The Final Countdown: 9

Yesterday I had a little farewell dinner and strategy meeting with the publisher and the editor-in-chief at Edible Columbus, both wonderful ladies and former New Yorkers! They surprised me with a nice little gift: The Little Black Book of New York! It's a pocket-sized guidebook filled with pull-out maps of each Manhattan neighborhood, a full subway map, and a ton of suggestions for cool things to do in the city. I've pulled it out of my purse to look up certain things all day today, so I can already tell that I'm going to be using it to plan lots of my future adventures.

I know the city is constantly changing, so piecing together this New York puzzle will be a nearly impossible feat. Once I feel like I've got it all figured out, I'll realize that I'm still missing pieces, or that ones formerly in place will have changed shape. Then I may just feel like Frank Sinatra in this scene from On The Town! But it's definitely better to have a guidebook and goals than none at all. Thanks so much, Tricia and Colleen! I will use my new Little Black Book well!

P.S. Watch a handsome young sailor and a very forward (for the 1940s, anyway) lady cab driver on their ill-fated sightseeing tour On the Town in this video! 9 days!!

Winter Edible Has Arrived!

Columbus residents: come one, come all! The Winter issue of Edible Columbus magazine has officially hit advertiser locations. Support local C-bus businesses, and our fabulous Edible advertisers, and pick up your copy TODAY! I'm giving you a preview of the cover, featuring a gorgeous photo by Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen, and my partner for our Cocktail Couture series in November. What do you think?

Cocktail Couture: Camelot Cellars Chilean Pinot Noir

This week's installment of Cocktail Couture features a glass of wine recommended to me by Catherine Murray, food photographer extraordinaire behind Photo Kitchen and the blog Freshly Baked. And believe me, you are never going to want to pass on this glass...straight from Camelot Cellars, an "Urban Boutique Winery" located in the heart of Columbus' Short North district. With long, rustic wooden tables, cozy seating, soft, industrial lighting and a wall of literally every type of wine you could ever have dreamed of, Camelot Cellars is the perfect place to explore your passion for wine. And there is truly no better guide than Janine Aquino, the mastermind behind the revamping of Camelot Cellars, and one of the most personable ladies you will ever meet. If you stop by and introduce yourself, she would be more than happy to chat with you about the latest episode of any show on Bravo TV, follow you on twitter, and most importantly, introduce you to a bottle of wine you will really love. If you aren't a fan of wine, that's simply because you haven't met Janine and given her a minute to recommend the perfect bottle as though she were an oracle of grapes. Or, better yet, get you and your friends set up for a private wine tasting!

Below you will see more of Catherine's favorite, the Chilean Pinot Noir, which she bought when we were shopping together, and foolishly left at my apartment...You can bet an unopened bottle of wine doesn't last long in my natural habitat! So, although I felt a bit guilty about it, I cracked it open for myself and a few out-of-town guests, and all three of us were obsessed. Of course, I replaced Catherine's bottle, so it was a win-win for us all. Catherine describes the flavor best on her post, saying that it "has a scent similar to strawberry jam, but the flavor is smooth, rich, just slightly fruity, and a little smoky."

All Photography by Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen

I highly recommend you check out Camelot Cellars and this delicious Pinot Noir immediately! And bottles of wine, as well as wine tastings and wine making parties, are perfect gifts for the upcoming holiday season! Salut!

And in case you need a refresher on Cocktail Couture, read our description below:

"Haute Couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing, usually made from high-quality expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques...The hand-crafted (local) alcohol is created by those dedicated to their craft, making award-winning bottles of gin, vodka, whiskey, wine, and Tessora." 

Catherine and I both believe that the handiwork and detail that goes into the brewing and distilling of our local-to-Columbus spirits are nothing short of couture themselves, especially when paired with fun jewelry and accessories...and you all know I am a firm believer that the cocktail you sip is as much a part of the statement you are making as anything else on your body! So let's get creative!

