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More exciting blogs from Nikki are coming soon!
Wow, things just seem to be getting busier and busier! I've had a ton of great events lately. The two Holiday Cooking Workshops at 24 Prince last month were a great success! I had so much fun teaching them! On December 7th, I'll be at Borders Columbus Circle in Manhattan for a promotion and signing of the Top Chef Quickfire Cookbook. I hope to get the chance to meet some of you there, but if you can't make it, look for the book in your local bookstore.
I am so excited to tell you that my website is live! Although parts of it are still under construction, I will continue to add press, recipes and upcoming events to keep you up to date! Take a look--I'd love to hear all your feedback!
As for the wedding planning, I've barely had time to do anything. I'm getting a little anxious, but I know everything will be perfect in the end. More details soon!
I'm so excited to be a part of the upcoming Green Living Expo in two weeks. If you are local or will be in the area, I hope you can join me at this great event. Here are the details!
Go Green with the Stars of Bravo's hit TV series - Top Chef
(Brentwood, NY) The Green Living Expo is returning to Suffolk Community College next month with some very special guests. Stars of Bravo's hit TV series Top Chef will be amongst this fall's featured lecturers.
This collection of "Cheftestants" are coming together to speak about the importance of cooking naturally and to share their views on Organic, farm to table cooking and "green" culinary trends with you. CS4 Entertainment and Nikki Cascone, Season 4 Contestant, executive chef and owner of NYC's 24 Prince restaurant will moderate this all-star panel which will include: Season 1 Finalist Lee Anne Wong as well as cast mate Andrea Beaman, Season 3 fan favorite Josie Smith-Malave, Season 4 Winner Stephanie Izard and Season 5's Ariane Duarte and Leah Cohen. This collaboration of chefs each bring a strong individual view of how going green relates to the Food industry with their unique experiences.
"Myself, along with these other incredible chefs are looking so forward to sharing the message of local, organic kitchens and the positive effect these choices have had on both our restaurants and personal lives," said Chef Nikki Cascone.
The Panel of Top Chefs will be appearing at the Expo on Sunday November 22nd at 1PM in the Expo Hall. There will be a meet and greet with the chefs immediately following the lecture.
The Green Living Expo will take place on Saturday November 21st and Sunday November 22nd 2009 at Suffolk Community College's Brentwood Campus. The Campus is located at 1001 Crooked Hill Road in Brentwood, NY.
This fall's Green Living Expo's theme is a "Holiday Harvest". There will be a special concentration on green holiday gifts, an expanded children's pavilion including special appearances by the Long Island Rough Riders and the Kid's Kloset, a travelling consigment shop where you can buy and sell children's clothing and items. There will also be continuous cooking demos, informative lectures, free raffles and over 100 vendors.
This past week my schedule was CRAZY. I judged the Daily News' Five Alarm Cook-off, went to an event for Bravo and Top Chef to launch a new line of Top Chef products, including a Quickfire Book, in which one of my Quickfire challenge recipes is featured. I also had my first pasta making class at 24 Prince and changed my menus over to Fall. PHEW!!
Brad and I watched the episode of The Office last night when Pam and Jim finally get married and I was soo excited. I am growing more and more excited as the wedding approaches. I can't wait for our moment and to be Brad's wife! Right now I'm in the "I love him so much" phase. We all know how that changes constantly, especially during the stressful time of wedding planning. Lately, I look at him and feel so strongly that I want to spend the rest of my life with him. Since we are together so much at work and home, it doesn't always feel that way. There are certainly those weeks where we are throwing daggers; we look at each other and I think "Do I really want to spend the rest of my life with him?" The most important thing I've realized, no matter how angry or annoyed I might get with him, is that the answer is always "yes."
As far as the rest of the planning goes, my maid of honor Isabel is flying in on Halloween so we can go out East and visit a flower farmer or two and make the final decisions on the flowers. We are also going to determine what we will give for favors. I can't wait to share those decisions with you and check them off the list!
Brad and I decided right from the get-go that we would not send out a six-piece wedding invitation, save the date card AND thank you note. Way too much wasted paper!
Today, I found an amazing online company that actually makes invitations that look just like they would if you received them in the mail. It's called The Paperless Post. The images they create have details and textures like real paper, but it comes through as an email. It's amazing!
