Events – Page 4 – Will Bake for Shoes

Byer California Grand Opening Celebration

Posted on August 13, 2015by Brandy Saldana

I am excited to share that there is a store opening event going on in the East Bay this weekend that is starting today. Byer California is opening up their latest store in the San Francisco Premium Outlets.
The Byer California brand has been around since 1954 and opened its first location in Tejon. This store opening will be their second retail location. The Grand Opening Celebration is from Friday, August 13 through Sunday, August 16.
Grand opening weekend hours:
Thursday, Aug 13: 10am – 10pmFriday, Aug 14: 10am – 10pmSat, Aug 15: 10am – 10pmSun, Aug 16: 10am – 8pm
Celebrity stylist and fashion blogger Brittany Hart will be around offer styling tips and tricks to shoppers.
A Grand Opening wouldn’t be complete without giveaways, and there will also be special hourly drawings for major discounts and giveaways, including daily $100 gift certificates. Make sure to have your phone charged and follow @ByerCalifornia on Instagram to win pieces from their new collection.
I’ll be picking up some new clothes this weekend, so stay tuned for an outfit post featuring some Byer California pieces!
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Food

Blade and Bow Southern Dinner

Posted on August 11, 2015by Brandy Saldana

In my June Instagram recap, I briefly mentioned I was invited for a whiskey tasting by Blade and Blow at the Dirty Habit restaurant in SF. The whiskey was paired with an amazing Southern inspired dinner and I was lucky to be able to enjoy it with my foodie bud Chanda.

But before we get into the details of the dinner, let me tell you a little bit about Blade and Bow Whiskey. Blade and Bow’s name comes from the two parts of a skeleton key – the blade shaft and the ornate bow. The logo is a tribute to the five keys that once hung on the door of the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, but they also represent the five steps of crafting bourbon—grains, yeast, fermentation, distillation and aging. The keys now adorn each bottle of Blade and Bow and 5 are also available to collect.

We had the rare opportunity to taste 22 year old, and 102% proof, whiskey during the dinner and it was delightful! The trick to enjoying whiskey is tasting really good ones, but also breathing out through your mouth since the strong smell of alcohol can affect your sense of smell. I really enjoyed this taste and it was pretty smooth.

My favorite dish was from dinner was the Pork Shoulder with the peach preserve and my favorite side dish was the Creamed Corn. Of course I was busy enjoying them to take photos of them, but luckily Chanda did in her post. The red pepper jam that came with the biscuits was really something else! There were a lot of amazing flavors, and the wedge salad was tasty and looked amazing on the platter it was served.

Of course, my favorite part meal is dessert, and the Dirty Habit did not disappoint. we were treated to Lemon Meringue Tarts and Fruit Beignets accompanied by Whiskey Flavored Ice Cream. I loved the beignets! We paired it with more whiskey, and the ice cream was a really nice compliment to the whiskey.

Blade and Bow Whiskey is enjoyable on its own, makes a great addition to an ice cream, and of course makes a great cocktail. Stay tuned for my next post as I’ll be sharing some cocktail recipes I picked up using Blade and Bow Whiskey!

June Instagram Recap

Posted on July 10, 2015by Brandy Saldana

As I mentioned in my last post, I had been thinking of doing a recap of all the events I attended in June. I did a better job documenting them via Instagram, but some of the images I am sharing may not have made it on my Instagram feed (yet!) These are just some of the highlights and I am hoping this becomes a regular thing for my blog!

To kick off the month, I attended a brunch at Pinterest HQ for the announcement of the “Buy It” button. By now it’s been rolled out, but it was pretty exciting being part of the crowd that heard the announcement first. (Visiting the headquarters again was pretty cool too!)

I also attended a couple of parties hosted by local startups. One was the Gold Rush SF event hosted by Rocksbox, where I took some polaroid photos with some fellow SF bloggers. The other was the Live from SF party hosted by Poshmark at Mercer.

