Who says chocolate has to be a guilty pleasure? journeyPod had a chance to chat with the Master of Chocolate, Jacques Torres, aka Mr. Chocolate, at the 2009 Saborea Food Festival in Puerto Rico. At the festival we tasted his chocolate and rum concoction and became, almost immediately, his greatest fan!

Listen in as Jacques Torres describes his love for the Puerto Rican culinary scene as well as what it was like to cook for the Pope!

Make sure to visit www.MrChocolate.com to order your next chocolate delight! (We love the Hot Hot Chocolate and the Chocolate Covered Cherios!)

Enjoy podsafe artist Roadtrip and their hit “The Chocolate Song�.

 

journeyPod was live and on the Red Carpet at the 10th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival. The Opening Night Film, “Lymelife,� featured Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessey, Rory Caulkin and Kieran Caulkin.

On the Red Carpet, we chatted with filmmakers (who in many cases are the writers, directors, and producers), and actors and actresses.



journeyPod experienced first-class service at the festival’s host hotel, The Island Hotel. In between films, I managed to squeeze in a little “me timeâ€� at the spa with their two-hour Island Boreh Remedy. Chef Bill Bracken took care of my growling stomach with a fabulous dinner tasting. Be sure to read the Chef’s Corner with Chef Bill!   After dinner, I experienced award -winning performer Jimmy Hopper.  Check out his amazing voice in this podcast show.

If you’re visiting the festival and want more of a “beach feel�, journeyPod suggests you stay at The Balboa Inn---but be sure too request a “newer� room.

journeyPod takes you live to the 2009 Saborea Food Festival on Escambron Beach in Puerto Rico.  We sat on the tasting panel as local and International chefs took their stab at infusing their signature dishes with local Puerto Rican ingredients. The festival was amazing, the view breathtaking and the crowd extremely friendly! journeyPod sampled tastings from restaurants like Il Mulino, Lemongrass, Budatai and Chayote.

Listen in as we chat with Iron Chef Cat Cora at the festival, right before she went on stage to demonstrate how to make the most succulent crab cake known to palate!

Grab your tickets to next year’s event by visiting www.saboreapuertorico.com today! Book yourself a cozy room at some of our favorite hotels and resorts on the island: Conrad San Juan, La Concha, El San Juan Hotel & Casino & the marvelous El Conquistado Resort & Golden Spa.

Enjoy podsafe artist Paul Borth with his smooth hit “The Beach 1969″.

journeyPod is coming to you live from the Grand Tasting Village of the 2009 South Beach Wine and Food Festival. We had a chance to catch up with winner of Food Network's "Iron Chef America" - Michelle Bernstein-Martinez. Michelle's unique approach to "luxurious approachable food" has made her namesake restaurant, Michy's, a fiery success. Michelle has also made a splash with her Spanish-style tapas at Sra. Martinez, the intimate Michelle's at Carysfort and MB at the Aqua Hotel in Cancun. 

Before opening her own restaurant, Michelle worked at some of our favorite Miami hotspots including Tantra, Red Fish Grill and The Strand. Today she is a regular guest on The Martha Stewart Show, The Today Show and was a co-host of the Melting Pot.  Michelle lets us in on some of her favorite hangouts in Miami including Nobu and Michael's Genuine Food & Drink.

Make sure to pick up her cookbook "Cuisine á Latiná" at a store near you. Now lets take you live to the event where Michelle cooked up some delectable Sweet Corn & Cheese Empanadas at the Sargento Artisan Blends Booth.

 Enjoy podsafe band Black Lab with their hit "Remember".

journeyPod headed to sunny Southern California for the 5th Annual San Diego Wine and Food Festival. journeyPod was there for lip smacking, glass clinking, celebrity watching, swishing, swirling, mouth watering kinds of fun! Held at venues along the stunning San Diego waterfront, the Festival was a sizzling five-day festa that offered attendees everything from cooking classes with celebrity chefs, to wine tastings with Master Sommeliers, to a Reserve Tasting aboard the Hornblower’s Inspiration, and the Final Grand Event --where over 800 wines were poured.

journeyPod caught up with some of the movers and shakers at the festival. We spoke with the Chef of the Fest from 2007, Chef GT, for some real inside scoop on what it is like to be “Chef of the Fest.� We also chatted with the Dan from Redwood Creek Wines, and with Rita from Designo Plus who told us all about sea salts from around the world!

