The Secret Meeting

They had synchronized their watches, had booked their reservations and at the stroke of midnight they would meet in the city of lost wages.

They were coming to gamble, but not in the casinos. Their agenda was darker and it was top secret.

Malcolm checked his watch...

"24 more hours," he said with a nod of approval as he mentally began planning out his pending rendezvous at the Paris Las Vegas.

Traditional or Modern

Traditional or modern, what is your preference when it comes to designing your office? I've done both at different seasons of my career.

For my Canopy Rose Catering office, I went with a sleek, black modern style with a mahogany trim. It all looked gorgeous in the catalogue. But I ended up ordering more pieces than I had room for and ultimately ended up hating the cold, contemporary lines.

When I closed that space, I couldn't get rid of that office furniture fast enough.

The One Question You Must Ask Your Realtor

Shopping for Orlando real estate ? Whether you are a buyer or seller of property in the Orlando market, here is the company that can assist you.

Did you know that over 77% of home buyers start their search on the Internet? Wow!

When looking for the company that can help you, you will want to make sure to go with a real estate agent that not only utilizes the extraordinary power of the Internet, but also engages the stratospheric potential of the blogosphere.

Ask your agent: What is your presence in the blogosphere? This one question could make all the difference in the world. If your realtor scratches his or her head and doesn't have a clue how blogs are being used as an important weapon in the savvy realtors marketing artillery- RUN!

Remodeling A Steel Building

Does anyone know about remodeling steel buildings ? Actually what I want to do is fairly simply ( at least I think it is.)

On the side of my property I have a large metal-like storage building. I'd like to replace the standard door with french doors and replace the windows with some large multi-paned windows with window boxes. Then I want to extend my covered deck from the side of the house over to the storage building.

My question is this: Is it possible to do these minor revisions without too much difficulty? What do I need to know?

Trusting In a Deeper Wisdom

"The thrill is in the experience and in knowing there is something new to discover just ahead," his words rang through my mind like the gentle ringing of my grandmother's silver and pearl-adorned dinner bell.

Hungrily I stepped forward into the unknown trusting not in my own wisdom, but rather in a deeper wisdom and in a slightly inexplicable truth that felt right for me, and right for this season of my life.

Could it be possible that I could actually funnel my passion for food, special events and promotion into a new career? A career where I could share these gifts with a greater audience than what was possible with individual catering jobs.

The computer could be just the ticket to unlock a new adventure. It was time to up the Dell Memory!

Making a transition from one food-related business to another takes a tremendous amount of faith. Fortunately I am blessed with a heaping serving of faith and the belief that if I am true to the innermost whispers of my own soul, I will be led to an even deeper place of true authenticity.

Since closing Canopy Rose a few years ago and embarking on a path of preparation and equipping, I have had the delicious opportunity to morph from caterer and special event designer to food writer and food publicist, a career that fully utilizes my many talents.

During this time, I discovered the joy of blogging, not only as a way to immediately publish my thoughts, but also as a dynamic way to help promote different businesses and products. One of the first companies I began promoting was Moremouse, a company that specializes in
Orlando vacation rentals.

While sipping Merlot under the Italian market umbrella and talking about everything and nothing, a new topic was broached.

"I think we should get term insurance. I've been researching it online and want you to take a look at it as soon as you have the time.

"Ok."

"While you check it out, I'm going to do a price comparison."

"We want simple and elegant garden canapes with champagne and wedding cake," the bride said.

"Nice. I like that. Let me put together some ideas for you. Do you have any food allergies?" I asked.

"I'm allergic to eggs."

"Ooh, that will certainly effect the menu."

"Yes, it can present a bit of a challenge! Oh I was wondering, can you help us with our announcements?"

Sitting on the front porch shaded from the Florida sun, Polly sipped her mint julep and listened to her boyfriend explain the problem.

"No Polly. You don't have ghosts! You simply have some electronic interference. I've ordered some RFI Shielding and this little problem will be solved."

"What a hero you are!" Polly said as she threw her arms around this man who could fix anything.

Ranch cuisine is rustic and hearty with a smoky flavor. Imagine vacationing at a sprawling western lodge in the mountains, where hot tubs and ski lifts, crackling fires and pristine mountains come together for the vacation of a lifetime.

I can smell the pepper-crusted buffalo tenderloin grilling over the open fire. Mmmm....

Looking for the perfect tablecloth for commercial food service or catering applications? The most cost-efficient solution is to buy your own cloths. They will pay for themselves in no time and you will save a fortune in rental charges.

Do a price comparison and you will be shocked! During my years as I caterer, I discovered that I literally could buy my own brand new cloths for the same price as I was renting a cloth.

Be smart! Check out the options. Chances are you will save a small fortune over time.

The excuses for throwing a party are as unlimited as the sands of the sea. During my years as a caterer and special event planner, I had the wonderful privilege to be a part of many watershed moments.

From weddings to divorce parties, from christening to funerals, from corporate galas to intimate and indulgent feasts for two.

I loved them all and learned so much about people. I found out that all things are not as they appear... take the New York personal injury lawyer, perhaps you might stereotype him as an ambulance-chaser, then discover him to be a saint!

Home entertaining never goes out of style.

After the tragedy of 9-11 we saw the flavor of entertaining change in many ways. As a caterer and special event designer during that period of time, immediate changes transformed the way people entertained.

People cocooned in the safety of their homes, opting for indulgent and intimate entertaining as opposed to the big splashy soirees that had been the norm prior to 9-11.

People wanted to turn their homes into their very own private resorts and sanctuaries with exciting ideas like home theater seating.

It has often been said that one of the big problems that effects entreprenurial chefs who are married to the kitchen is substance abuse.

While alcohol or drugs were not a problem for me, I found that during my years as a caterer I was addicted to sugar and carbs.

For anyone fighting issues of addiction, drug rehab is a divine solution to recreating a healthy lifestyle.

While sipping a frothy brew of java and visiting with a dear one, the conversation percolated to the subject of jura capresso.

"I'm thinking about writing a coffee-inspired book."

"Interesting! A cookbook or something else?"

"My thought is to write a collection of stories and recipes with a spiritual twist." I said.

"Sounds delicious!"