Chelsea invited me attend a Party for a Better World sponsored by the Better World Hub. The Party’s focus was to promote organic products such as Numi Tea, Marys Gone Crackers, Nature’s Organic, and Equal Exchange. The organic products were not limited to food, and even featured toys, beauty products and clothing. There were samples, a food competition and a raffle at the end. I won the breakfast food packet on the bottom right and left with a pretty impressive haul of organic products. It was a great way to be introduced to organic products and to be able to try them.

I found out through Gal Meets Glam’s instagram account that she would be hosting a collaboration event in SF kicking off Birchbox’s pop-up shop at GAP. For $15, you can pick out your own samples. I am pretty excited about to try out the products I picked out.

On the same night, I made my way over to the Casper Snooze Bar pop-up. I tested out a Casper mattress, enjoyed gourmet waffles and had my dream interpreted by a talented local artist, Frances Marin. I recalled a dream as a kid passing through bushes of lavender, and I love how she illustrated my dream. I was also pretty stoked with the experience and being able to take some cute slippers home with me.

I was invited to dinner and a whiskey tasting by Blade and Bow. I will be doing another post sharing a couple of recipes of the mixed drinks I tried, but I will say the food was delicious and it was great that I had a chance to experience this with my fellow foodie bud, Chanda.

I am a suggested user on WE HEART IT, and randomly I received an email asking if I could be free for lunch on a Wednesday to meet Hilary Duff. I RSVP’d hoping to get picked, and was selected for an exclusive Meet and Greet with Hilary Duff.

The weather for June was pretty inconsistent, but we actually had a couple of days where it was so hot that I appreciated the invite to taste SKYY Vodka’s latest line of vodka SKYY Barcraft hosted by Victoria Smith (@sfgirlbybay). There was a cute station to dress up your drink, and I had a blast trying out each of the new flavors and decorating my drinks.

On an unrelated blog note, Armando and I adore corgis. So we made it our mission to attend the Norcal Corgi Con, a meetup for corgi enthusiasts at Ocean Beach in SF. This dog is named Dog, and I thought her hat was simply too cute! It was fun watching and playing with the corgis at the beach.

After the morning in the beach, I made my way to North Beach to bake French Souffles, Custards and Cremes blogger friends (Jennifer/Laurelai/Chanda/Kat) at the Parties that Cook kitchen hosted by Maison Jules. I worked with my group to make Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee Ice Cream. It was my first time making ice cream from scratch! We worked on using fresh peaches as part of a garnish to our ice cream. Tasting all the food at the end was the best way to end our cooking class.

On the final Sunday in June, Armando and I attended Summerthing, a free concert at Golden Gate Park, sponsored by Alice 97.3. We layed out our picnic blanket , enjoyed free Clover Ice Cream and listened to Elle King, Rachel Platten, Matt Kearney and Kelly Clarkson.

The best was saved for last, and the month ended with Armando and I celebrating our 9 year anniversary. I am very happy to have spent that much time with my best friend and partner-in-crime, and I can’t wait to see what adventures are in store for us together this year.
Hope you enjoyed my monthly recap. You can always follow my daily adventures on Instagram @willbakeforshoes. Until next time!

Food
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- Restaurant

Truvee Wine Tasting and Sangria Recipe

Posted on June 14, 2015by Brandy Saldana

Right before I headed out to Hawaii, I was invited by the McBride’s Sister’s Truvée wine company for a food & wine tasting at Sen’s Restaurant in San Francisco. Sen’s is one of my favorite restaurants in SF, particularly because of its happy hours and gorgeous view of the Bay Bridge. So of course, I RSVP’d and made my way over for a delicious lunch to learn more about this wine.

I had never heard of Truvée Wines before, but I found that its story is pretty unforgettable. Two sisters, Robin and Andrea McBride, grew up without knowing about each other until after their father’s death. Both were born in LA, but Robin, the eldest, grew up in Monterey and Andrea was raised in her mother’s native country of New Zealand. Both developed an early appreciation for wine because of where they grew up and became business partners soon after being reunited again. Truvée means “to find” in French, and I admired the relationship these sisters had, especially as partners in a business venture, and was excited to see what their wines tasted like.

