Recommended Munchies from the Summer Fancy Food Show

EI

The Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food show is the largest specialty food industry event in North America and the top place to experience the taste of future food. I not only had the exclusive privilege to try various foods at the show but to also sample foods in the comfort of my home.

The Sharing the Details team parsed through various snacks and treats and have finalized a list of our recommended munchies from the 2018 Summer Fancy Food Show. Now, without further adieu…

Recommended Snacks 

Tortuga Rumcake. This is a classic rumcake that can be served with icecream, with chocolate syrup or on its own. What I really like most about this rumcake is that you can get a taste of the carribean wherever you are with just one bite.

Amanda’s Tradicional Yerba Mate: The tea comes grounded and you can use a coffee maker to brew yerba mate for breakfast. What I love about this Argentinian brand is that this tea is traditional and made straight to the source.

Little Bird Kitchen’s a Hand full of hot & sweet nuts: This is a New York brand and these candied peanuts with a touch of jalepeno pepper heat serves a swift but delicate kick to the mouth. This is a great snack that can be paired with an IPA.

Dole Snack Bites Cashew Nut Clusters: Dole is a trusted brand and their cashew nut clusters does not disappoint. It’s made with cashews, sesame seeds and sea salt.

Pinky Up Tiramisu Dessert Black Tea: This black tea may not exactly be the same as snacking on a tiramisu but it’s pretty close. Pinky Up tea is a guilt free tea that has a great flavor and no calories. After I drank this tea at home, I felt like a princess for a second because of the taste and the fact you legit feel like sticking out your pink once you savor this chocolate concoction layered with coffee and cinnamon.

MilkBoy Switzerland Chocolate:  I have sampled over 30 brands of chocolate at this show and I can clearly see why MilkBoy took the prize for best chocolate at this year’s SOFI awards. Wow! I am not much of a dark chocolate fan but the 85% extra dark cocoa bar was smooth, velvety, with a seductively rich taste. I also sampled the Alpine Milk with Crunchy Caramel and Sea salt and this sweet, gooey, salty medley interplayed a creamy, refined, taste.

Chameleon Cold Brew Vanilla Coffee: After attending this show, I can see why cold brew coffee is a popular trend. I do really like Chameleon’s style of cold brew due to the smooth after taste.

Christine’s Organic Dulce De Leche Milk Caramel Sauce:  Authentic dulce de leche sauce is hard to find, especially organic. Christine’s sauce not only has an authentic, milky, taste but it’s easy to spread on breads, fruits, and ice cream.

Nature’s Guru Masala Chai: As I declared in a previous blog post about the food show, this was by far the best chai I had at the entire show. The taste was smooth, the spices didn’t overpower, and the beverage was milky–much like a true South Asian masala chai. Often other stores and cafes sell chai drinks that are too spicy, not as milky, and are more watery in texture. This chai tastes close to home for me.

Vegan Rob’s Jackfruit Puffs: As a self-professed carnivore, I normally dont venture into the vegan or vegetarian world. However, these Jackfruit puffs made that venture not as as painful. This organic, plant-based, treat is crunchy and I didn’t have much guilt afterwards eating the entire bag.

Ozery Bakery’s Lavash Crackers: I’ve never had true lavash bread before but I know this style of bread can be sold at your local Trader Joes. The lavash crackers from Ozery Bakery was fun to try and  I enjoyed sampling them with cheese and olives.

Twining’s Winter Spice Herbal Tea: This is a brand new tea from Twining’s and I must say I felt relaxed imbibing in this caffeine free concoction with a subtle blend of apple, cinnamon, cardamom and clove spices.

Road Kill Grill Meat Rub: And.. no, I did not kill any critters when I used this spice. Instead I bought chicken from a store, coated this blend all over, and baked for 30 minutes on 350 degrees. This was a delicious blend and if you do accidentally run over a creature, consider using this spice.

Snow Flakes Candy Mints: This sugar free, all natural, fat free mint has a pretty, magical, snowflake exterior and a tart but sweet taste. The black cherry mint was good. This mint is GMO free, has no wheat, soy, dairy, corn, gluten or sugar. So for that one friend you have is either allergic to a lot, this is a great recommendation for him or her.

Meiji Chocorooms: This is what I like to call a classic snack you can get at your local H-mart or Lotte. These Japanese cookies go great with milk.

Paromi Turmeric Ginger Green Tea: This is a really nice tea that comes in a biodegradable pyramid sachet. This tea has a strong, aromatic ginger and turmeric taste with a crisp, clean green tea flavor. If you want to drink something earthy with healing properties, this is the tea for you.

