NYC: Baked by Melissa with Stilettos & Sequins

It sounds like I stopped by Baked by Melissa in NYC wearing stilettos and sequins, but rather I had Dhruvi, the queen of "Stilettos & Sequins" take me to the delightful cupcake shoppe.

After a trip to the Guggenheim, I met up with Dhruves at Qi (both beautifully decorated and delish, btw), followed by an exploration of the racks at Loehmann's, finally making our way to Baked by Melissa.

The bite-sized cupcakes are the perfect quantity of sweet and each is filled with the exact flavor of their names. Take "Peanut Butter and Jelly" for example, it tastes exactly like a PB&J sandwich, except maybe better. My favorite was the red velvet, but *ahem* I did try them all.....

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Cambridge: REI Camp Cooking Challenge

On July 28, 3 local area chefs battled it out on a grassy hill-top using only 1 local (and secret) ingredient.

The 3rd annual Camp Cooking Challenge was sponsered by REI and the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, hosted by Dane Tullock, Outreach Specialist, REI Boston and videographed by Jeremy from Studio603films.

Using REI's camping gear and fresh produce from The Food Project the chefs were challenged to serve two dishes to the judges using the red fish as their master ingredient. The judges were DAR commissioner Greg Watson, Editor of Northeast Flavor Magazine, Jean Kerr (whose current issue features Julia Child), Founder and President of Chop-Chop Magazine, Sally Sampson and Director of Food Initiatives , Edith Murnane.

The winners were Chefs Chris Douglass and Nuno Alves from Tavalo for their seafood risotto (I tried it, it was delicious!)

Coming in second was Chef Jay Murray from Grill 23 with Chef Patricia Yeo (from tv's Top Chef Masters fame and Moksa) coming in third. (I'm a huge fan of Top Chef so it was a pleasure to meet Chef Patricia Yeo).

Here, some highlights (my interview by Dane made it to my Instagram feed!)

Happy Birthday Julia Child!

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Miami: Wynwood Kitchen & Bar

Location:

2550 N.W 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL

http://www.wynwoodkitchenandbar.com/home.html

When I first met Elizabeth, we discussed events and restaurants in Miami and she sent me a thorough list of her recommendations, one of which was Wynwood Kitchen & Bar.

It worked out really well that we were able to dine with Elizabeth here after taking a walk through the Art District.

Besides a rather absent-minded server, we had an incredible meal of a variety of tapas dishes.

Props to the medjool dates (bacon-wrapped) for making my night! The spicy shrimp skewers get a shout out for being mighty tasty, too.

All-in-all a wonderful place to dine.

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Greece: Santorini, Sugar

Location:

Zoto's

It was the same place where we got the gelato. This time around it was for the magnificent and ENORMOUS sugared puff pastry.

YUM!

Greece: Santorini, Perissa Beach, Taverna Korali

Location:

Perissa Beach, Santorini

The ocean combined with time in the sun never fails to cause the biggest rumbling stomach, wouldn't you agree?

Souvlakis and beers all around, I say!

And while it certainly wasn't the best souvlaki in town, being right by the beach having a cold beer is more than one could ask for.