Carmen Meets Chef Derrick Peltz

September 26 2015 

 There is one thing this cannoli and in fact all the cannoli’s in my little village love…. Food!!!! We are all foodies. Well we don’t call ourselves that but it is a term used here in SWFL for those who love food and are devoted to good food. There is even a group that call themselves SWFL Foodies…. You can find them on Facebook. Great group of people who talk about all the great, semi great and not so great local places to eat in SWFL. Anyway I digress…..

When I heard that MasterChef runner up Derrick Peltz was going to be at LaMotta’s Italian Restaurant and was going to be making a dessert….well I just had to be there. MasterChef is one of my fav shows I have been watching since arriving in SWFL. Derrick was familiar to me as I had seen him on the show this past season. While he is not Italian, he is a local SWFL boy and now is somewhat a celebrity….not as much as a celebrity as I am but a celebrity none the less. We all know how much I love to have my photo taken with other celebrities!!!! 

I did get to meet Chef Derrick prior to the actual event…and like so many others he was not quite sure what to make of me… Either I make people smile or…as you can see in the picture of me and Derrick… they are quite confused. I kinda think maybe he was afraid I would upstage him. So on the night of the event I played it low keyed and shied away from all the press that were there.   

LaMotta’s event sold out in 24 hrs of it being announced….Chef Derrick is one popular boy! It also happened to be the same night my friends with What’s Up In Your World Networking Group were having their chapter social at LaMotta’s. There was not one empty seat in the place. 

Chef Carmelo created a prix fixe menu for the night that complimented Chef Derrick’s Deconstructed Tiramisu well. The folks with What’s Up In Your World Networking Group sold raffle tickets for autographed Chef Derrick items. Alas I did not win one so I asked him to autograph a What’s Up SWFL coffee mug….which he was gracious enough to do for me!  What a sweetheart…even if I did unnerve him a little!!!! 

Chef Derrick is always making appearances here in SWFL. You might want to catch him at Baconfest Nov 14 in Naples. Chef Derrick as well as others will be celebrity judges for the Best of Bacon Awards. I volunteered but was respectfully declined… I guess if it was the Best of Cannoli Awards they would of accepted my offer… hey that it is it…. A Cannolifest! Maybe somebody back in my little village will want to do that. 

All in all is was an experience to meet another celebrity. Everybody there all thought he should have won MasterChef as the talent is certainly there. However sometimes when one loses, they actually win and that is more the likely the case for Chef Derrick. It will be interesting to watch where this local boy goes in his new career!!! Carmen will be watching you Chef Derrick!!!!

Carmen 

Carmen Goes To Peace Day In The Park

September 20 2015 

“All we are saying is give peace a chance” John Lennon 1969

 SWFL has some of the best events ever. Who would think of having a day to experience peace by having a festival? Zachari Van Dyne is the brains and sweat behind this event. This year marked the 8^th year for this event and the response was huge. 

We decided to go early to the event so as to beat the crowds and the heat. We were wrong on both accounts. Finding a parking spot was easier than my driver thought it would be judging from all the cars park along the road before we even got to the park. The heat well I was hoping to hold up and not melt. 

Have you ever been to Jaycee Park in Cape Coral. It is right on the river, has beautiful trees, places to grill, playground for the children, walking paths for people and their fur babies. It is a perfect setting for this event. 

All along the walking path there were vendors of all kinds….my first stop was to see my friend Lisa who was there for Natural Awakenings. We chatted a bit and she told me she was ready to rip her clothes off and free herself…lol…just an expression that had nothing to do with the heat. Apparently our chat inspired her…lol… I do have an odd effect on people. 

We met some new friends too! People who offered dancing classes….Mark with Artful Gardens, he bubble soccer people….now that looked fun and they asked me if I wanted to give it a try but I was way to small….and speaking of way too….my friend Way Too Torrie was on hand. They had people selling clothes, jewelry…doing readings….and so much more…..like music….entertainment 

I was unable to get my photo taken with Zachari as every time I saw him he was dashing about here and there making sure everything was at it should be.

I really wished I could have spent more time there but it was so hot I was beginning to melt. Ever see a cannoli melt? It isn’t pretty!!!  You can find more about Zachari and SWFL 4 Peace on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/peacedayinthepark

 

It is a great family event and a nice way to spend the day. I hear next year will be even bigger! Check out their site for up to date info on next year’s event http://www.peaceday-in-thepark.com/  

Carmen 

Carmen has the Spirit of 45

August 26 2015

 Living in SWFL is quite the adventure. There is so much to see and do if you know where to look for it. Luckily I know many locals and they know about some great events that happen around town.  Back in my little village, everybody knows what is going on because everything happens in the center of town but here in SWFL everything is so spread out that you just have to ask a local. There does seem to be something for everybody though…which is a good thing.

The people of SWFL are generous in spirit. There are many events designed to help the citizens of SWFL. Other events celebrate some aspect of SWFL culture.  What a diverse community we live in. Recently I went to an event that honored WWII veterans….The Spirit of 45.

This year’s celebration marked the 70^th anniversary of the ending of WWII. Our hostess and Spirit of 45 Lee County Chairperson was Eryka Aptaker. She spends countless hours coordinating this event. This year there were about 350 people in attendance 86 of which were WWII Veterans. Despite being the youngest one there, I had a great time and I felt I was a part of history that I am way tooooo young to know about.

It was held August 9 at the Sanibel Harbour Resort and Spa. What a stunning setting for such a great event. SWFL has some great sunsets!!! I think I would like to go back there ad spend a weekend relaxing, sunning, eating drinking and generally enjoying what SWFL is about….but anyway…

The event consisted of a dinner with tribute to our Military Veterans. Guns N Hoses bagpipes performed all the military branches songs and Amazing Grace.  They had ceremonies for our Fallen Soldiers, P. O. W., wreath service and the story of the Poppies…do you know what the red poppy means? It is the internationally recognized symbol of Remembrance. It is synonymous with great loss of life in war. You can learn about story at the Red Poppy Story (http://www.greatwar.co.uk/article/remembrance-poppy.htm)

They also had dancers and theater performances…..all to honor our WWII vets. It was truly impressive. There was an aerial salute and some WWII veterans shared their stores with us. Hearing about their experiences was very moving.

I did get to meet one WWII veteran who was all decked out in sparkles…. Gazo Nemmeth. I also met Angelo with the Lee County Sherriff’s office… he took a real liking to me….and Alex our bartender was a real cutie!!! I shared the evening with my new found friends Karyn, Debbie, Kim, Marsha and Earl….I was so glad to be able to share such a great event with them.

If you have a chance to attend next year I would go and experience this wonderful tribute to our WWII veterans.

I created this little video of the event and I hope you like my pictures. I did it in black and white as from what I was told films from back then tended to be in black and white. 

Carmen

Spirit of 45 - Kizoa Video Maker