A Little Swag While Attending a Swanky San Francisco Party Solo

I do a lot of things solo with absolutely no problem; go to the movies alone, eat dinner at fancy restaurants by myself, take tours of attractions, etc. But, there was something about attending the super swanky Vegas Uncork'd preview event in San Francisco that made me nervous. Not only would I be going to this foodie bash solo, but also [...]

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Attending a Crab Feed at a Brewery in California

As I have said before, no one should actually eat all-you-can-eat, but that did not stop me at my very first Crab Feed at a brewery in Northern California. I finally had to wave the white flag, or rather paper napkin. Twice. A local theater in my hometown of Petaluma put on a weekday Crab Feed benefit. And the [...]

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Wild Mushroom Hunting in California’s Napa Valley

Mushroom hunting is the one type of hunting that is on my bucket list. So, when a foraging excursion was offered through the Napa Truffle Festival I immediately signed up for a memorable fungi adventure. Much like an underground rave, the location was not disclosed until the day before the hunt. On the down low. We woke in the [...]

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Eating Pigs Feet and Other Offal in San Francisco

We were supposed to be having dinner with a friend at San Francisco’s Water Bar restaurant. But, at the last minute he had to cancel and I am grateful he did. Not because we don’t love spending time with him, but because I would not have had the adventure of eating pigs feet and other offal [...]

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Two Yosemite Restaurants. One Elk Slider.

Food is such a HUGE part of my travel adventures that when I decided to spend Christmas in Yosemite Valley, I was worried. It did not seem like the trendy food mecca that I am used to. But, I did find two bucket list worthy Yosemite restaurants that fed my taste buds. When I mentioned [...]

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A Very White Christmas in Yosemite Valley

This year I wanted to actually have a white Christmas and that wasn't bound to happen in my Northern California town. It hasn't snowed here in over ten years and when it did it was a slight sprinkle more than a flurry. The answer? Road trip. Christmas in Yosemite Valley would surely bring me the adventurous [...]

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Donating a Decorated Tree for the Rwanda School Project

Donating, giving and volunteering will have an eternal place on my bucket list. No matter how many checks end up next to it. For me, giving is an important part of happiness and that is why I was thrilled when my restaurant, Sugo Trattoria, was invited to decorate a Christmas tree to benefit the Rwanda School Project and other local organizations. The [...]

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A Private Wine Tasting in Napa Valley

There are several wine related perks to owning a restaurant; sales reps are consistently leaving you full bottles of wine from the vineyards they are currently promoting, you receive dozens of comped passes to a variety of wine events, wine tastings and freebie promotional wine swag. I now have a corkscrew for every room in my house. Bathrooms included.  But, [...]

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A Stinky Cheese Shop & Stuffed Mice in San Francisco

San Francisco's Mission district is a unique section of this incredible town, a mix between artsy, edgy and trendy. A place where you will discover stylish boutiques next to dive bars. My kind of place. Where else can you find the stinkiest cheese shop and stuffed rats on the same street? Peter and my mission in the Mission was [...]

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Tasting an Entire Town in 5 Hours

How much can you eat in five hours? Apparently, I can sample 26 dishes, including 7 desserts, representing 5 countries. All that without an upsetting gurgle in my stomach. Success. I was graciously asked to do a food sampling at local eateries that were participating in the Taste of Petaluma, a foodie lovers progressive eating event [...]

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