Cabernayzn dried cabernet wine grapes: This snack has more antioxidants than wine, has no alcohol, no preservatives, no artificial flavors and tastes like a super, fancy, raisin. If you want to taste Napa valley but to err on the side of not getting tipsy, this is the treat for you.

Belgian Boys Mini Cookie Stash: These cookies are sweet and fun to play with. Mini cookie stash are made with cookie butter and are made in Belgium.

Loacker Tortina White Cookies: Whenever I think of gourmet wafer cookies, the only cookie that comes to mind would be Loacker. I am a big fan of their new wafer cookie, the tortina white which has a sweet, caramel sauce inside.

Luke’s Organic White Truffle & Sea Salt Potato Chips: I am all about anything flavored with white truffle, especially potato chips.  These chips are made with Urbani Italian White Truffles with French Grey Guereande salt. Not only are these chips tasty, but what I like to call a snack for one who adults so hard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 24, 2018July 27, 2018 by Sherryn

Blue Star Neighbors Celebration Honors Extraordinary Americans!

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March 13, 2018, Sharing the Details had the privilege of covering the Blue Star Neighbors Celebration held at the Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C.

The venue was wide-spread, with red, blue, and white lights beaming from the walls. Stars, stripes, and all sorts of American flag themed decor sparkled the venue. Attendees wore military suits, formal dresses, and business suits.

Programming opened up with words from emcee Brianna Keiler, CNN, Senior Washington Correspondent; and continued with awards with Camille Hymes, Starbucks Corp., Mid-Atlantic Regional Vice President; Dr. Lynda Davis, Department of Veteran Affairs, and Harriet Dominique, President of the USAA Foundation.

Blue Star Families Neighbor nominators (The Clark Family) and winners (The Nelson Family) with Gen. Paul Selva and wife Ricki
 – Pictures courtesy of Kang Hu 

As the show continued, the winner for the Blue Star Neighbor award was announced. Erik J. Nelson was the big winner of the night. He was nominated by Shane Clark, a U.S Army Major, commissioned in 2002 as a second lieutenant in the U.S Air Force.  When he was activated back to active duty over three years ago, Erik Nelson stepped up to the plate to help teach  on behalf of Shane and run the martial arts school in northern Colorado. Nelson, was still a student himself and managed the martial arts studio in addition to his position as Vice President at Engineering Analytics, Inc and his own family.

Notable VIPs that attended the event were General HR McMaster (National Security Advisor) General Joe Dunford (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff),  Jessica Moore (The Walt Disney Company), Marianne Downs (Lockheed Martin), Lieutenant General Daniel Hokanson (National Guard Bureau), Steve Schwab (Elizabeth Dole Foundation) and Scott Rice (Air National Guard).

SSgt Hiram Carrion (Marine Corps) and Chef Todd Grey (Equinox). 
Picture Courtesy of Kang Hu 

All- star chefs from the Washington D.C area crafted scrumptious treats for all patrons.  Food station tables were divided by chefs who work under different military branches:

• The Air Force Table, run by Chef Robert Wiedmaier (Marcel’s) and MSgt Jennifer Medeiros (Air Force), displayed delicious Napoleon of Scottish Smoked Salmon.

• The Army Table, run by Chef Chris Clime (PassionFish) and SSG Michelle Brown (Army), pastrami made from smoked mesquite, piquillo pepper,  and N’duja tapenade.

• The Coast Guard Table, run by Kyle Bailey (The Salt Line) and CSCS Derek Johnson (Coast Guard) wow’d the crowds with Hiramasa Crudos made from blood orange ponzu gelee, popped amaranth, and nasturtium leaf.

• The National Guard table, run by Chef David Guas ( Bayou Bakery) and TSgt Tyer Gaswint (Air National Guard), crafted Gulf Shrimp Burgers.

• The Marine Corps table, run by Chef Todd Grey (Equinox) and SSgt Hiram Carrion (Marine Corps) delivered on the Tahini Grits and Lamb Meatballs.

• The Navy table, run by Chef Ris Lacoste (Ris) and CS1 Frida Karani (Navy) fed a warm heaping of New England Clam Chowder.

Todd Thrasher (Potomac Distilling Co.) Pictures Courtesy of Kang Hu 

Along with memorable dishes, renown mixologist Todd Thrasher concocted memorable beverages such as The Pea-triot made from White Rum, Lemon, and Pea Flowers and The Wake up Call made from Bourbon, Decaf Coffee, Sugar, and Orange.

As a whole, this celebration celebrates the kindness of military supporters across the country  and their impact on the military family community. Blue Star Families (BSF) is the non-profit behind this great celebration. Blue Star Families mission is to use community as the solution for military family problems. Military life is hard and BSF leverages data-driven insights to curate resources for military families, including career development tools, local community events for families, and care giving support. Because of Blue Star Families, 1.5 million families have been helped.

