# The party has begun :)



## cape chef

I just finished a lovely afternoon and evening with Nicko,his wife colleen,Mezzaluna and Momoreg.
We started with a nice get together where I work,had a tour,some beluga,foie gras and cured salmon as we sipped roaderer champagne.
We all them meet in Stamford for a nice meal at Telluride,great conversation and talked about our anticapation of everyone meeting tommorrow.

I tell you these are some special people.
Can't wait to fill you in as the cheftalk weekend unfolds:chef: 
cc
PS...I wish you all could be with us


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## momoreg

I have been anticipating this weekend for awhile now, and so far, it's a blast! Brad, you are a wonderful host, a great cook, and a friend.


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## anneke

Thank you both for sharing. It's almost as good as being there. My best to the whole gang tomorrow, and have lots and lots of fun!!

A.


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## chefteldanielle

Iam just so jealous.. you people are my favorites on this board..
Yes Iam whining soon school is over and I wil have a life again..
Hav fun and hopefully I'll be able to join you all soon.
Danielle


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## kylew

Just how much champagne did you sip CC?

I look forward to meeting everyone tonight. Today Mezzaluna, Momoreg, Nicko, myself and a cast of Significant Others are going to do Manhattan; from Chinatown to Zabar's!


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## cape chef

KyleW,

Maybe a little to much LOL.
I will see you later.
Oh,and don't forget the bread:bounce: 
cc


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## kylew

LAst loaf is in the oven as I type!


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## momoreg

The bread was fantastic, just as I imagined it would be! It's hard to say which was better this weekend--the food or the company! What a wonderful couple of days.

Yesterday, Nicko, Colleen, Mezzaluna and I took the train into the city, to meet Kyle, and take a quick food tour of the city. Well, we never did meet up with him in the city...something went wrong in the planning process, and we were waiting in different parts of Grand Central Station. Disappointed that we couldn't locate him, we began our day on a subway down to Chinatown. We walked around, and also passed nearby the horrible site of the disaster. 

From there, we decided to continue our tour, and took a cab to Yonah Shimmel's Knishes, which has been around since 1910, and they make the best knishes on earth! On a full stomach, we then wandered into Katz's Deli, another Jewish eating institution in NYC, where we enjoyed pastrami sandwiches, salami sandwiches, matzoh ball soup, and a vanilla egg cream.:lips: 

We hopped another taxi uptown, to Zabar's, an old market full of New York 'chutzpah' (lots of character), and shopped in there for a good hour. I think that was the high point of the day! Since we were in the area, we also wandered around Citarella, which is a more upscale gourmet shop.

Following all that fun, we walked off the day by meandering down the heart of Manhattan on Broadway, back towards Grand Central. :bounce: 

The day wasn't finished: We still had to get home and prepare for our big dinner at Beacon. Our table was situated right in front of the open kitchen, and we all stood around and chatted for quite awhile before sitting down to eat. The meal began with 2 unexpected platters of raw and cooked seafood, plus french fries for Jim's kids (who are absolutely adorable!).

Everybody seemed to enjoy the meal very much, and we finished with a surprise birthday cake for Nicko and Colleen (which Colleen had requested for Nicko). I had discovered that her birthday just passed as well, so they were BOTH surprised. I made a hazelnut apricot cake. Mbrown also provided some delicious, and beautifully packaged biscotti, to round out the meal. We also got a special gift from Nicko!!! 

Dinner was wonderful, but no, it wasn't over... 

Today was the picnic, located on a huge apple and pumpkin farm. There were about 15 or 20 of us there, and we had ideal weather. A perfect New England autumn day! Capechef had put together some gorgeous platters of food, which included dry aged sirloin, and blue cheese, olives, tomatoes, and onions (I'll let him describe it, but everyone really loved it), Kyle made 4 different kinds of bread- all of them sensational. Mezzaluna, my husband, and I prepared a butternut squash soup with parsnip and fennel seed, plus some grilled veg and chicken. Mbrown couldn't make it to the picnic, but she did give us a wonderful banana dessert to bring along, which the crowd really loved. 

Then Mezz., Jordan and I had to go... off to the airport to drop Mezz. off. 

What a wonderful time we had. And Mezz. was a great houseguest. 

There aren't many people like these in the world. I enjoyed every second.


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## cape chef

Geezzzzzzzz

What a great weekend.

My lovely wife Jill and I just finished enjoying a nice Cabernet with Nicko and Colleen at our humble abode.
Jim his wife Ruth and three joyous children came over as well to re fuel for there long ride home to Delaware.

