Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Wolfgang Puck - Celebrity in a Chef Jacket

Wolfgang Puck learned cooking from his mother, who was a professional chef, in his native Austria. When he was fourteen years old he began his formal training and worked in a uniform jacket at some of the greatest restaurants in France, including Paris's Maxim's, Monaco's Hotel de Paris, and Provence's Michelin three-star L'Oustau de Baumaniere. He came to the United States at age twenty-four, and he worked at Indianapolis' La Tour for two years. In 1975 he moved to Los Angeles where he quickly attracted the attention of Hollywood's elite as the chef, and eventually the part-owner, of West Hollywood's Ma Maison. His culinary genius and his dynamic personality bridged tradition and imagination, and made the Ma Maison a popular gathering spot for L.A.'s rich and famous - with Wolfgang as its star attraction.His innate understanding of California cuisine's potential was decisive in the rise of California cooking style to national attention in the 1970's. Wolfgang opened Spago, his flagship enterprise on West Hollywood's Sunset Strip, in 1982. From day one it was a tremendous success, featuring signature dishes such as pizzas topped with caviar and smoked salmon, and baby lamb with rosemary and braised greens. Spago put Wolfgang on the culinary map not only in Los Angeles, but world-wide: Wolfgang won the James Beard Foundation Award for the Outstanding Chef of the Year two times - in 1991 and again in 1998 - the only chef to have won Outstanding Chef of the Year twice; and Spago won 1994's James Beard Foundation Award for the Restaurant of the Year.Following upon Spago's success, Wolfgang put on his chef jacket and opened Santa Monica's Chinois in 1983. Fusing the Asian products and flavors of L.A.'s Chinatown, Koreatown, and Thaitown with his own French and California based style of cooking, Chinois was the birthplace of Asian fusion cuisine in the United States. Wolfgang opened Postrio, his third restaurant, in 1989 in San Francisco's Prescott Hotel. Like Chinois, Postrio reflects the multi-ethnic community which surrounds it. Emphasizing local ingredients and contemporary American-style cuisine, Postrio was an immediate success in the competitive culinary climate of Northern California.Wolfgang moved the original Spago to Beverly Hills in 1997. The new Spago, in its elegant Ca?^on Drive setting, blazed new culinary trails by updating classical Spago dishes and including newly-invented recipes, together with some of Wolfgang's Austrian childhood favorites such as Kaiserschmarren and Wienerschnitzel. Beverly Hills's Spago has won two Michelin stars (only three restaurants in Los Angeles have achieved this distinction). Wolfgang opened CUT, a haute cuisine steakhouse at the Beverly Wilshire, in 2006; and after only a year CUT won its first Michelin star.Since 1986 when Wolfgang became a regular feature of ABC television's Good Morning America, he has been a celebrity television chef. In 2000 his Emmy Award winning TV series Wolfgang Puck started on the Food Network, and ran for five years. Besides making guest appearances on many TV talk shows, his biography aired on A&E Network's Biography series. Wolfgang is also a well-known celebrity in a uniform polo on the Home Shopping Network where he demonstrates his recipes with his Wolfgang Puck-brand cookware.

Whether wearing his chef jacket as gourmet cuisine innovator or his uniform jacket as cookware entrepreneur, Wolfgang Puck has transformed the way in which Americans eat. By mixing traditional French cooking with Asian and Californian influenced styles - always using the highest quality fresh ingredients - Wolfgang Puck is a cookery genius in his uniform polo. If you are in need of company apparel or chef apparel, visit iD

Related Posts :

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Unusual Things To Bring To Your First Gig: Guitarist's Survival Guide

One cold windy day in 1992 I played my first solo guitar gig. It was at a little place called "Miracles Caf?" (Now a bank) on the coast of San Diego. I set up outside, tuned my guitar, breathed deep, and proceeded to play for the five or ten people brave enough to listen. Half way through the first song, it started. Wind.I was supposed to play for three hours, but I only had about 15 minutes of music learned by memory. No problem, I'll just read the music for the rest. It would have worked great...if it hadn't been for the wind. I'd get half way through a piece and flip, music gone. I tried desperately. I put every heavy object I could find on my music stand. Of course that helped, but then it blocked the page. Either way, I was doomed. The lesson? Bring clothes pins to every gig. Twenty years and countless gigs later I've learned there are lots of little things you have to have at every gig. Here is my list of items you wouldn't think to bring to a gig. (I'm assuming you will remember your guitar, music, amp, tuner, etc.)Clothes Pins - Even a little wind can turn your page.Extra Strings - The first band I played in was a bluegrass group. I'd strum and strum hard. First band gig? You guessed it, broken string. Third string to be more specific. I attempted to play the rest of the gig with five strings. Didn't work. Now I bring two extra sets with me every time I play, just in case.Extra Cables - Cables go bad, get lost, so bring a few extras. Cables are good for other things too. One time, I found my guitar amp had a horrible hum that would only go away if I held on to the end of a cable plugged in to an unused jack. Solution? I plugged an extra cable into the amp and put the other end in my sock. Worked like a charm. Well, until I stood up and walked away with it still attached.Hand Wipes - Hands get dirty after setting up equipment. And if you are running late or playing an outdoor festival there may not be anywhere to wash up, so bring some hand wipes.Hand Lotion - It's hard to play if your fingers feel like the Atacama Desert, a little lotion helps the touch.Dolly / Hand Truck - Moving amps may be good for your biceps, put its rotten for your fingers! If you lift enough equipment you can actually fatigue your hands making it difficult to play.Bungee chords - When you are moving your equipment make sure you attach it with bungee chords. I've seen many an amp tip over and fall.Tape - Preferably black, masking tape. After you finish your perfect set up, tape down any cables people may trip over. One tip, make sure to remove the tape first before pulling up the cable, otherwise it may wrap itself around the cable and never come off.Cable Ties - Whereas you may think it's all about the music, the event host might have other ideas. For instance they might actually want their restaurant, hotel, etc. to look nice! Tidying up cables with cable ties does a lot to make things presentable!Water and Energy Bar - Performing makes you hungry and thirsty! Bring some water and energy bar, just in case your host overlooks you. I'd say I get food and drink at about half of the events I play.