Blue Star Families is a remarkable non profit that has impacted the lives of several military families across the U.S. Click here to make a donation.

About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is a non profit that strengthen military families every day. Through career development, caregiving, and our leading research on military family life, this organization is striving to better understand and provide solutions to the challenges facing today’s military families. This organization started in  April of 2009,  when a group of military spouses got together in the hopes of making a difference in the lives of military families. They knew the issues surrounding military families and saw a need for a platform where military family members could join forces with the general public and their communities to address the challenges of military life.

Since then, BSF has grown from a few military spouses around a kitchen table to more than 150,000 members and over 35 communities and chapters around the globe. Blue Star Family programs and services reach more than 1.5 million military family members every year.

Tune into Sharing the Details for an exclusive interview with the Founder and CEO of Blue Star Families, Kathy Roth- Douquet. 

March 18, 2018November 30, 2020 by Sherryn

And the Oscar for the Best Red Carpet Party goes to… WFI!

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On Oscar Sunday, March 4, 2018, Sharing the Details team attends Washington DC Film Institute’s Red Carpet Party held at the MASON & ROOK HOTEL. Contributing writer Joey Love shares his account of the evening. 

Oh, what a night!

Since late May 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences annually presents the greatest achievers in film a Golden Oscar Award. This year, we celebrate the 90^th ceremony with ABC TV host, Jimmy Kimmel, and recognizable star-studded guests, along with a theater full of unsuspecting moviegoers.

The 2018 telecast was watched by our team at the Washington Film Institute (WFI) hosted viewing party held at the Kimpton Mason & Rook Hotel in Washington, D.C. Entry fee was a reasonable $25 in advance online, and $40 at the door. All proceeds go to support future WFI programs.

Ladies in Red. Photo Courtesy of Nandor Nagy 

The banquet room was elegant as were the attendees. Everyone dressed to the nines! The fashion forward in gowns and suits awaiting to win the Best Dressed Contest–I’m glad I didn’t have to be the one to judge, it would have been too hard to choose! Roughly 50-60 chairs were set up in front of the screen projection for the more devoted film fans, while the rear portion of the room remained as an open space for socializing and networking. Off to the side, light hors d’oeuvres consisted of cheese cubes, cured meat slices, and deviled eggs. Oscar-themed cocktails and a selection of bottled beer and wine were offered at the cash bar.

Guests seated to watch the Oscars on the big screen. Photo courtesy of Nandor Nagy 

At the entrance, guests were invited to pose with Oscar statues and statuettes behind a WFI backdrop for their very own “Red Carpet” moment. WFI President John Hanshaw greeted guests cordially, members and newbies alike.

Sharing the Details team from left to right: Photographer Nandor Nagy ; Founder Sherryn Daniel; Writer Joey Love.

After socializing with some of the attendees, it was clear that we all came to have a good time. Some of us were there to see personal 2017 favorites of the nominated films to win, while others were there to dress up like a Star! One guest I encountered, Juanita, was hoping to see racially-themed horror film Get Out pull a victory, stating, “Momentum is shifting towards this film,” before adding, “It’s the dark horse.” Software developer Deborah, who has seen every nominee, was very unsure of the potential winners, mentioning, “I can’t predict who will win!” David was honest in his lack of knowledge about the nominees, but was forward in his prediction that The Shape of Water would take the Best Picture crown because “it’s the most trendy.” He happened to be right.

Sharing a laugh. Photo courtesy of Nandor Nagy 

As the ceremony continued, guests took a break from the screen to mingle amongst each other. Meanwhile, the more enthusiastic viewers stayed seated until the final envelope was opened. However, the heaviest applause in the room surprisingly did not go to the Best Picture announcement. Instead, it went to Jordan Peele’s Best Original Screenplay win for Get Out. Juanita’s wish came true! Then followed by Gary Oldman’s Best Actor win for Darkest Hour, which was the veteran actor’s first ever Oscar win.

Jimmy Kimmel, hosting for a second year, filled the guests with laughter. He held his own with topical wisecracks of current events (e.g. Envelopegate, sexual harassment scandals, diversity and inclusion, and President Trump) and off-the-cuff jabs (e.g. Matt Damon). He even went so far as to offer a brand new jet ski to the award recipient who delivers the shortest acceptance speech. Perhaps the highlight of Kimmel’s practical jokes was walking next door to a movie theater with the beautiful Wonder Woman actress, Gal Gadot. His latest prank victims being unsuspecting filmgoers attending an advance screening for the upcoming film A Wrinkle in Time. The shock reactions of the patrons by the intrusion had the room rolling!

