Naturally, with the start of a new year - a new decade, no less - we are all filled with expectations.

It has been a quiet stretch at work and we closed the year with one of my favorite events, the annual Interfaith Breakfast hosted...

Of course I am vain, and perhaps no more so than when dressed for a run in the park on a warm day. I catch a quick but thorough look at my reflection in a full-length mirror in the lobby just before hitting the pavement. Not bad, but I'll have...

Growing up in the era of George Reeves (aka Superman) I confess that my secret fantasy was to fly. For years, I would dream about lifting off and soaring up into the sky. It was so real and logical - of course one day I would find a way. Back...

A watershed event for the local food shed -- the second annual NYC Food and Climate Summit -- was convened on Saturday. Sponsored by the Manhattan Borough President, NYU and Just Food, the day was dedicated to 'creating a platform for change'.

I participated on a panel whose...

Last week's freshly roasted turkeys are officially past the leftover stage but the feeling of having been a part of a unique Thanksgiving Day experience lingers on.

24 hours from now, I will be "elbow deep" in turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, green beans and more. Only it will not be at a traditional family gathering; it will be on Washington Avenue in the South Bronx. This Bronx venue is just one of 10 where Great...

It was not an ordinary Thursday. I left home at the usual time but with three wardrobe changes in tow. Not so usual.

9 to 5 was almost routine (with the exception of reviewing plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving meal for 10,000 we are planning with the Salvation Army). But...

Year Two of The Great Recession is already 2 months old. As a high profile off-premises caterer and leaseholder of the Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom, I am constantly asked about the current trends in entertaining for non-profit clients.

The trend is simple - pay less and maximize...

Last week ended with a grand and glorious finale - a ticker tape parade tribute to the NY Yankees and their dedicated fans, and for this caterer, a day to be swept up in the enthusiasm of being a victorious New Yorker.

I have just traveled half way around the world for a 3½-day visit with my sister and her family. And though I long to travel to all the places between the Galilee and New York City, there was no time for a stop over.

What to pack? Aside from a...

Step back from all the details -- the menu, guest counts and RSVP's, room layout, operational minutia, music, florist, photographer -- and just focus on the ingredients.

We start with the food, the foundation of the meal that is the focus of our attention and the hands that lovingly...

A year and a half after closing for renovation, El Museo del Barrio is back. And what a reopening it has been. Culinary fare does not vary much museum to museum (do you see a difference between the sandwiches at the Guggenheim and the Whitney or the Met?) but we...

I met His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Monday at the Garrison Institute in Putnam County. I am neither Buddhist nor particularly spiritual lately, but the invitation had been so unexpected and generous that I accepted.

Late Sunday night I Googled "what to wear when meeting the Dalai Lama."

A rite of passage - attending our first parents weekend at college in Lewiston Maine during the peak fall foliage season. Touchdown in Portland, which has been receiving lots of press for culinary innovation and creative new restaurants and cafes though sushi was the choice for our late lunch on...

Jeff Zalaznick, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of www.alwayshungryny.com, had agreed to let me guest blog on his website. It is enough to post weekly for Huffington, so I have been waiting for the inspiration to strike.

And at last, it had. (At least I thought so.)

It is Yom Kippur,...

48 hours after welcoming the Jewish New Year, a two day holiday, the festivities wind down. Marked by specific prayers, it also is the beginning of a ten day period of introspection and penitence.

As it is a 'major' Jewish holiday, families, extended families and close friends gather around...

In the past two weeks, I have covered a lot of miles. New York to Maine and back with stops in between.

First time experiences: Super Walmart, dinner at the Culinary Institute of America, IKEA, first child to college, Columbia County fair.

Memorable moments: the New Amsterdam Market, trying...

This week, at Katchkie Farm, we welcomed our last two summer groups to the Sylvia Center.
45 children, ranging in ages from 5 to 17 piled off the bus late Tuesday morning. They were residents of 3 NYC shelters; from Bushwick in Brooklyn and Springfield Gardens and Briarwood shelters...

It struck me out of the blue, while looking at our website. So much content in there! And then it hit -- it is just like my office or my home. Filled with stuff.

There are girls I know who love shoes and have racks bursting with never ending...

The Northeast finally welcomes summer. It is midway through August, and there are a few weeks left to enjoy long days and the laid back atmosphere of the season. Except of course on a farm, where it is high season (akin to what was once a retailers Christmas) and days...