Thank You all for everything.

"You who choose to lead must follow, but if you fall, you fall alone

If you should stand then who's to guide you? If I knew the way I would take you home "

-The Grateful Dead

I want to say thank you to all of you who have given me such well wishes. If I didn't get to thank you personally please know it is not intentional. I have laughed and cried with so many of you that you all feel like family to me.

As leadership passes to David and Brenda, I wanted to take a moment to go over some really positive things that are happening this month. There are no major food related holidays in January so this tends to be a quiet month but it looks like they are working hard to keep everyone happy.

So on January 15th we will be hosting Wendy Nyberg in the Centennial room at 2 pm. . Wendy comes to us from Trinchero wines, and having heard her speak I think you will like her. This presentation will be called "Decoding the Vine" and it will be a little different than our regular Sip and Savor. In this presentation she will explore the critical elements that define exceptional wines, examining factors such as terroir, winemaking techniques, varietal expression, and aging potential.

Residents will taste wines from multiple regions, vineyards, and varietals, comparing and contrasting their unique attributes. Through guided discussions and tastings, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how regional influences, vineyard practices, and production methods contribute to the quality and character of wine. I really like Wendy and hope you will too. I don't know the wines she has chosen but I know they will be good.

Chef's Table in Mount Rosa

So staffing is starting to come together, and Vi would like to get started in Mt Rosa Dining room with a series of Chef's table offerings. This will be very similar to the Dining at Dusk dinners we did in August. There will be two offerings a week on Wednesdays and Fridays. The menu will be the same both nights, and will include wines to match the food. The cost is one meal credit, just as if you were in The Bar or the 1859. There are 60 seats available and reservations will be required. Reservations will open on the 15th. It's important to remember that this is a set menu, and there are no alternative items. If you are planning to go and have a concern about ingredients please e-mail the Chef directly at dmeraz@viliving.com or the Sous Chef at APelcastre@viliving.com. I believe Menus will be posted this weekend.

I know that David and Brenda have plans to roll out a new Happy Hour-style program in the Dad Clark Bar this month, but I don't want to talk too much about it as they are still working on details. Check in Culinary Corner on Mondays to find out more.

Farmer's market Bees

As of November there are two active beehives on the roof. We had four, but one was having trouble and so I combined it with another hive that was doing better. At the last minute another hive was invaded by wasps, like a lot of them. The queen didn't survive and the wasps got what was left of the honey. It's sad, but if they were unable to defend their hive then they were probably not doing well either. Yo is working on a plan for the bees, assuming that they survive and are strong in spring. I left them with plenty of food. There are about 50 jars of honey in the Hive and about a gallon of honey left after that.

There are two kegs of house-made beer waiting for you. The first is called a Wee Heavy which is a Scotch Ale that is pretty strong. Scotch ales tend to be very malty and are rich enough for a good cold weather brew. The second is what I call a Frankenstein Porter. I realized that I had enough ingredients to make a full batch of beer, and I added extras that were lying around like some crystalized honey, some heather tips, quite a bit of different grains. I think it came our really nice considering that there was no recipe. I think there are six or seven bottles of various meads down there, I'm sure David will find a good use for it.

I'm not sure if the Blog will continue but I hope it does, I think this is a good way to keep residents informed and it's fun to write. My thanks go out to our consultant Lolly, who kept me honest and made me look a lot more professional than I probably am.

Thanks so much to Vi for the opportunity to grow and the freedom to think big and try new things. Steve Sandblom and Steve Fowler in the home office have been big supporters of our food and beverage program and I hope you all thank them for me when they drop in for a visit.

Again, Thank you all for everything.