When the ceremony came to a close, President Hanshaw graciously offered his appreciation for those who attended and stayed until the final award. Overall, it was really an Oscar award winning party.

A major thanks to the Washington Film Institute and John Hanshaw for inviting ‘Sharing the Details’ to this event. For recap of the Academy Awards, visit the Oscars official site. 

March 7, 2018November 30, 2020 by Joey Love

One on One with John Legend at 6th Annual American Ingenuity Awards

EI

On November 29, 2017 Contributing Writer Joey Love covers the Red Carpet of the Smithsonian Ingenuity Festival. There he meets all of the 2017 Award winners and interviews renowned music artist, John Legend. 

I was privileged to cover the red carpet  for the 6^th Annual American Ingenuity Awards at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Winners are selected by Smithsonian Magazine in recognition of individuals who are transforming American culture in the arts, social change, youth, and the sciences.

This award show is oft-times known as the “Golden Globes of Intellect” due to covering individuals who encourage change and  create a better world.In subsequent years, the Smithsonian received a lot of attention and critical praise for spearheading this initiative.

In most cases, winners are sought-after celebrities in their niche field.

Courtesy of Mark Soriano 

John Legend, for example, is recognized for his prolific contributions to the Performing Arts;  Ava Duvernay, Wrinkle in Time and Selma Director, is recognized for Visual Arts; Jony Ive, chief design officer at Apple, is recognized for Technology; Marley Dias, creator of #1000BlackGirlBooks, is recognized for Youth; Sesame Workshop, creator of the first muppet with autism, is recognized for Social Progress; Dave Malloy, director of Natasha, Pierre &The Great Comet of 1812, is recognized for History; Gary Steinberg, chair of neurosurgery at Stanford is recognized for life sciences; and Natalie Batalha, mission scientist for NASA’s Kepler Mission, is recognized for physical science.

The event started out  lax. I freely walked into the reception room before the Smithsonian crew started rolling out security, camera crew, and the red carpet, itself. I watched performance rehearsals, listened to presenters’ teleprompter lines, and watched B-roll video footage rolling on giant projector screens.

Lesson learned, I must arrive early next year to secure a spot in the front:It almost felt illegal.

When the red carpet finally rolled out, and the backdrop was ironed out, the fun commenced.  Michael Caruso, editor-in-chief of Smithsonian Magazine, first appeared.

Right behind him was the ever adorable 12-year-old Marley Dias. Caruso posed with her and several of the other honorees.

Courtesy of Mark Soriano

Next up, was Sesame Workshop, which included three women (one with an Elmo-designed handbag that I wanted to steal). Following them is the original star of The Great Comet of 1812, Josh Groban. Groban was a special invitee and event presenter. He spoke graciously to each, available,  press member.

David Oyelowo followed behind, with a reserved demeanor. After our short break, in walks superstar John Legend tied at the hip to his supermodel wife Chrissy Teigen.

Courtesy of Mark Soriano

This was the moment, I inched closer to the red carpet and gained entry for a 60 second interview with the man, himself, John Legend.

First, I congratulated him on his win, thanked him for moving the industry forward, and doubled down on congratulating him on his recent pregnancy announcement.

Second, I pondered over the various awards he won in the past 20 years of his career.

I asked, “Which award are you most proud of?”

John Legend answered: “The Academy Award for ‘Glory’ the song I wrote for the movie Selma because it was probably the most meaningful thing  I have done.”

Legend later added on that  “we need to keep fighting” in reference to social change. In recent years, Legend has become an advocacy icon, combating for AIDS awareness, social and health issues, women’s rights, and drug policies.

These efforts are what pulled him into Selma, the 2014 Academy Award-nominated film directed by Ava Duvernay  that illustrated the narrative of  Martin Luther King Jr.’s march for civil rights. This stance against injustice and incivility towards people of different walks of life is precisely what Legend has been supporting for years. With his one Oscar win, he accomplished both a career and a personal goal.

After the interview, I was really hoping for the chance to interview more attendees on their future projects but I didn’t have enough time.

FYI, John Legend was scheduled to perform one of his hits and Dave Malloy’s Tony nominated song an dance team was scheduled to perform at the award show. The red carpet was just the beginning  for the Smithsonian Magazine’s Ingenuity Awards. Bigger and better things was yet to happen later that night

So who do you think will be 2018’s big winners? Comment below your thoughts.

Behind the scenes stuff:

1: Jony Ive snuck in through a side door at the last minute and avoided the red carpet event entirely, despite still being bombarded by event-goers when he reached the lobby.

2: Ava Duvernay never made it to the red carpet event before the reception began. 

December 1, 2017November 30, 2020 by Joey Love