Cycling Through Vineyards for a Surprise Marriage Proposal!

As surprise marriage proposals go pulling one off in the middle of an organized cycling event is fairly tricky. In Noah's mind there was no doubt about where he wanted to pop the question to Susan. After all, cycling was a big part of how they met and rode together at last year's Sierra Century ride through the hills of Placer County. That cycling event was sponsored by the popular Newcastle winery, Dono dal Cielo which also hosted a rest stop for the cyclists. Noah and Susan also had fond memories of taking a yoga class at the winery so it was the natural setting for his proposal.

Susan and Noah cozy up with a glass of Dono dal Cielo Chardonnay.

When I arrived at the winery all the buzz was about how we were going to help Noah make his surprise proposal during the cycling event. Dono dal Cielo was one of the final rest stops on this beautiful Spring ride through the Sierra Foothills put on by the Placer County Mountain Bike Club. Timing was everything as we greatly anticipated the arrival of Noah and Susan on their bikes. When they finally arrived they carefully laid down their bikes and slowly walked up the road to the sprawling grassy knoll that rests above the tasting room.

The stroll up to the grassy knoll.

Noah drops to his knee to pop the big question.

And they seal it with a kiss!

Susan was shining back in the tasting room.

 

Dono's cozy gazebo was reserved and ready for them.

Flowers, Chardonnay on ice and a world to themselves.

Thanks to Noah's imagination and planning we all loved helping with his romantic surprise. I am cyclist and member of the Dono dal Cielo family so this proposal hit especially close to home for me. We wish Noah and Susan many happy years and more miles on those bikes together.

Congratulations Susan and Noah!

ArtCar Vehicles Make Really Unique Wedding Departures

Daisy Singer

Last summer I had the privilege of being the DJ and MC for Matt and Virginia Isble's wedding at Ralston Hall Mansion in Belmont, California. It was a stunning summer day on the Peninsula and the entire celebration was beautifully captured by professional photographer, Marla Christina. I feature Matt and Virginia's wedding in my website gallery and you can see their story by just clicking here.

However, I must admit that at first glance I was a bit taken back by Matt and Virgina's getaway car when I saw it parked under the entrance to Ralston Hall Mansion. The sun was very bright and in the shadow of the overhang it looked to me like an off road vehicle covered with mud. :-) I figured Matt's buddies must have decorated it in jest for their departure. But a closer look had my jaw dropping at its incredible detail. It was literally a work of art.

It turns out that this vehicle was created by one of Matt's groomsmen, Philo Northrup, whose passion is turning vehicles into moving works of art called ArtCars. The ArtCar Fest is a mobile event featuring these unique vehicles that travels all over but most often it takes place in the San Francisco Bay Area.

These vehicles are not merely custom cars but more like sculptures you would find in a gallery. However, they are completely drivable and street legal. There is no way to describe them in words so I will just let my photos tell the story of Daisy Singer.

Don't Tailgate Daisy!

A roof rack like no other!

Horns-a-Plenty on top!

No detail is overlooked as even the dashboard has character.

As you can imagine Daisy Singer generates a huge amount of stares, gawkers and curiosity. Philo places this list of FAQ's right in the window for the constant barrage of onlookers.

If you are seeking the unique for a grand departure at your wedding or other special ride, contact Harrod Blank or go to artcaragency.com for rental information.

Art Cars: Not your typical ride.

My parting shot is of the shiny happy newlyweds, Matt and Virginia, smiling at their guests as they depart in Daisy Singer. Their exit was a grand conclusion to a great event not to be forgotten.

Photo by Marla Christina

Here Comes The Guy To Here Comes The Guide

I am pleased to announce that I have just joined Here Comes The Guide which was a most enlightening experience. Today there are no shortage of advertising opportunities in the wedding industry. There was a time when newly engaged couples would get inundated with postal solicitations in their mailbox shortly after registering for a marriage license. Then bridal shows and the internet provided an entirely new level of information overload. Add Craigslist to the list and the amount of exposure to wedding related services and products a bride-to-be has can be almost dizzying.

