Food, Flavors, Life & Passion

The non profit’s goal is a straightforward one: offer high-yield window planters made from low-impact materials.

After tinkering with the prototype for a year, founder Britta Riley and her team are now selling kits ($40 and up) that contain everything you need to hang used plastic bottles on your windows and get growing.

If you order a kit now, you should reap your first harvest by fall, about the time the bounty at the farmers’ market begins to wane. And for those with a black thumb, Riley will be holding court in Manhattan to encourage newbies with a schedule of window-farmer meet-ups, harvest-planning workshops and artist talks through August 13.

Window Farming Video on UTube

We can all tell our stories of fire and flame.
The flame conjures memories of cook outs, camp fires, bonfires and assorted meats basking in a world of oak, mesquite and hickory. Fire and flames are etched in my mind of old fashioned camp outs where the amber’s soared to the stars and the heavens shined below. We would sit around bonfires to gather warmth, build friendships, rekindle memories of days long gone and thorough the night, you would constantly feed the beast with as much wood as one could bear so that the deep darkness of the night, would be kept away by the glow of the earthbound fire.
Fire evokes the senses just as much as foods and flavors. In life, nothing tastes as great as a fire roasted hotdog on a stick. Taking a marshmallow and watch it become engulfed in flames and then blowing it out in time to save it – priceless.
A man, it seems, is judged today by the size of his grill, rather than the power in which it is powered by. I say man, because the majority of my experiences involving the territorial rights of man vs. woman, the grill is left for the man to dominate of his own free will. Most women could care less about a grill. But ask a man about his grill and you get “Hey! Guess how many Btu’s this baby can push out!” Come on, feel that stainless steel finish”, “I just got the S600 with a heat censored probe, 2 burners, an automatic temperature gauge and a built in wok!” and the beer jacket was free!” Sound like a car- well I’ve come to call them that. I get asked all the time which grill to buy, especially now. Well just like our buddies in the auto section, I’m very fortunate to have cooked on almost every kind of model. I’ve cruised in the Ferrari and Lamborghini’s of grills-as I have come to call them- that start in the thousands. I recommend you shop around first, test drive one and break it in slowly. They have their own covers you know.
Outdoor grilling of today has evolved into two entities, Propane & Charcoal.
I’m a charcoal/wood man. A bag of charcoal, a match, some wood chips and I’m having the greatest time of my life. To lift the lid of my grill and become engulfed in smoke, aromas and the vision of perfectly grilled pieces of meat makes my mouth water. My inexpensive charcoal grill has lasted four years and has seen an endless array of meats, fowl and vegetables. At Thanksgiving I gave it such a hard work out, the paint peeled right off!
Now you can talk to me about propane all you want, but it just doesn’t sit well me. I know about the electric starter. I know how easy it is with propane, well- when the tank is full. But guess what, you still need to clean it! I mean, how long are you going to keep that bratwurst in there that fell between the grates last year. You know it can’t become petrified for a few thousand more years – right? Now is the time, to fill the tank, buy some new tools, oh yeah, you do know that you need to wash your outdoor utensils-right? No really, how many chicken breasts, ribs and hamburgers have you prodded, poked and squashed with the fork and spatula? Get out the instructions, see what cleansers you can use and wash it down. And for god sake, PLEASE! Clean the grates! If I lift one more grill with last years ribs still stuck to the grates, I’m going to lose it. Well, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest.
Men, it is your responsibility to maintain a clean and operational grill at all times. Check your hoses, gas lines, ignition switches, grates, tools, and if you need to buy a new grill. Check out a charcoal grill for me- please.
And as Bob Seagar once said”
Call me a relic, call me what you will, so I’m old fashioned, say I’m over the hill, today’s propane ain’t got the same soul, I like my old time charcoal grill.

Check me out at the Gracious Living Design Center in Clermont Florida.

We have  the privilege to utilize an awesome facility that Kim and Mike French have created and they  allow us  to do our creative cooking in.

If you need a meeting area, team building or a small gathering of friends or family. This is the location to have it in!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW: CHeF Andy At Gracious Living

Tell me, where have all the chefs gone? 10 years in Orlando and in 2009 the winner for best over all restaurant is Seasons 52? I mean, no disrespect to Chef Clifford, but this is a chain restaurant. In fact, Seasons 52 won for best Chain! They also won for best wine list and you’re telling me that in all of Central Florida, the best restaurant is Seasons 52. Hey, all of my clients love it, but, please. This is the best Orlando can do? This is the best in ALL of Central Florida?

When I first arrived here by way of Disney, California Grill and Flying Fish restaurants were the talk of the town. By the way, Clifford and George ran the Grill then too. Now 10 years later they are still on top. Once again, no disrespect, but you work for a major corporation, just like when they worked for Disney. You’re telling me that in 10 years, no other chefs have evolved in this area? No other chefs have gone on their own to capture the gold. No other independent chef driven restaurant in Orlando was deserving of the title of Overall Best Restaurant in Central Florida by the Orlando Sentinel?

Where is the Orlando food scene heading? Help me out here folks. Your saying that after 10 years, no one has stepped up to the plate to rattle the chains of this town. Question, would Clifford and George have been this successful if they had gone independent with this concept? Would Orlando have embraced such a radical concept and would it have endured the economic times?

Chain restaurants have their place in this world. However, independent restaurants fuel local businesses and areas. Independent restaurants create relationships and partnerships with communities because they have to in order to survive. Food and service obviously play a factor and key role In the success of a restaurant; however, you need the community and word of mouth locally in order to weather the storms that often arise.

So I say, get out and support your local independent restaurant. Support your local chef and gourmet stores and farmers markets. If you don’t, no one else will.