I think we had a pretty good spred going today at the farm
Everyone who walked by tried to crash our picnic...But thanks to mezzaluna LOL that didn't happen.
I prepared a pommery mustard fresh herb crusted dry aged prime sirloin with danish blue,yellow tomatoes,red onion,watercress and a gremalata of parsley,sundried tomatoes,roast garlic,shallot and olive oil.also had some 12 year old balsamic for a drizzel.Michelles perfect grilled chicken,eggplant,fennel,peppers,zuccini and yellow squash was so tasty and displayed like a piece of art. The squash soup with the bite of the fennel seeds was great.
Mezz the sweet pastry was incredible,and Kyle...your bread was super.BTW Jill and I ended up with the leftover loaves:bounce: and Linda was so easy to talk to

I so enjoyed meeting Mbrown and her husband, What a talent!!!
Mbrown shared with us the best biscotti one can ever have.
Daveb and his wife joined us last night for dinner as well...so engaging.Mezz...What can I say you are a true mench

Momoreg....one of the best parts of our eastcoast get together was being able to become closer with you. Jordan..you have a complete package.
Also,Non Chef and Chef helene I love you two    

So, Where do we meet next?
cc


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## cape chef

I should also add that there are many people who could not join us this weekend,But so many people of the cheftalk community were in our thoughts. 
cc


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## anneke

Next one: Toronto or Montreal!


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## isa

It all sounds so lovely. So glad everyone enjoyed themselves. I'm salivating just reading about the food.



Montreal, Annexe, so everyone can have the "French experience".


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## cape chef

canada,So many freinds.

I truely hope we can share a toast soon
cc


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## anneke

Well, it's just jasmine tea, but here's a toast anyway..
To Nicko, and you and to the entire ChefTalk community: health, happiness, peace and friendship always! (hmm... sounds like a Christmas greeting, doesn't it?)
:beer: :beer:


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## isa

Here here!

Such a nice toast for a glass of water.


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## m brown

It was so great meeting all of you and seeing momoreg again! :smiles:

Thank you Capechef and Momoreg and Nicko for putting this all together!:beer:


The world is shrinking by the second, as it turns out we all have more than cheftalk in common, just get one of us talking and we share an experiance, location or intrest. Surprising and reassuring. 


I look forward to seeing you all again and again and again. AND meeting everyone else all over the world! We have a movement here.........
:chef:


PS. Mezzaluna, I have been here since '99. Imagine if cheftalk had been here since '92, what was I thinking??:blush:


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## athenaeus

I am very glad that you had great time!
I didn't have any doubts that the food would be great!

I think that it would be fair for our friends that they post all these interesting messages- that the next meeting should be in Montreal!!

I wouldn't even dare to suggest another meeting in divine Santorini... I could accomodate everyone to a small house we owe there and overlooks the volcano. As a Greek old proverb says "There is always room for good people"
Just a thought!

Waiting for the photos!


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## kylew

Whata Hoot! This weekend was awesome. It was so nice to put faces and people together with the the words I read here. Dinner Saturday was delicious and the atmosphere was warm and relaxed. Very little apprehension about meeting relative strangers. I don't know why it would have been a suprise that the sense of community was the same in 3D as it is here on the board. CapeChef and Momoreg, you get the prize for planning a truly memorable weekend. I'm not sure we could have asked for more yesterday. The weather was ideal, the spread was unparalleled and the company was top shelf! How great is it that veritable strangers can not only agree to meet but put on a feast in the process! m brown's dessert, cape chef's beef, momoreg's veggies & chicken, mezzaluna's pastries (airlifted from Wisconsin!)
capped off (in the car on the way home ) by momoreg's individual goodie boxes filled with just a few more calories! We ate no dinner last night. I have not forgotten that our fearless leader and, and his fearless leader, was with us as well. Nicko and Collen, you should take no small amount of pride in having created a community that is as warm and hospitable as ChefTalk. If you had not, I probably would have had pizza for lunch yesterday I'm am very glad to have met all of you and I know I speak for Linda too


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## kimmie

...But my thoughts were with you. I kind of knew your weekend would be a success and I'm glad the weather helped a little bit!

Awaiting photos, please tell us more!