We sampled the Chardonnay first and paired it with two starters: a Mediterranean Spread and a Spiced Chicken Meatball. This wine was very refreshing, and tasted unlike other Chardonnays I’ve tried. It featured hints of citrus, pear, honeysuckle, green apple and pineapple and had a clean, crisp finish. We also paired this Chardonnay with our salad, which featured paige mandarins, avocado, grapefruit, and a lemon vinaigrette.

For my entree, I ordered the Paella and that was paired with the Truvée Red Blend. The Red Blend featured notes of blueberry, blackberry, caramel, cocoa and red cherry, creating a smooth and decadent flavor. This was my first time trying Paella, but it was something I had always been interested in trying. I loved it and it was an excellent pairing for this wine.

And of course, this lunch would not be complete without dessert! It was a very tough decision, but I picked the Almond Basque Cake, a sponge cake with blackberry compote, almond croquant and chantilly. The alternative was a Meyer Lemon Tart, strawberries on a toasted oat streusel with a strawberry sorbet, which looked equally delicious!
Between the two wines, it was hard to choose a favorite. I was glad I had the opportunity to sample the two wines and was surprised with how affordable at 15.99 a bottle considering their luxurious taste. When I initially arrived to the restaurant, I was greeted with a Sangria made with the Truvée Chardonnay and I am happy to share the recipe of it that will be perfect for your summer get-togethers!

Truvée San Francisco Sangria (Serves 12)
Mix:

1 750 ml bottle of Truvée Chardonnay6 oz. bottle Ketel One Citroen6 oz. elderflower liqueur6 oz. Stellina di Notte Prosecco

Garnish:RaspberriesPeaches

Food
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- Restaurant

A Taste of Agreeno at Pathos

Posted on April 22, 2015by Brandy Saldana

Last month I was invited to a culinary event at Pathos Organic Greek Kitchen in Berkeley to try out some expertly prepared mezes paired with wines and to see a culinary demonstration by celebrity chef/author Diane Kochillas. This demonstration was intended to highlight a new and healthy risotto by a Greek brand named Agreeno that is coming to the states soon. Pathos has been on my list of restaurants to try ever since it opened in Berkeley, and I was excited to get a taste of it here during this event. Here are some photos Armando and I took from the event and a glimpse of some of the food and wine I got to try.

One of my favorite appetizers were these pieces of grilled octopus. I also loved how fresh everything tasted. It has definitely convinced me that I need to make a reservation for dinner soon.

I also had a chance to meet Diane Kochilas. She presented her own cookbook as part of her presentation and we tried two different dishes using the Agreeno rice. As I mentioned earlier, Agreeno rice will be making its way stateside soon and I am pretty excited about it. The samples we had were very tasty and it sounds like it is pretty easy to cook. The best is that the rice is cultivated in Greece by Farmers responsibly. Ethically grown food is always good, but it was also cool to learn that they develop a unique flavor by being grown near the Mediterranean Ocean.

What are your thoughts on Greek cuisine? I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions so I have a better idea of what to order when I visit Pathos for dinner!

Macy’s Prom Fashion Show 2015

Posted on March 29, 2015by Brandy Saldana

Yesterday I attended the Macy’s Prom Fashion Show event at the Valley Fair Mall in San Jose hosted by Youtube Vlogger Lindsey Hughes. Since I went shopping for my own Prom dresses at this store with my Mom, it was only fitting that I invited her as my date! We arrived and received wristbands for a Meet + Greet with Lindsey after the show. I don’t spend as much time on Youtube checking out beauty vloggers, so it might come as less of a shock for me to say I didn’t know who she was. I did check out a few of her videos right before the event and in meeting her after the show, I could see was just a genuine and sweet as she appears.

I loved a number of the dresses that walked down the runway, but I will admit I was surprised with the whole crop top trend for Prom. I am not sure how many school dress codes would even allow that (I know mine would not), but I appreciated some of the versatility of the skirts. Here are my favorite looks of the show:

Bright colors were big, along with print dresses. I loved the prints, but my favorite dresses featured sequins. I would have opted for a rich color like cobalt blue if I were to go to Prom again, but I would love something with sequins and feathers as well.

I especially loved this last dress as you can tell. Hope you enjoyed my pictures of the fashion show and let me know what would you wear to Prom if you were to go?