I am SO glad that I started taking my vitamins.  Playing a triple header this week boys and girls!

Wednesday: Began with my DD, Abbie, and me heading east to the Eatrip film event at The Chef’s Loft presented by Slow Foods and Edible Phoenix.  My curse of arriving way too early all the damned time delightfully landed us at the gorgeous new location of Marcellino’s on Stetson Drive.  We were so warmly greeted I was catapulted back to my business class days on Singapore Airlines – and that’s a good thing!

I enjoyed a lovely glass of Pinto Grigio (Abbie had Cranberry Juice), and the fun and well-educated bartender, Lou, expertly informed us of the specials and showcased the homemade pasta selections.

Next, I met Chef and instantly asked that he join me on TV – big, Italian, not afraid to speak his mind – famous kind of guy! His wife, Sima, sat down with us for a few minutes and Scott gave us the skinny on just how wonderful employment is with this crowd.

I promised to stop by for dinner some night when I’m really hungry and elevate my taste buds to what must surely be Nirvana. Up the stairs we go to The Chef’s Loft. If you haven’t been there, you should go for some of their really cool cooking classes, or better yet, reserve the space for your next fundraiser or cocktail party. You’ll be well cared for.

The Eatrip film was a documentary from Japan which painted a picture of several people’s intimate relationship with their food. The texture of the piece was lovely and I really enjoyed it, but what I enjoyed even more were the samples we received from Sushi Roku and Sapporo……

Thursday: Into the Soup and Emily get a press pass to the newly redesigned and revamped Sapporo. Talk about another great greeting! We got Red-Carpet treatment, but the red ropes had me scared there for a minute.  My evening was kick-started by a Sapporo Slushy, followed by beautiful girls and boys offering tastes of everything from shrimp spring rolls to sushi on a chip, and my favorite, calamari fries.

Chief Brand Officer (and super nice guy) Daniel Harf explained their concept and introduced the crowd to his team. One of which was Director of Culinary Operations, Chef Steve Byrne. Naturally, I had to go introduce myself and immediately insulted Chef by insinuating he was from the England – insert foot – he’s Irish. Didn’t seem to matter though – lucky me. I got a bit of a personal tour of all of tempanaki stations set up in permanent position throughout the restaurant. There was a beautiful separation of spaces with black bamboo, low hanging ‘lanterns’ and levels. The menu was a kick a$& selection of Kobe beef sliders, lamb chops with mint pesto and  Asian pear, scallops, mussels and of course, sushi. An element of most of the cocktails being served was ROCK SAKE. The adorable owner of the company, Brad, sweated as he applied my very personal fake tattoo (pictures to follow)

Oh, we also made a pit stop at T-Cooks for some fan-inspired tacos, my first hand-shake with THE Mark Tarbell, and to spend some time with MY biggest fan Christina Barrueta and her husband, Ernesto.

Friday: TV time!  I rose bright and early this morning for a quick segment on Channel 3 promoting TASTE Chandler. Not ready to abandon my Asian-themed week yet, I whipped up some Sapporo-inspired sushi for the camera (and camera crew…and Tara Hitchcock). 

Saturday: TASTE Chandler. I’m not there yet, but thought I’d let you all know what a great time I had in case I forget to tell you. Yours truly will not only be doing a cooking demonstration, but I get to emcee the VIP event, too! Play by play on all of the chefs and their creations. Who wants to bet I’ll mistake sweet corn sauce for marzipan? 

Oops, I’m out of vitamins – anybody got a vodka-Redbull handy??