William Wilson is a San Diego Wedding Guitarist. He performs Spanish and Classical Guit

Related Posts :

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Yoga Class For Better Health

Yoga encompasses a combination of breathing, posture and meditation exercises that have been proven to heal both the mind and body -- for over 5,000 years. Taking a yoga class from a qualified instructor will leave you feeling invigorated, while also strengthening your body and cardiovascular system.When the weather is agreeable, many practitioners can be found taking a yoga class in local community centers including: parks, beaches and other areas that bring participants closer to nature.OriginsYoga was founded in India over 5,000 years ago as a way for Hindu monks to preserve their physical, mental and spiritual well-being. They believed constantly practicing this discipline was essential in keeping the pathways between the mind and the rest of the body clear. By keeping the physical pathways in the body open, the spiritual self is also kept clear and free from negativity and other problems that often plague society.BenefitsIn modern society, the benefits of taking a yoga class a few times a week are:Improved metabolism -- fat burning, digestion, appetite control.
Mental clarity and ability to focus on day-to-day tasks better.
More restful and rejuvenating sleep at night.
Overall sense of well being and contentedness.
Improved flexibility -- yoga focuses on increasing the blood pathways through the body, including flexibility in the joints and muscles.OTHER RESOURCESBooks and VideosFor those of you out there who don't wish to participate in a public yoga class, there are many instructional books and videos available, that can take you from the beginning exercises on to more advanced routines.InternetThere are plenty of online forums and instructional websites that can help guide you through the physical and spiritual benefits of yoga as well. Joining a yoga forum is a great way to share secrets with peers and help keep each other motivated to continue your efforts.

Learn more about yoga class at our fitne

Related Posts :

Monday, December 2, 2013

Comparing Toner and Ink Cartridges

Among the things you'd consider when buying a printer is the difference between toner and ink cartridges. There are several things that make them different including the usage and the price. An obvious difference is that a toner is used for laser printers, while an ink cartridge is required of an inkjet printer. The laser printing machine itself, compared to an inkjet printer, is more expensive, but can usually accomplish larger loads.Most people are more familiar with an ink cartridge, since inkjet printers are more commonly used in homes and offices. Put simply, the liquid ink in the cartridge is applied on the paper that you feed your printer. Laser printers, on the other hand, are more often used in offices than homes. The toner of a laser printer is filled with ink in the form of a dry powder, which is dispersed through the print head nozzle just like that of an inkjet printer.If you need to produce documents fast, a machine that use a toner cartridge can produce more documents in less time than one that uses an ink cartridge. There may be laser printer models that have speedier performance than other models, but they are generally faster than inkjet printers.In terms of costs upfront, toners are more expensive than liquid ink. But liquid ink usually runs out faster than the dry powder type in a toner cartridge. Also, dry powder ink doesn't have to be used up right away since it's already dry. It isn't a rare occurrence for inkjet printer users to waste an ink cartridge, because its content has already dried up.Clearly, if you're trying to determine which type of printing equipment would be better for you, it will depend on the printing work that you require. Even if you simply compare toner and ink cartridges, the wiser choice will still rely on how you'll use your printer.A laser printer is definitely more expensive than an inkjet printer. A toner cartridge is also more expensive than an ink cartridge. However, if you need to print documents often and in large quantities, a laser printer will come out more economical for you. If you'll be using a printer quite lightly, you should opt for an inkjet printer. Just make sure that you print at least a page of black and colored text or images per week to make sure the liquid ink doesn't dry out.

Looking for toner ink cartridges at their best prices? Visit the Get Price website today. Go to this one site and you'll have all the brands and types of printers and printing accessories from reputable

Related Posts :