May 25 – The Pelican Tide & Bee-Licious Honey

Posted on May 22, 2024 by Guy

My first guest this week is Sharon Wishnow with her new book “The Pelican Tide.” While not specifically about food and wine, the story is set in Southern Louisiana and the difficulties associated with an oil spill and a restaurants struggle to survive afterward.  It also includes some interesting recipes.

“Set in Grand Isle, Louisiana, in the wake of the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill, The Pelican Tide is the story of a family in turmoil, a historic café, and a beautiful but fragile ecosystem under threat. A layer of oil sludge coats the local beaches and estuaries, fishing is banned, tourists disappear, and the entire island community faces tough decisions. Against this backdrop, Josie and Brian struggle to hold their marriage together while trying to ensure a future on the island they love. In this assured debut, Sharon Wishnow creates a strong sense of place and deftly brings the natural world of this Gulf barrier island to life. Readers looking for a heartwarming story, memorable characters, and the delights of a wayward pelican named Gumbo will be richly rewarded.” ―Rebecca Hodge, award-winning author of Wildland

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About the Author
Sharon J. Wishnow is a transplanted New Englander who makes her home in Northern Virginia. She writes fiction and nonfiction in the science, technology, and lifestyle categories with a passion for research, seashells, birds, and the ocean. For more information, visit www.sharonwishnow.com.

Later in the show it’s all about BEE-LICIOUS Honey.

Bees are crucial to our food system, they pollinate over 80% of all flowering plants, yet each year we see greater colony loss. In order to save the bees and our food system, we need knowledgeable bee professionals like the experts at Bee-Licious Honey to guide our actions. Jeff Garner and Jennifer Lytle have been beekeeping, educating, advocation, and sourcing from of the best sustainable global honey for over 8 years.  Follow Bee-Licious on Facebook

Jeff and Jennifer are backyard beekeepers and honey bee educators, and they travel the world seeking and sourcing the best and most carefully harvested honey.  They are incredibly knowledgeable about what it takes to source honey sustainably and toso save the bees.

Honey from the Pacific Northwest and worldwide select gourmet honey is all available at their web site: www.beelicious.com. I look forward to sharing their story and tasting the premium Alemany Lavender Honey from Spain.
This Lavender Honey features abundant fragrance from lavender and showcases the aromatic landscape of  Castile and Leon, Guadalajara and Teruel.

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Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2019 Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
This Napa Valley Cabernet is an interpretation of a quintessentially classic style. The color is deep garnet and the nose yields aromas of dark chocolate, pomegranate, cedar shavings, blackberry, and leather. The palate exhibits flavors of blueberry compote, black cherry, espresso, and cigar box with bright and juicy fruit forward sensations. The texture is rich and bold with well-structured tannins that make it approachable now and will yield great results in the cellar for decades. ABV14.5%

Learn more here!

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May 18 – Jackson Family Fine Wines

Posted on May 13, 2024 by Guy

My guest this week is Ken Abolins, Region manager for Jackson Family Fine Wines.

Every wine enthusiast knows about Kendall-Jackson wines. The Vintners Reserve line is the most popular series of wines with the widest distribution and restaurant wine list presents, especially the Chardonnay.  But you may not know “The Rest of The Story!”  My first visit to the original Lake County Kendall-Jackson winery was in 1989, Jed Steele was the winemaker and my brother and I had a fine wine country luncheon with Jess Jackson’s daughter Janet. We tasted everything produced at that time, recorded a radio show, and it was memorable.

I also had the opportunity to meet and chat with Jess Jackson and Randy Ollum (winemaker at the time and now he oversees the entire KJ portfolio)  at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic many years ago. Jess Stonestreet Jackson was a force of great magnitude in many aspects of California winemaking prior to his untimely passing. After several years of treatment for melanoma, Jackson died on 21 April 2011.

Kendall-Jackson may be most often associated with the winery’s flagship Vintner’s Reserve line, starring its best-selling Chardonnay, but there is much more to this Sonoma County wine producer. The brand was founded in 1982 by Jess Jackson, who replaced pear and walnut trees with Chardonnay grapevines on an 80-acre orchard he purchased north of Napa Valley.

From there, Kendall-Jackson would go on to launch multiple collections, become a leader in sustainability and conservation, and take home many prestigious honors, including the American Wine Competition’s first-ever Platinum Award for an American Chardonnay.

Jackson Family Wines has been family-owned and run since the planting of the first vines in 1974. Each of the 40+ wineries in the portfolio has its own distinct fingerprint and style driven by the terroir of the vineyards located across the top wine-growing regions of the world.

Ken and I will be sharing the story of the growth of the portfolio, the many vineyard and label acquisitions and talk about many of the premium labels produced today.  The wine of the week is just one of the premium wines produced!

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2020 Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Chardonnay
This 2020 Napa Valley Chardonnay is a rich, nuanced and complex wine. The nose opens with aromas of apple cobbler, creme brulee, ripe pineapple, orange marmalade, and fresh peach. The palate is supple, balanced and integrated and exhibits flavors of stone fruit, candied lemon zest, baking spices, ambrosia and vanilla. It is at once vibrant and balanced while being creamy with a long, lingering finish.. ABV14.2%   JS94, WA92, JD92

Learn more here!

