Did you go? What a great time! Cooking demonstrations and book signings, tastings from loads of wineries, and some amazing beer, wine and spirit distributors. Rum, single malt scotches, ice wines, champagne, and of course, some wonderful food. Very fun products including a new spice company (tsp spices), cheese companies (Firefly Farms and Chapel Country Creamery)...and of course, the town of St. Michaels and surrounding areas geared up for guest chef dinners. We'll have photos and recaps soon. Already looking forward to next year!!

Cool event! A dozen or more local producers on the Eastern Shore of everything from farmed oysters to super-rich ice cream met up with chefs from the name restaurants at the Tidewater Inn in Easton. The idea: to go straight from the water, the field, the factory to the restaurants' kitchens to the plate...about as fresh as it gets. And also discuss accommodating what the restaurants are looking for. Smart planning, and the brainchild of the local Ag department of Talbot County. Exciting. Interesting. Encouraging.

Oh, yes, it's amazing. Salmon smoked in Skeeter's Big Green Egg. Untold pounds of cream cheese, a dozen eggs, butter. And on top of it all, one serves sour cream, chopped eggs, and caviar as condiments. We were very pleased to find our friend the shock-trauma specialist at the party; if anyone could restart a clogged heart, he could. How did it go over? Well...let's see. Estimating that it could easily serve 20 or more, there were two lonely one-inch slices left. So, pretty good! The recipe is a gift from Jim Wilder of the Wild Orchid Cafe, and will be featured in his article, to come soon. Thanks, Jim, from the bottom of our....hearts.

Too much of the cup, the last couple of days, and all in the name of progress and epicurism. On Thursday, there was the natural evolution of a wine and cheese club at work (Hey, let's try some cheeses! Well, great, we'll need some wine.) Then on Friday, there was the long-discussed final four of beer madness, a tournament we'd kept our eye on in the Washington Post. Which we held ourselves. No winner. And then there was the "Taste of" charity event, in which the charity involved seemed to be primarily  a) some free tickets for us and  b) having to partake of some truly underwhelming food and drink. So of course we had to come home and have something decent with some friends. And then we replayed beer madness. Still no consensus. Hence, Sunday morning, I am quaffing my coffee more for medicinal purposes than flavor. Never again. Of course, until next time.