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## isa

How about sharing a few of those wonderful recipes everyone mentionned... :lips:


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## chrose

I feel the jealousy rear its ugly head, that I couldn't be part of the festivities. What a screwy year this has been (personally speaking) Will it ever get back to a semblance of normality? I don't know, but as I drift in and out I'm glad I always feel like I have a home to come back to.
Hopefully next year I can join you all. Toronto is only 3 hours away, and if we ever get a house, you'll all be welcome.
Here's to the next party!:beer:

On second thought my new signature is not food related enough, so I will change it and try to incorporate the 2. But if I can't be in a kitchen, keep me on ice


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## chrose

How's this for a signature instead?


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## momoreg

They are indeed the most important tools one can posess in the kitchen. I like that signature. 

Well, chrose, I hope to meet you at the next one!


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## kimmie

How about Montreal. If my house (or part of it) doesn't fall down again...

P.S.: Your US dollar is now worth around $1.50 (+ or -)...


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## non chef

The food and wine was great,but nothing can be as wonderful as seeing so much love and warmth that was shared by all.Helene&I enjoyed meeting you all and hope we can all meet again.


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## mezzaluna

I'm still processing all the sensory information from this most wonderful weekend!!! To all of you who could not make it to this gathering, I truly hope you can come to one- hopefully, the next one wherever it is! (I'm up for a lovely plate of tourtiere if everyone else is.)

What can I add? Others have beaten me to the punch. I can only convey to Momoreg, Cape Chef, Nicko and their wonderful "other halves", my thanks for a sublime time. I am fortunate to have met so many wonderful people through this board, but have so many more to meet! We are a community of nearly 2000 people (okay, we won't count all three incarnations of Cape Chef!), and have met just 1% of them in person. If we all were somehow able to meet in one place, the friendship and culinary enthusiasm would be overwhelming. What an awesome goal to work toward! 

I got to see Momoreg in action, assembling and decorating Nicko and Colleen's cake; visiting Cape Chef's domain (and what a realm it is, right down to the coolers); appreciate Nicko's boundless enthusiasm and inquisitiveness for all things new; savor MBrown's tender-crisp biscotti; appreciate KyleW's excellent artisan breads; and enjoy the fine company of Jim, Dave, NonChef and Damian, as well as meeting the spouses of many board members. Jim, your children are angels! 

I have to sign off now, but will do my very best to get the photos ready for posting quickly!

Mezzaluna


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## kylew

NonChef - How could I have doubted you? I suppose I just didn't want to believe it And now 4-0 on top! Oh the shame!


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## cape chef

Dear KyleW,
Take solice. All will be ok. Go Yankees!!!!!!!!sorry Non chef 

Mezz,Welcome home, I hope you had a smooth flight.
Anytime you want foie gras with vanilla/sautern sauce you know who to call.
You know what really intriqued me,The depth of knowlage so many people that are not in our industry have,and also the passion. What a great feeling to see and meet people who "really" care about food,wine and the soil.

I so look forward to meeting more people from this wonderful community. As mbrown said "the world is getting smaller"
Hey...Thats to our advantage
:chef: cc


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## jim berman

We had an utterly wonderful time!!! I am sure this is just adding some repetition, but it really was fantastic to sit across the table rather than in front of the computer screen to learn more about each other. 
Everybody was so hospitable; Cheftalk is certainly far more than any other web site could ever hope to be - we are a community. 

The food was fantastic. Even the mountain of french fries were incredible (just ask Linda and Kyle!!) Our afternoon at the orchard was surreal. Is there anything more intoxicating than gathering with new/old friends, surrounded by the beautiful New England foliage and feasting on some unbelievable food? And, yes, the stories about fending off interlopers are true! We could have raised some serious cash by charging non-cheftalkers a per plate fee 

And the by the way, I am all for the next get together in Italy.

Look forward to seeing everybody the next time around!


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## mezzaluna

News flash: The photos are now being 'dealt with' as I write this. I will try to post something tonight, and get the rest off to Nicko for a better way to view them. Stay tuned.... they turned out great!


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## kylew

I didn't get as many pics as I would have liked to but...

...here are my pics of the festivities.


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## isa

Can't wait to see them Mezz.



Good point Kimmie. Coming from the US it does make the trip more affordable.


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## mezzaluna

Kyle, you scooped me! They look fabulous, and Linda's adorable personality shines through. How'd you do that??

Beautiful day, wonderful food, excellent company. Who could ask for more?