We are going to put all the information for our website onto the Paperless Post invitation and then we can track RSVPS online! Our save the date wil be the ONLY form of snail mail we do use, and that is for anyone without internet access that would prefer to speak to us in person.
I can't wait to send out our save the dates, because I think at that moment I'll know it's all "really happening." It's so funny how a small thing like that can be what makes it official. When I get the designs for all of these things I will share them with you!
So I know I'm not supposed to be involved with my bridal shower, but who says I have to follow any rules? Both Brad and I have divorced parents that are re-married. That means four moms, plus I know Isabel, my maid of honor, will want to be involved. So how the heck do all these women come together without issues?
I really didn't want to have a traditional shower. I was thinking more about bringing the women of both families together to get to know one another. So how do I do that without pissing someone off? I want to keep it simple and eco-friendly without forcing my views onto them. And If they want to throw me a shower, which I know one or more of them do, how can I say anything at all?
Well, most of all I feel obligated to bring them all together. I know there are many girls that should be included. So I'm thinking my mother-in-law to be, Brad's mom, may want to host us at the clubhouse in her community. It's gorgeous and affordble and not far for anyone to travel on both sides. I will have to ask her what she thinks. I don't think it needs much decoration either so we can save on that!
So, uh-oh...but hopefully there will be no hair-pulling, fighting, crying, or hurt feelings. And hopefully after all the wedding events have come and gone, this will have brought everyone closer together!!! xoxox
Just spoke to my Maid of Honor, Isabel. She and the best man are the only parts of a formal wedding party we're having.She is actually a professional event planner in Atlanta, GA, where I lived for 8 years. That will either come in handy or we will kill one another. She is even more opinionated than me, if you can beleive that! But that's also the greatest thing about her: she will definitely let you know what she is thinking. She has great style and an eye for detail. I am a bit concerned that, like me, she will be watching the staff and overseeing the wedding planner on the day of the wedding instead of enjoying herself and celebrating with us as she should be.
I asked her to come up for another visit so we can get a calendar together and start making some solid plans. We are getting to the 10 month mark and I suppose now is the time to get aggressive. Everyone should have an Isabel, that one person that you know you can depend on no matter what to assist you with all this. Although your husband-to-be may be your best friend, he isn't going to understand the girlie stuff that only your Maid of Honor can. I'm finding out for myself, even just at the beginning stages, that this can be stressful if you let it, and I will need by BFF to lean on.
I plan on going to visit some flower farmers with her and selecting from what is in season. I will video the experience so I can share it on the blog!
Thanks to Isabel in advance...
Yippee! I am having my first meeting with Christian Siriano today to discuss the design of my wedding dress. OK, well, I will admit that although I adore him and his talent I was MOST enthralled by his appearance on Bravo's Project Runway (now on Lifetime). He is a diva and so am I...I am much more understated however. We met through a mutual friend and I instantly knew I wanted him to make the dress. The scary part was that in 2005 I was flipping through a magazine and found THE dress of my dreams: the one you look at that surpasses all others and just fits. Everything about it, material, design, silhouette..it all just grabbed me. I want you to know I have the original cut out, and even my fiance Brad has found it around our apartment from time to time. It is a miracle it survived, and silly that I didn't think about finding the designer's collection online so I can finally get rid of the clipping. I have to share the image with you!
I had to figure out a way to not offend Christian by sharing this dress I loved so much. I wanted his take on it; I didn't want to stifle his creativity. It is very different when you're clipping dresses you like to go find something like it in a shop. Can I just say that I hope, before brides consider shopping for a new dress, that they look at the thousands of gently worn dresses out there that can be equally special when they wear it for their day! Buying a vintage dress was definitely the route I was going if Christian had not said he would design my dress. When I started investigating vintage, I was amazed at what was out there...even for a fashion snob like me, and for any budget! I always though it was so gluttonous to purchase a dress once and never wear it again. Let's not forget our carbon footprint, and knowing where the dress comes from. All this should be a factor when deciding on our wedding clothing. I was definitely concerned with this.
At this point, I have decided that I will do my part to conserve and feel good about it by auctioning off my dress (with a commitment from the new owner that it will be recycled) and donating the proceeds to a charity. That was my way of justifying not going vintage. I am still trying to find an organic material; that will also make me happy. They do exist, people! I'm hoping Christian's expertise will help.
I will let you know how the meeting goes!
