Saturday, February 28, 2009

Wedding Disc Jockey + Personal Chef... It's The Perfect Recipe For A Fun & Lively Cooking Show

I recently had the opportunity to call the play-by-play at a live cooking demonstration. Food is definitely another one of my passions so I did not think twice when I was asked to narrate the presentation with Personal Chef Elizabeth Bourget of Gourmet To Go. The stage was set at this year's California Home, Garden and Gourmet Show at the Santa Clara Country Fairgrounds.

All of these photos were taken by my good friend from the wedding industry, Mike Danen. This first shot shows off our Neptune theme display created by Denise Stansfield of Denise D. Stansfield Design. Denise's design talents also extend into events with her company called OTOO Productions (Out Of The Ordinary Party & Event Planning).

Left to Right: Elizabeth's Daughter, Michelle, Chef Bourget & myself.

Utilizing Elizbeth's culinary finesse, Michelle's assistance and my gift of gab we had a crowd very hungry for Blackened Shrimp with Pomegranate-Orange Salsa and a fish soup called Olla Bouillabaisse. Both dishes were big on bold Cajun spices. We came prepared very green with all compostable recycled serving bowls, plates, napkins and utensils for the generous samples.


Chef Elizabeth Bourget runs Gourmet To Go with a strong commitment to being green and socially conscious. Everything she buys, prepares and serves is organic, sustainable and recyclable whenever possible. She strongly supports the Slow Food Movement and chooses all her fish according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program.

I'm not really sure who had the most fun at this show. The audience loved the aromas and flavors of the spectacular dishes. Elizabeth was rockin' with sizzling shrimp, spicy salsa and tossing out great tips on kitchen technique. Michelle was our very own stylish Vanna White. While I simply had a blast dishing out the gourmet play-by-play and fielding questions from the peanut gallery. One thing is for certain. This will not be my last tango in the kitchen. - DJ Chef Carl

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Pioneering Wedding DJ Becomes Marketing Therapist To The Wedding Industry


Andy Ebon is no stranger to the San Francisco Bay Area wedding scene.

But Andy's work in the bridal industry is now spanning the decades and has morphed into national speaker, consultant and web adviser. For the complete nitty gritty on Andy's illustrious entrepreneurial story check out the about page on his really fun wedding marketing website called Wedding Marketing.net.

Andy and I go back to his days in the mid-eighties when he helmed Designer Music which was one of the premier mobile disc jockey operations in the San Francisco area. We had a lot of fun in those days but Andy knew that his calling was speaking to audiences instead of making them dance. So Andy traded in his DJ microphone for one at the podium and hit the speaking circuit. Today his travels have brought him full circle back to the wedding world where he specializes in wedding and hospitality marketing.


Out of all this experience EBS Virtual Communications was born. Andy's strength is speaking in plain terms to help small and medium size companies keep up with their technical marketing efforts in today's fast paced constantly changing web world.

Andy has been a longstanding active member of NACE wherever he has lived so it was no surprise when he stepped up to fill in for the local Silicon Valley NACE chapter after their scheduled speaker had to cancel.

This twist of fate proved to be not only highly educational but also very entertaining for those of us who attended Andy's fantastic presentation last month on blogging at the San Jose Hilton.

I am a self-proclaimed novice when it comes to blogging but sitting right next to me was someone I call the Queen of Blogging, Stacie Tamaki, who actually speaks on the topic of blogging herself to our industry. Stacie and I agreed that Andy gave one of the best presentations we have ever seen. Not only did he field all the questions beautifully but he kept everyone engaged regardless of their level of blogging expertise. I have taken enough technology classes to really appreciate a presenter who can be effective at speaking to an audience with varying levels of expertise. Andy definitely hit the bull's eye. To find out what's always happening on Andy's own blog check it out at The Wedding Marketing Blog.com.

So the next time you need some great one-on-one advice for your web woes or a great speaker for your association meeting, contact Andy Ebon. He is on it.

-That Carl Guy