So I was really thrilled to learn the extent to which Here Comes The Guide goes to scrutinize their applicants. I say thrilled but it was also a lot of work for me and took about three months to complete the process. I was asked to provide 30 total references of which half were industry and the other half were previous clients. Just making sure all of the telephone and e-mail contact information was accurate and current was a big task because so often after a wedding that can change. I do have a long track record in the local wedding market and thankfully I passed the audition. :-)

Speaking of Craigslist this experience also underscored just how much all wedding advertising is not created equal. Anyone can toss up an ad on Craigslist regardless of their experience. As much as I love it for selling an old lawn mower when it comes to hiring professionals it really leaves the entire scrutinizing process up to the buyer. It's a text book case of let the buyer beware.

On a personal note Here Comes The Guide completely blows my mind if for nothing else, just as a seriously great resource for finding locations. In my many years of helping brides plan their weddings by far their number one quest was to find a facility. So in 1981 my partner and I published a magazine called "Wedding Scenes '81" which was Santa Clara County's only directory of wedding reception facilities. We broke it down by city and provided very basic information like address, phone, capacity, kitchen availability and outside facilities. This magazine was truly unique for its time.

We were very proud of our little local publication that listed places you could hold a wedding reception which included every tiny little restaurant willing to do private banquets. By contrast Here Comes The Guide features over 500 venues of all types covering Northern California not to mention the nearly 1200 nationwide facilities. The searching features and criteria brides can enter on their site is fantastic. It is obvious that Here Comes The Guide is the go-to resource that we were aspiring to all those years ago. Today they cover both bases by appealing to web only brides and those who still prefer thumbing through the physical book as a resource.

So not only is Here Comes The Bride a premier publication that goes to unbridled lengths to scrutinize it's vendors but also provides tons of information in one place that you just can't find elsewhere.  Here is a screen shot of my profile page and also a live link directly to it when you click on the image.

So it begs the question why am I now just joining Here Comes The Guide? I've heard some rumors circulating that I have retired or been held captive in a kitchen at chef's knife point. I consider this new adventure on The Guide to be my coming out party of sorts. As much as I love cooking it is just my hobby and being a Professional DJ and MC is my still my only profession. So really I am just a foodie and music fanatic who loves to entertain audiences with both media. Check out my blog to see the latest in both my culinary and entertainment worlds.

"The rumors of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated"

For more information on Here Comes The Guide the person to contact is Denise Auerbach and you can reach her at 510/548-0400 ext. 321 or denise@herecomestheguide.com.

Martinis & Marilyn Madness Celebrate Duncan's Day

 

Even Duncan was caught off guard by the surprise visitor

We returned to Vessel for the first time in four years for a special birthday edition of Duncan Reyes legendary gathering of the industry known as Martini Madness. No networking event says summer more than this celebration of Duncan's birthday every August. Here's a few photos I took of the fun.

Duncan's Master DJ, Jason Mitchell's mix provided the evening's soundtrack

The "408/831 Gang" ham it up for me. From the left: Alma Estrada of Stonepine Estate, Lisa Whalen, Orbie Pullen, Andy Mark and Rebecca Meredith Pullen made for a strong showing from the South Bay, Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay areas.

I met a new photographer to the world of Madness by Martinis named Jasmine Lee on the right and she posed here with her friends, Manuel and Evelyn.

Quick to strike a pose was photographer Jay Kelly and flanked by Kathleen and Lilly

Stacie Tamaki is describing the deliciousness of Jen's Cakes cupcake to Andy Mark

From left to right Martini Madness was all smiles for Michelle, Mark and Rick

I was quick to catch a rare pose from Stacie Tamaki and DJ Jason Mitchell

Happy Birthday Duncan!

