my favorites was the yuzu crème brulee.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Friday field trip and a glimpse of the 2018 gingerbread house created by Lerome Campbell and the bakers at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort in Naples, Florida.

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on a life-size gingerbread house | field trips, food & festivities, holiday, inspiration, travel

congrats sift bakery!

April

Sunday night was the finale of Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship and today’s post is dedicated to finalist Chef Adam from Connecticut’s own Sift Bakery in Mystic!

Finalist Adam Young from Sift Bakery and his answer to the whoopie pie ‘creature’ challenge on Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship competition.

It was so exciting to cheer on a contestant from my home state – particularly from a bakery I so admire. Creating everything about Sift – not just the baked products he sells, but the bakery space as well, Adam is a true artisan.

A pastry case at Sift Bakery in Mystic, Connecticut.

His unbelievable attention to detail is a turn-on for me! This detail extends from the bakery products to the thoughtfully arranged display cases, beautiful packaging & display cards, and the shop’s impeccable cleanliness.

Trying to limit an order to one French pastry is a challenge – there are so many seductive choices!

A custom cake created at Sift Bakery in Mystic, Connecticut.

If sweets are not your thing, don’t despair! Sift creates breads, quiches, and sandwiches as well. In fact, you need not even eat a thing to enjoy Sift…you can enjoy a specialty latte that is sure to rival anything offered at your local coffee shop!

Rosemary ginger latte served at Sift Bakery in Mystic, Connecticut.

My favorite latte at Sift was the rosemary ginger…until, I tried the spring special! Unbelievable!

If you find yourself in or around Mystic, be sure to stop and visit Chef Adam Young’s labor of love called Sift Bakery. It is worth the trip!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on congrats sift bakery! | celebrity, food & festivities

fleet week nyc and other excitement

May

field trip friday

I am one lucky girl! I toured Food Network! There aren’t many things that would get me as excited. Not since meeting Khaled Hosseini, has my heart beat so fast. Even more exciting was that a friend and I were given a personal tour by a high school classmate who I would have enjoyed spending time with no matter where I was….the combination of the two sent my happiness through the roof :) Adding to the excitement of the day…it was Fleet Week! Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard tradition – active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week. On the walk to Food Network, we were able to witness the Parade of Ships that signaled the start of Fleet Week NYC 2012. Check it out:

A picture taken while walking along the Hudson River on the way to Chelsea, we got a great view, even with the overcast day, of the Parade of Ships marking the start of Fleet Week – a tradition in New York City since the early 1980’s.

Another photo of the NYC Parade of Ships for Fleet Week 2012.

Watching the Parade of Ships signaling the start of Fleet Week creates such a patriotic spirit!

Three of the 6,000 men in uniform descending on NYC for Fleet Week. Does this remind you of a particular Sex and the City Episode :) ?

(See pleasureinsimplethings facebook page for more Fleet Week photos – click the facebook icon on the homepage)

How cool! Now, off to Food Network!

A photo of a view of the Food Network set from ‘behind the scenes.’

I got the chance to not only see the inner workings of the network, but so much more. My former classmate is a senior executive and his insight into, not only the Food Network (and some cool history about the buildings in Chelsea), but the industry and the future of media, was totally fascinating. The technical aspect of the station is overwhelming, the physical space is visually interesting, and the people that work at the network were all so fun to talk to…all happy to explain their roles and answer questions posed by a ‘groupie.’ I think that is probably what I am…a Food Network ‘groupie’ (some may say ‘junkie’)…or maybe they just call me crazy?

The Food Network kitchens sign really got me breathing heavy :)

A photo of the Food Network kitchens.

A photo of the Food Network set. Standing on this set, where so many I have admired have stood before, was definitely a highlight for me!

On the visit to Food Network, Melissa d’Arabian was filming a promo for Ten Dollar Dinners.

The Food Network is located above Chelsea Market, an enclosed urban food court and shopping mall located in the Chelsea neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City.

The Chelsea Market has so much history surrounding it – dating back to the 1890’s and the National Biscuit Company complex.

A photo of the salad I had for lunch in a little organic restaurant located in Chelsea Market.

After the walk TO Food Network from Grand Central Station and witnessing the ship parade, I never expected the walk BACK to be as interesting, but I was wrong – my Food Network friend suggested we check out The High Line as we were leaving the Network building and it ended up be a really cool walk back as well. It was reminiscent of visiting a botanical garden.

The High Line is basically the recycling of the former elevated New York Central Railroad into an urban park. It was redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway. It runs from three blocks below West 14^th Street in the Meatpacking District, up to 30^th Street, through the neighborhood of Chelsea to the West Side Yard, near the Javits Convention Center.

A photo taken on The High Line walk…notice the old train track in the lower left corner.

This was a tough post to edit. I had so much I wanted to include. Fleet Week, Food Network Tour, and The High Line…what a fun day!

9 comments » | food & festivities

chef irvine in the house

May

field trip friday

I am slightly obsessed…okay maybe a little more than slightly… with shows on the Food Network. That being said, you can only imagine how excited I was when I found out that Restaurant Impossible had chosen a restaurant IN CONNECTICUT to feature on the show! If you haven’t seen the show, the premise is that a failing restaurant is transformed in two days with $10,000 and a lot of ingenuity. Chef Robert Irvine stars in the show, revamping every facet – including the concept, décor (utilizing a design team), and menu to makeover the chosen restaurant. Two days sounds like a quick turnaround to totally makeover a restaurant…and, it certainly is, but actually witnessing the process up close and personal rather than watching it on television makes the whole process even more amazing.

Stella’s updated look…with a lemon motif.

I drove by and checked out the activity during the two days the workmen toiled in the makeshift tents set up in the parking lot of Stella’s (the restaurant they transformed). Everything seemed pretty low key…granted, the workmen were VERY busy, but there were no other people, like me, that wanted to check on the progress…at least not while I was there. A friend that lives near the restaurant said he saw Chef Irvine in the nearby Dunkin Donuts hanging out and being very personable, but unfortunately I didn’t happen to be buying coffee at the appropriate time to be able to witness his demeanor.

One of the tasty appetizers I enjoyed at Stella’s.

Anyway, it definitely was an impressive restaurant overhaul….not just in respect to the aesthetics of the place, but also updating the menu. Chef Irvine tweaked the menu selections and gave suggestions on food presentation. I think the part that impressed me most, when I actually sat down to dinner, was the energy from the employees….they certainly had to be exhausted and emotionally drained after the intense two days they had been through, but everyone was so friendly, and…the best word to describe them … energized.

It will be fun to watch the design team create this room divider when the episode airs in July.

The restaurant just needed a little attention to rediscover itself. (Don’t we all!) Who doesn’t like a good makeover? A tired, dated restaurant benefited from an updated look and some new energy…breathing life into an old favorite. I have to think the experience made the entire crew closer to each other and their community. I will definitely be visiting the “new” Stella’s again. Hopefully, this new-found energy continues beyond opening weekend. The episode doesn’t air until July, but the photos here provide you with a sneak peek of the facelift.