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May 11 – The MOBB Cookbook & Diet

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Guy

My guest this week is Frankie “Spice” Morelli with this interesting book: The MOBB Cookbook & Diet

Frankie “Spice” Morelli, Dr. Sandra Frank, Ed.D, RDN, FAND, and James “The Raptor” John are an unlikely team who brought The MOBB Cookbook & Diet to life.  Frankie and James–the founding fathers of Our MOBB–met while doing time in federal prison. This may not sound like the start of an inspiring, positive story, but this was the perfect environment for these two to meet to share goals and philosophies.

It was here that Frankie and James realized that they could beat the allure of “The Mob” by creating a new life with Our MOBB (Mercy and Optimism Beyond Borders), expanding interaction and loyalty outside of organized crime to build trust, self-fulfillment, and success with individuals around the world who are looking for a place to belong. When they paired their experiences with the credentials and background of Dr. Sandra Frank, Our MOBB grew with another significant leader.  Get a copy NOW!

The MOBB Cookbook & Diet is unlike any other cookbook you’ve seen. Besides combining the most entertaining aspects of a coffee table book with the gorgeous food photography of an upscale Italian cookbook, we also add meal plans that make you excited to take control of your wellness through food. 
Our cookbook and diet provide:
● Time-tested, enticing Italian recipes.
● A unique and positive approach to weight loss.
● Flexibility to help you be more successful.
● Recipes designed for both weight loss and weight maintenance.
● Instruction on substitutes for delicious food that is still healthy.
● Truth, frankness, and honesty, while still being entertaining and encouraging.

Follow Frankie on Facebook, Instagram and X

In the last segment I’ll tell you more about Chenin Blanc and why it’s one of my favorite wines, no matter where it’s produced.

Chenin Blanc Has a Variety of Flavor Profiles

As a white wine, Chenin Blanc has a wide range of flavors. Part of the reason for this has a lot to do with the winemaking style.

  • Dry: When the grapes are fermented dry and kept fresh, they produce a very lean, minerally style Chenin Blanc that offers up flavors of tart pear, quince, ginger, and chamomile.
  • Off-Dry: When some of the grapes’ natural sugars are left in the wine, you’ll taste richer flavors of ripe pear, ginger, jasmine, passion fruit, and honeycomb.
  • Sweet: Sweeter styles of Chenin Blanc have flavors of dried persimmon, toasted almond, mango, ginger, and mandarin orange.
  • Sparkling: Sparkling styles can range from dry (Brut) to sweet (Demi-Sec), with Chenin Blanc’s classic characteristics of quince, yellow apple, plum, ginger, and floral notes.
  • Chenin Blanc Aroma & Flavors

Learn more about Chenin Blanc here!

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2021 Dry Creek Vineyards dry Chenin Blanc
Fermented in 100% stainless steel barrels, this beautiful wine is wonderfully bright and consistent vintage after vintage. At first swirl, aromatics of honeydew, watermelon and mango spring forward from the glass with floral notes of jasmine and orange blossom. On the palate, the wine has refreshing flavors of peach, Meyer lemon and cucumber with hints of geranium, white tea and white pepper. The mouthfeel is soft but inviting, with a voluptuous texture. This classic, Loire Valley-style wine is excellent when paired with fresh oysters, seafood, or just about anything! ABV12%
Get the tech sheet for the details!

Grab a bottle at Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock road or your local wine store.

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May 4 – The Spirit of Herbfarm Restaurant

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Guy

My guest this week is Carrie Van Dyck, co-founder of The Herbfarm Restaurant in Woodinville Washington with the book her husband completed prior to his unfortunate passing in 2023.  The Spirit of The Herbfarm Restaurant is a great tribute and memoir with 100 recipes from this iconic restaurant!

This book brings together more than 100 unique recipes from and inspired by America’s first true “farm-to-table” restaurant with the story of its creation. Get a copy NOW!

Working together, founders Ron Zimmerman and Carrie Van Dyck turned a farm garage into a restaurant like no other. In their pre-opening manifesto, they vowed to use only local ingredients to reunite their guests with the increasingly forgotten nature that has sustained us for hundreds of years.

The initial offering was a single noon seating that began with a garden tour led by Carrie. This quickly became a nine-course chef-selected menu with a price that included wine pairings. The meals told a daily story in six or nine sequential dishes of what was in the garden, wilds, farm, and sea.

Unlike restaurants that would later cloak themselves in the verbal mantle of “farm-to-table,” The Herbfarm Restaurant first found the food and only then designed the menu. Everything in each dish was local, not just the protein or main vegetable. Even olive oil and lemons weren’t used in the first years until Oregon olive orchards blossomed. There were no “supplements” or extra charges. Since guests were charged in advance, they knew to the penny what the experience would cost.