Magnificent, Marvelous, Magical Martini Madness @ Monroe

Duncan Reyes, host (right) poses with his Master DJ, Jason Mitchell

This was certainly neither my first rodeo nor my first Martini Madness but I have to say it was one of the best. The crazy unseasonal rainy weather in June had all of the makings for a poor attendance but it just didn't happen. A great turnout at a very cool San Francisco nightclub called Monroe just had the best of vibe possible.

So I just snapped away and I apologize if I did not capture you in my photo montage of the evening but that could easily happen again on August 2 when we return for the special birthday edition of Martini Madness at Vessel. OMG! All this carrying on and smack dab in the middle of the busy wedding season.

Full house and yet still cool for rubbing shoulders, dancing and schmooze factor

Killer flat bread pizza with asparagus topping was difficult to resist

OK, so I couldn't resist! :-)

South Bay Trooper, Andy Mark, with the Host-With-The-Most

Long time friend and colleague, Rick Bacon, flanked by his girls.

From left: Amy Frugoli, Nicole Lisanne, Stacie Tamaki and James Burkhart

Robbie Schlosser (left) with Andy "Gotcha Babe" Mark again.

Our host was all smiles as he posed here with his mentor in the hospitality industry, Ken Deutsch

In a word Monoe is Cool.

My parting shot is of Duncan and Jason playing around in the DJ booth – Too Much Fun!

Thanks again Mr. Reyes for another great evening of Madness with Martinis or whatever you choice of imbibing happened to be. We look forward to a repeat on August 2.

The Road To Martini Madness Via A 16

How much fun was last night? The simple plan was to grab a bite at A 16, a popular Italian restaurant in San Francisco's Marina District on the way to Duncan Reyes' final Martini Madness of 2010. A 16 shares its name with the highway that runs from Naples to Canosa, Puglia. The southern Italy region of Campania is where most of A 16 dishes get their inspiration.




Our departure time was 4:30 from Campbell so we figured a 5:30 reservation at A 16 was doable. Think again and factor in major rainstorm and holiday traffic. The folks at A 16 were kind enough to hold our spot until we arrived at 6:00ish and by these smiles it is obvious that we were glad they did. Our entourage to The City included Stacie Tamaki, Lisa Whalen, Andy Mark, and Luke Goodman.


The A 16 Gospel according to my foodie friend, Andy Mark (itscookin.com) is to order lots of apps, sides and pizza. I'd love to tell you which dish was my favorite but I simply can't pick one. These two pizzas were a great intermezzo between the freshly made Burrata/olive oil/sea salt and crostini starter and the Pumpkin/Ricotta Gnocchi with braised kale, onions and panchetta.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to get photographers to pose for pictures? Here Lisa is seriously composing her thoughts for tasting notes on this red.


When actually this shot is much more in character for her as she composes a shot of Andy's red.


We were having so much fun at dinner that the only thing we didn't notice was the clock. When we realized it was already 8:00 we quickly slipped out of our culinary bliss and into panic mode to get to Martini Madness before closing time. In an exit that almost rivaled a dine & dash departure followed by a quick trip across The Streets Of San Francisco we got to the Union Square hotspot called Infusion Lounge for the Holiday edition of Martini Madness.


When we arrived at Martini Madness hardly anyone noticed we were fashionably late. Duncan, of course, greeted us with open arms and Lisa had plenty of evidence of our frolicking at A 16 on her cell phone photos. We learned our lesson to allow more than one hour to get to S.F. especially in the rain at holiday time.


It was another successful Martini Madness at one of the hippest clubs in The City. My parting shot is of host Duncan and DJ Jason Mitchell of Music Solutions who did a fantastic job of keeping the energy up and sound pressure at a volume where we could all chat. Thanks again to Duncan for another memorable Martini Madness and to the A 16 crew (Stacie, Luke, Andy and Lisa) for an evening that was truly Dolce Vita!