First there was the fantastic Watershed Gin Pumpkin Drop featuring Columbus' own Watershed gin, and next the Tessora Lemon Capuccini made with Tessora Limone! Then came the Hot Apple Toddy, made with Middle West Spirits Whiskey. See all the recipes in this Cocktail Couture series below:

 
 

A Designer's (EXPENSIVE) Toolkit

I had a very expensive day today... The kind of day where you're literally just s t u n n e d.
The kind of day where I saw basically a year of scrimping and saving (and freelancing my pants off) flash before my eyes with just one swift swipe of the debit card. And I left not wanting to scare the nice gentleman helping me carry my new treasures to my car by quietly weeping...

You will know this feeling well if you've ever been a graphic designer who desperately needed to stock up on new hardware AND software all in the same hour-long trip to the technology store. I am feeling better about it now, especially since while I was going swipe happy,  I added a pair of Warby Parker glasses to my expenditure tally. You gotta be able to see straight (and look cool) to be a designer, I've learned! And I didn't end up really loving any of these ones... Once I crack open this new Macbook Pro, upload all of my new software, and try on my new glasses, I will just be a brand new lady! What do you think? Have you guys ever taken a soul-crushing trip to the Apple store? Here are a tally of today's purchases:

1  15-inch: 2.4 GHz MacBook Pro
My 3-year-old MacBook Pro has survived an exploded battery, a blown left speaker (which has left it whistling like a tea-kettle), 2 years of design school, a senior thesis project, and a job designing a magazine... It's officially time to retire him. Also, you should note, I NEVER go without AppleCare protection. It has saved me twice in the past, and I'd definitely rather be safe than sorry...

2 Adobe CS5.5 Design Premium
Who could pass up an Ohio State Employee discount on Adobe CS5.5 Design Premium when instead of costing the usual $1,899.99 smackers, I got it here for a miniscule $350 dollars??

3  Microsoft Office:Mac 2011
I once again chose to utilize my Ohio State employee discount to get this software down from $149.99 to a mere $85.00. Thanks, Wired Out!

4  A FREE HP Deskjet 3050A e-All-in-One Printer/Scanner/Copier 
I use a printer next to never, but why turn down a freebie? And who knows? Maybe I will use it more than I think I will?

5  Crosby Burgundy Fade glasses from Warby Parker
This was the biggest surprise of the day, actually. Libby, my lovely coworker, had utilized Warby Parker's amazing 5-pair "Try Before You Buy" offer, and we were so excited to get the package today! I love trying on glasses, so I snatched a few pairs to try on for myself, and kinda-sorta fell in love with this pair. They are exactly what I was looking for in a pair of big, plastic statement glasses. And I love the coloring, because it looks almost black on top when they're on, but with the red fade pattern, they go well with my hair. It was a great surprise, because I really never would have tried these on if they weren't sitting out on a table in our office. I ended up loving these way more than the ones I debated in this post...and thus, I was sold.

So I am truthfully stocked up on every piece of equipment a good designer could possibly need to do her job. I don't even know what to do next. But the answer is probably design something, so I can make back some of my squandered money!!

Cocktail Couture: Middle West Hot Apple Toddy

This week's installment of our Cocktail Couture features a fall favorite, a classic apple Hot Toddy with a delicious Middle West twist! Using local Ohio honey and whiskey from Columbus' very own Middle West Spirits gives you an opportunity to present your upcoming holiday guests with a taste of Ohio's bounty. Once again, Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen and the blog Freshly Baked has styled these sultry-looking evening cocktails with some baubles and bangles directly from my own person jewelry armoir! Although I am sad to say that fabulous crushed onyx locket is her own piece... I am really coveting that right now! Anyway, I hope you all get a chance to work this delicious recipe into your upcoming Thanksgiving feasts. I happen to guarantee this will go perfectly with that piece of pumpkin pie. Cheers!

All photography in the series by Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen

And in case you need a refresher on Cocktail Couture, read our description below:

"Haute Couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing, usually made from high-quality expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques...The hand-crafted (local) alcohol is created by those dedicated to their craft, making award-winning bottles of gin, vodka, whiskey, wine, and Tessora." 