Part memoir, part cookbook, The Spirit of the Herbfarm Restaurant is a walk down memory lane, written, photographed, and largely designed by Ron before his death in 2023. Delight in the history of the restaurant as well as the unique seasonal dishes and recipes and beautiful photography that cover all occasions. Follow The Spirit of The Herbfarm on Facebook and Instagram and Carrie on X

About Carrie Van Dyck
For 35 years I owned and managed The Herbfarm restaurant, nursery, mail order, events, retail, manufacturing, and school winning many international awards/acclaim. Which is now sold and being run by the Chef and Sous Chef to continued acclaim.  Prior to that I organized location photo shoots and modeled as well. And with my college degree in technical theatre and psychology, I built props and sets for Broadway and other theatres.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2020 J. Moreau & Fils Vouvray, from the Boisset Collection
100% Chenin Blanc Fermented in stainless-steel  to preserve a maximum of fruit. – Alcoholic fermentation stopped by adding SO2 to obtain a residual sugar level of 20-30g/l depending on the acidity and the vintage. – Unoaked to preserve maximum freshness.  Golden color with vivid brightness showing sweet notes of apple, green aniseed and acacia blossom.  Elegant, rounded, forthright and well-balanced with aromas of nougat and English candy. Persistent with a fresh finish. The perfect wine for Spring and Summer or any time. Learn more here!

One of France’s most northerly winegrowing regions along with Champagne, the Loire Valley is celebrated for its mild climate and the beauty of its Renaissance chateaus. The river, a major trade axis and also an access route for invaders, played an important role in the history of the region. Vines were developed in parallel with Christianity from St. Martin, Bishop of Marmoutier, in the 4th century through to the ruin caused by the Holy Wars. The Loire Valley was also the cradle of artistic development in the 16th century with Ronsard, Du Bellay, Rabelais, Descartes and Leonardo da Vinci.

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April 27 – Thoughtful Cooking

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Guy

My guest this week is Chef William Dissen with his latest book “Thoughtful Cooking – Recipes Rooted in the New South.”

A long-anticipated cookbook from the chef and owner of The Market Place, Asheville’s renowned farm-to-table restaurant.

Growing up in West Virginia, Chef William Dissen began his culinary journey in his grandmother’s kitchen. There, family meals were cooked with local ingredients, many from the home’s bountiful garden. In this ambitious debut cookbook, Dissen reinterprets the flavors of his youth, putting a modern spin on recipes grounded in the traditions of sustainable agriculture, local cuisine, and the hills and valleys of his Appalachian community. Thoughtful Cooking also represents a culinary vibe shift, as these recipes invite the reader to meditate on the importance of cooking through the seasons and considering the people who are growing, harvesting, fishing, and foraging the ingredients. With modern, Southern-inspired recipes like Cornmeal Fried Catfish with Butterbean and Boiled Peanut Stew, Tomato Sandwiches with Confit Garlic Aioli, and Red Wine–Braised Beef Short Ribs with Blue Cheese and Green Apple Slaw and Cumin Chili Sauce, Dissen showcases the flavors of the place he calls home.

“William Stark Dissen, chef and owner of James Beard Semi-finalist restaurant The Market Place in Asheville, NC captures the spirit of cooking with intention in Thoughtful Cooking. With a philosophy that leans into the way food and cooking provide self-care, the cookbook is organized by seasons and includes must-try dishes like Mac and Cheese with Smoked Cheddar Mornay, Spring Peas, and Aged Ham, as well as Yukon Gold Focaccia Flatbread with Cured Salmon, Crème Fraîche, and Pickled Red Onions. Thoughtful tips for the cook such as how to source ingredients and perfect techniques are sprinkled throughout and truly capture the spirit of taking the time to create a delicious dish and enjoy it.”  ― Cheryl Slocum, Senior Food Editor, Food & Wine 

Chef William Dissen, trained at the Culinary Institute of America, is the founder, owner, and chef behind the critically-acclaimed North Carolina restaurants The Market Place, Billy D’s Fried Chicken, and Little Gem. Dissen currently serves as Culinary Diplomat for the U.S. State Department and has worked extensively with the James Beard Foundation as a speaker, host, and featured chef since 2013. Chef Dissen is on Facebook, X and Instagram

Then Winemaker Eric Jensen joins us to talk about his journey in wine and the label named after his Mom & Dad, Harvey & Harriet red and white blends from Paso Robles,

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
Two wines produced by Booker Vineyards winemaker Eric Jensen as an homage to his parents, Harvey & Harriet.
2022 Harvey & Harriet White Blend
A unique blend of Chardonnay, Albariño, Viognier, and Pinot Grigio perfect for Spring weather and on in to the summer, heck…it’s perfect for any time of year!  Light gold color with aromas of citrus, pineapple and melon that carry through on the palate.  Their is a hint of minerality and spice backed by bright acidity with a very subtle hint of oak that leads to a soft plush finish. ABV13.8%

2021 Harvey & Harriet Red Blend
Similar to a Bordeaux blend with a few additions; Mostly Cabernet with Petite Verdot, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Grenache and Cabernet Franc. Ruby red/purple color with aromas of black fruit, red currant and hints of dried fruit. After a long sniff, the first sip shows milk chocolate, black berry pie crust, blueberry and some earthy leather.  Soft tannins, balanced osk and just enough acidity to lead to a lingering, lip smacking finish. ABV14.1%

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