Great Gift Ideas ... Give American!

If you are marketing a "community" cookbook I believe you will love this idea as much as I did. It doesn't need a lot of commentary since your cookbook can, and should be, promoted to embrace this concept. Even if some of the manufacturing of your book was completed in China as a cost factor, your book was developed in the US and the money raised goes to support either a local US business or the community itself. After the turmoil of a contested election, I think this is a great way for folks to start acting like Americans instead of like enemies.

(Please note, I am not sure of the origin of this piece. It is not my original idea, nor was it the idea of small business owner, client and friend Chef Tim Creehan, who shared it with me.)

Christmas 2012 -- Birth of a New Tradition

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the Benjamin’s on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running

How about reaching out to the media and the local vendors carrying your title to promote this concept? Let's collectively see what the results are. My bet is folks will step up and embrace the concept.

Vacation Dining

While the emphasis for this blog is regional cookbooks I want to change direction today and mention a few great meals my wife and I enjoyed on vacation recently. When our daughters got out of high school, we changed our routine of vacationing during spring break to vacationing in October. For the last eight or nine years we have gone to the panhandle of Florida near Destin, FL each fall for a week or sometimes more.

Over that time we have identified several restaurants that we always return to. In addition, we try a couple of new ones each year hoping they will make our list of "must go to".  In the next several blog posts I want to talk about several of our favorites and a few we hope to add.

Number one on our list is always wherever Chef Tim Creehan is currently located.  Tim has successfully moved around through the years and his most recent restaurant is Cuvee Bistro. Tim and his partners Tim and Pam Wellborn took over Cuvee Beach a few years ago and they really have it going on there. Tim has made major renovations to the facility while upgrading the food and menu.

I was treated this year to my favorite fish, trigger fish. If you don't already know, trigger fish is not plentiful so it is seldom on a menu. However, Tim prides himself on buying the best local seafood, as well as vegetables. I lucked out on this particular night as trigger fish was a menu "special". Trigger fish is a mild, white fish and very firm in texture. He sauteed the fish with a light lemon (I declined the curry powder) and it was superb.  It was served with amazingly delicious cheese grits.

My daughter was with us and she tried the tuna steak, rare (her plate was completely clean when finished so I can only deduce it was great) with vegetables. My wife, Robin, ordered salmon with vegetables and salad.

I also ordered a beautiful veggie pizza as a appetizer. The pizza was crisp and warm and the perfect size to get the juices flowing. We topped the meal off with a dessert sampler--key lime pie, banana cream pie, tiramisu, chocolate cake and a few others that escape me right now--WOW!

In addition to the great food, the decor of Cuvee Bistro is stunning and the service is top notch. Most of Tim's staff has been with him for extended periods of time and each time I have visited they have made us feel right at home.

I should also mention that dinner guests can also purchase Tim's fabulous cookbook, The Simple Cuisine of Chef Tim Creehan right off of his menu. Tim knows a little bit about marketing and branding as evidenced by his investment in developing and selling his own cookbook. If you are ever in the Destin area be sure to mark Cuvee Bistro down as a "culinary must experience".

While all of the recent press about the Gulf Coast has been about the oil spill (and I agree that this is one of the worst tragedies of my lifetime), it is nice to think about something positive in the Gulf. The Henderson Park Inn just released Exceptional Tastes—Tales and Recipes

If you have ever visited the Emerald Coast—Orange Beach, AL east to St. George Island—and especially the Destin area, you have experienced first-hand natural beauty that is indescribable. Robin and I first vacationed in Destin during the summer of 1987. We flew into Pensacola and stayed one night with my Aunt Sissy in Pensacola Beach before driving east to meet up with neighbors on Holiday Isle in Destin.

The breathtaking view when we saw the sugar white beaches and emerald green waters for the first time remains vividly in my mind. While we didn’t particularly care for the condo we rented on our first trip, we did find a jewel of a place farther east called Hidden Dunes. We have been back to stay at Hidden Dunes every year since 1987 and still love it just as much today as we did then.

There is so much to see and do in the area as is evidenced by the fact that in all of the years vacationing in the area I had never visited Henderson Park Inn until last October when my friend Tim Creehan had re-opened his Beachwalk Café at the Henderson Park Inn. My family and I enjoyed a great meal and wonderful service, but moreover, loved the quaintness of the Inn itself. Tim and I began to discuss a book and before you know it, we had a meeting set up with Shannon Howell, the Manager of the property.

The objective of the Inn was to preserve the history of the building along with showcasing the great food at the Café. Shannon realized that this book would be a great branding tool for the Inn while serving the need of offering a high quality souvenir to guests of the Inn and the Restaurant. This beautiful volume captures the “essence” of the gulf coast through photographs and stories of the area along with the photos of the fresh seafood. The book is broken up into chapters such as "Breakfast on the Beach", "Beachside Picnics", "Sunset Toasts", "Starlit Dinners" and "Sweet Evenings".

Every recipe and food photo is mouthwatering and the scenic photos simply make you want to visit. Never do Robin and I feel that we eat as well as we do along the Gulf—while The Beachwalk Café was already one of our favorites in its former location, we now have it on our list at the Henderson Park Inn.

For everyone in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia and Louisiana who already vacation along the Emerald Coast this is a must have for your shelves and will make you yearn for a “beautiful gulf break” regularly. If you’ve never visited the area you should pick up a copy to serve as motivation for visiting paradise.