Catherine and I both believe that the handiwork and detail that goes into the brewing and distilling of our local-to-Columbus spirits are nothing short of couture themselves, especially when paired with fun jewelry and accessories...and you all know I am a firm believer that the cocktail you sip is as much a part of the statement you are making as anything else on your body! So let's get creative!

First there was the fantastic Watershed Gin Pumpkin Drop featuring Columbus' own Watershed gin, and next the Tessora Lemon Capuccini made with Tessora Limone! See the recipes below:

Cocktail Couture: Watershed Gin Pumpkin Drop

I am very excited to present a fantastic blog collaboration combining a few of my favorite C's...cocktails, Columbus, and Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen. Catherine is a fantastic food photographer, and fellow Edible Columbus contributer, responsible for some of my favorite features and covers! Now, together, with Catherine's blog, Freshly Baked, we are bringing you a series of drink recipes and photos entitled Cocktail Couture!

Here's what she had to say about Cocktail Couture:
"Haute Couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing, usually made from high-quality expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques...The hand-crafted (local) alcohol is created by those dedicated to their craft, making award-winning bottles of gin, vodka, whiskey, wine, and Tessora." 

We both believe that the handiwork and detail that goes into the brewing and distilling of our local-to-Columbus spirits are nothing short of couture themselves, especially when paired with fun jewelry and accessories...and you all know I am a firm believer that the cocktail you sip is as much a part of the statement you are making as anything else on your body! So let's get creative!

Our first recipe uses Watershed Gin, an absolutely delicious locally made gin that goes beautiful in absolutely every drink. But in honor of Halloween, Catherine has mixed up a fun punch that's great for shots or small cocktails and it would be perfect to dress up for your Halloween festivities! Check out her recipe for the Pumpkin Drop below!

Photography by Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen

Edible Columbus: Fall Issue

As you guys know, there's a new issue of Edible Columbus, and it's been floating around the city for a couple of weeks now. I had a lot of fun designing this issue and I think it's definitely one of my proudest accomplishments to date. Of course, it helps that I have amazing photos and articles giving me tons of design inspiration, but I really love being the person who gets to put it all together so that in the end, we all have something tangible and (hopefully) cohesive. Something we can all be proud of. Special thanks to Cameron Winchester, my oh-so-talented co-worker, who graciously photographs my projects for me so I can show them to all of you. And if these enticing photos aren't doing it justice, read the amazing articles in the full digital issue here!

Photography by Cameron Winchester for Jenna Sais Quois

Fall Edible: A Sneak Peek

The fall issue of Edible Columbus drops tomorrow! You can find your copy at any of the advertiser locations around this fair city. I am pretty proud of this issue. It's my second that I've designed entirely, and was certainly even more fun to work on than the summer edition. I hope, if you get the chance, you will check it out! Isn't this cover photo by local photographer Sarah Warda incredible? Sugared seckel pears. There's an easy recipe inside for sugared fruit as well as a ton of other amazing dishes to whip up this fall using locally grown ingredients. Bon Appetit!

Photo by Sarah Warda, Design by Jenna Brucoli

Photo Kitchen

So, in addition to my day job, and this blog, I also do design work for Edible Columbus magazine. It's a lot of fun, and I really enjoy the subject matter...I mean, come on? Who hates beautiful and delicious, local food? However, since I work remotely with just myself and the trusty MacBook, I rarely get to see the other contributers! But, this Spring, at our 1-year-anniversary dinner, I had the pleasure of meeting Catherine Murray, and I soon realized that so many of the gorgeous photos (including 2 covers!) in the mag were taken by her. She is a fantastic food photographer, and photo retoucher based in Columbus, Ohio, though she certainly isn't limited to shooting delicious dishes! Her profile is filled with portraits, architecture, and products as well. Stop by Photo Kitchen and see what Catherine Murray's got cooking!

All photos ©Photo Kitchen

Edible Columbus

Have you picked up the newest issue of Edible Columbus yet? You can get them at North Market, Jeni's and a ton of other local Columbus spots. It is full of delicious recipes, great stories, and of course information about local food. Aren't those raspberries on the cover just gorgeous?

{Image from Signature Wines}