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## shroomgirl

Great pics......I thought about you guys all weekend. Last outdoor market of the season Sat. ended with a food collection and lunch. My new auto is still being repaired a whole lot more than anticipated or told to expect. It's the alternator now. last week the radiator, water pump, battery, flex disc etc.....what did I do???? 
St. Louis would be a great place the end of May....Come my way guys. I've got a party happening the end of May where farmers and chefs will be combined at stations at a gorgeous restaurant right outside of St. Louis.....I'd love to take you to "The Hill" and the local farms....course we don't have quite the great exchange rate of Canada, but all our incredible resources are free....


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## kylew

Did you say _new_ car 'shroomgirl?

Mezz- mine are mostly pumpkins. We're relying on you for the participant pics


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## nicko

What an amazing weekend with a really great bunch of people. I have the photos, and will be working on them and should have them up later today everyone.

Many thanks to everyone who made this such a special weekend.


:bounce: :chef: :bounce:


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## kimmie

Oh Mez,

Can't wait.

If the next gathering is in Montreal, I will personally see to it that you have a whole tourtière to yourself...


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## coll sahlas

Thanks so much to Momo and Cape Chef for planning such a perfect weekend, and for opening even their homes to us as well. I can only echo the words of everyone else- what a blast! We had such a wonderful time meeting everyone at the Cheftalk event. 

For those of you who couldn't make it, I highly recommend that instead of wishing you had been at this event, rather, you choose to commit to come to the next event! 

I couldn't believe how many wonderful people we met. Each person added so much to the evening, and was interesting and enjoyable to get to know. Of course the food was unbelievably great. And Momo's hazelnut apricot cake was delectable (sp?).
M Brown- your biscotti was out of this world. I had 3 pieces this morning! Had so much fun tromping around New York with Michelle & Mezzaluna. Cape Chef and his sweet wife made Nicko and I feel like old friends - and it was a treat to meet their daughters and parents- you couldn't ask for a greater family. Jim and his wife Ruth have such well behaved, beautiful children- great to meet them too. Dave and his wife are so sweet- we have to get them to produce some silk-screen Cheftalk items. Kyle is a barrel of laughs, and his olive bread was so good I think I'll have to order some for him to ship to us.
Thanks to everyone!


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## elcheffie

Hi everyone!
I just wanted to tell you all what a great time I had at "The Pumpkin Farm". And, of course, at Beacon. Yes, Jim, the french fries were awesome. Nothing like a little butter and garlic on your fried food. I really enjoyed meeting so many new "foodies". Even though I spend my day with people of food, it's always fun to meet more kindred spirits. I didn't think Kyle's bread could be any better, but with all that great cheese and meat and grilled veggies it was even better. I really hope we can do this again. come to Long Island. I'll make it worth your while!:bounce:


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## kylew

Uh oh! Now that elcheffie is here I suppose I will have to behave myself


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## cape chef

Ah Ha.....
Now I know who elcheffie is !!
Hi Linda 
cc


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## mezzaluna

Hi, Linda!! :bounce: 

So very glad to have you on board! Kyle, if you've misbehaved, I haven't noticed. Maybe I'm a miscreant myself! 

Pictures will have to wait a bit. They'll take up too much room on the site if I post them, and Nicko is working on them. Patience, please!

Mezz


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## momoreg

Nice to see you on the site, elcheffie!


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## kylew

Oh great! She's witty, charming and new and I'm yesterday's news


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## non chef

Kyle,you'll never be a second fiddle,you bake to well.Loved the pictures and the web site.I'll root for the Yankee' tonight to show that "I LOVE NEW YORK"Hope we meet soon again.Say Hi to Linda. NonChef&Spouse


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## cape chef

KyleW,
Your not yesterdays news!!!
Your just maturing with grace.
Not unlike a fine wine


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## nicko

Kyle,

After the bread you made my friend, you will never be yesterday's news. It was really amazing stuff!


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## kimmie

Hey, she's prettier and SHE cooks!!


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## elcheffie

Well, now that Kyle has "exposed" my true identity I guess I'll join the fray! Again, I had a really good time this weekend and look forward to playing on line. And btw Kimmie, I agree, I am indeed, cuter than Kyle.:bounce:


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## athenaeus

...and much funnier I must say!

But I am always on the side of people that they are in love!!
Hang on old Kyle !!

:lol:


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## kimmie

Welcome to the Café, Linda.

Sorry I missed you last weekend!


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## kylew

Funnier too!? That's it! Me, Frank & Ernest are outta here!


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## elcheffie

KyleW
SWM that you are...you can't leave. Man can't live by bread alone. Or eat bread alone. You have to share!!!!


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## kylew

I always suspected you wanted me for my bread!


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## kimmie

Nonetheless Kyle, she's a KEEPER!!


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