Giving of Thanks

So much to be thankful for!

Here's wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving, and hoping that you ENJOY...in and with every sense!

Warmly and looking forward,
Wendy Dubit and The Senses Bureau

Prosecco and Pearls

Friends,

I had one of those ECSTATIC SHOPPING EXPERIENCES last week -- the kind that connected me more deeply to all of my senses (including my senses of wonder and well-being)...not to mention to the most amazing place, people, prosecco and pearls....

Bianca Zoie’s Pearls and Prosecco event took place at Pulse Restaurant, on the third floor of the Sports Club/LA, overlooking Rock Center and the skating rink and invigorated by the sight and sound of huge flags snapping in the brisk wind.

We sipped crisp Mionetto, Sergio and Il proseccos before and during Chef Jake Klein’s delicious dinner -- potato-leek soup, truffle-flecked risotto, fresh fruit with dark dipping chocolate.

Meantime, with the poise of a high priestess and the warmth of a best friend, designer Bianca Zoie shed light on her pearl and silver-based jewelry lines -- among them the brightly colored “Wildflowers,” transcendent “Points of Light,” delicate “Bridal Blessings,” exquisitely detailed “Miracle Boxes” and “Prayer Beads.”

For Bianca, the designs are a way of celebrating life in times of joy and of overcoming adversity in times of sadness. After recovering from a car accident and suffering a lightning fire in her rural Connecticut Studio just one year ago, Bianca's creative spirit -- with the emphasis on both creative and spirit -- has been reborn.

And it seems only fitting that her Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian pearl suppliers and silversmiths consider her an intuitive master of wabi-sabi -- the Zen/Oriental practice of creating intimate, authentic art from a reflective, soulful place.

Beyond just being magnificent, Bianca’s jewelry is imbued and suffused with meaning and spirit. It looks and feels fresh, sexy, silky, loving and alive...because, like her, IT IS!

POP Goes the Pommery!

Preferred music to my ears? The pop of Champagne corks! It hits me with a pleasure-packed Pavlovian punch every time...causing decades of happy memories to bubble over their banks and dance out loud.

But sipping Champagne from pink splits through sexy straws for a good cause? Carrying my own animal-patterned art pack into the park on a stunning Autumn afternoon that also coincides with the Full Beaver Moon?

APPLAUSE and APPRECIATION to Champagne Pommery for making me and so many others HAPPY!

I first encountered Pommery’s POP Rose while eating and drinking for a favorite organization -- SHARE -- which provides all sorts of support services to women with breast and ovarian cancer. SHARE’s Second Helping of Life event was an exuberant walk-around tasting that paired a dazzling array of female chefs – from Ariane Daguin to Sara Jenkins, with such celebrity sous chefs as actress Tovah Feldshuh and radio host Valerie Smaldone.

The 187ml splits of Pommery POP Rose -- best sipped through long pink straws -- was beyond perfect. It was pink, practically spill proof, and the constant sound of popping corks added a festive air to the evening. Not to mention that the Champagne is DELICIOUS – generous, yeasty, with aromas and flavors reminiscent of an elegant custard tart topped with delicate red fruits. Plus, it was the ideal accompaniment for dishes that ranged from Anita Lo’s Kanpachi Sashimi with Lillies to Sarabeth Levine’s Warm Raspberry Bread Pudding.

I did not want the fun to end! So I prevailed upon Michelle Ponto of Talbert Communications to send me some!

I was ecstatic to receive a limited edition Champagne Pommery POP Art Safari collection that comes packaged in a see-though purse trimmed with faux zebra (pictured above). The art on the splits, by Japanese artist Takahiro Okawa, features boldly patterned animal skin backgrounds from which elegantly stylized animals -- in this case zebra, crocodile and giraffe -- leap forth. And yes, straws are included!

But this Champagne is so beautiful to look at that I can’t bear to break the foil, pop the corks and drink the spoils....Just yet.

So while I did take the POP pack into the park on a practice run, you’ll have to stay tuned for tasting notes. We will go on a POP Picnic Safari at some point soon, I promise.

Meantime, something about sipping elegant pink Champagne though silly straws has helped me to think and drink differently. Later in life, should my faculties fail, these memories will serve as smelling salts. And if I have to resort to drinking Champagne from sippy cups in my old age, so be it.

Until such time, I'll be doing all the Wine Workouts I can...for myself and for groups ranging from family and friends to senior centers...as a way to strengthen the senses, train the brain and ENJOY the process.

For now, I gaze upon the POP pack that graces my coffee table, give thanks, and look forward.

Warmly,
Wendy