Let's take a listen straight from this year’s San Diego Wine and Food Festival.  And if you’re interested in attending the festival next November, journeyPod highly suggest you make your hotel reservations now—at the Grand Del Mar. That’s where we stayed this year and we couldn’t have been more impressed! Tune in for our podcast on The Grand Del Mar in an upcoming show.
You’re gonna love this kitchy piece called “Glass of Wine� by The New Autonomous Folksingers.

journeyPod is your guide to luxury travel around the world.  We sip champagne at the BubbleQ on the beach along with celebrity chefs like Giada, Tyler Florence, Al Roker, Cat Cora, and Pat Neely. We catchup with the Rathbun Brothers who just beat Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America.  Listen in from the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.

The fanciest BBQ on the beach you will ever attend.  Over 3000 VIP guests enjoyed Moet & Chandon Champagne and lots of tasty treats from pulled pork to ribs to lamb. 

Music from Death Cab for Cutie and their song "Title and Registration."

journeyPod is your guide to luxury travel around the world.  Listen in as Iron Chef Cat Cora and Iron Chef Morimoto give us some info on their cooking styles at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.  Cat shares some news on her new CCQ barbeque restaurant opening in May.  Iron Chef Morimoto talks about his restaurants in Philly, NY, and India.

Cat grew up in Mississippi and so she uses some Southern cooking styles in her own dishes.  She also relies on her Greek upbringing to blend in wonderful Mediterranean flavors.  And of course her culinary training in France with 3 star Michelin chefs.

Morimoto left Nobu to start his own restaurants.  He was the original Iron Chef Japanese on the first Iron Chef programs in Japan.

Enjoy the sounds of Brain Buckit and their tune, "Let the Boogie Out."

Photo credit thx to evan eggers.

journeyPod is your guide to luxury travel around the world.  Giada De Laurentiis shares her sausage and peppers recipe with us at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.  Listen in live from the BubbleQ party on the beach as we sip champagne and taste Giada's chocolate panini.  Learn about Giada's culinary training in Paris and her Italian family cooking foundation.

The festival showcased top chefs from around the country.  Over 30,000 people attended the 4 day celebrity filled event.

You can get more info here.

Enjoy the passionate sounds of Beth Thornley and her song "Stand."

Photo credit icelebz.com

journeyPod is your guide to luxury travel around the world. Tastemakers, trendsetters and die-hard travelers - or simply in search of what's hot, can find the inside scoop at journeyPod.com

journeyPod recently attended one of the largest wine & food festivals in the Northeast called the Sun WineFest. The event featured celebrity chefs, seminars, food tastings and hundreds of fine wines, beers and spirits.

Listen in as journeyPod went live at the event with Mary Ann Esposito, Host and Creator of PBS’s Cooking Series “Ciao Italiaâ€? and Robert Irvine, Host of Food Network’s hit series “Dinner: Impossibleâ€?.

 

Enjoy podsafe band Black Lab and their hit "Remember".

journeyPod recently attended one of the largest wine & food festivals in the Northeast called the Sun WineFest. The event featured celebrity chefs, seminar food tastings and hundreds of fine wines, beers and spirits.

Held at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, the Sun WineFest was a true culinary extravaganza, bringing together some of the country's greatest chefs, culinary personalities, winemakers and spirit producers. 

journeyPod recorded live from the event with Michael Luboff, Executive Chef of Mohegan Sun and Govind Armstrong, Executive Chef of Table 8.

Stay tuned for Part II of the SunWine Fest where we chat with Mary Ann Esposito, Host and Creator of PBS’s Cooking Series “Ciao Italiaâ€? and Host Robert Irvine of Food Network’s hit series “Dinner: Impossibleâ€?.

Enjoy podsafe music from Melodrome and their hit "Yesterday".

Located around the corner from Grand Central Station in New York City is a hidden gem called The WheelTapper Pub. Here’s a trivia question for you... what is a “wheeltapper"?

If you’re thinking this is “just another Irish Pub,â€? have we got a surprise for you! I mean, seriously, how many Irish Pub’s have a AAA 5-Diamond Rating?!  If that doesn’t do it for you, we can mention that it has close to one million dollars in authentic Irish rail system artifacts scattered throughout the inside and outside areas. The bar was even brought over from Ireland--piece by piece! And don’t think everything about this Pub is old-school, it has certainly embraced technology by installing monitors that communicate the train schedules from Grand Central Station, real-time. So if your train is running seven minutes late, you can relax and enjoy that Guinness, instead of slamming it down...

journeyPod enjoyed a traditional Irish breakfast, complete with white and black pudding (I must admit, I didn’t know “pudding� wasn’t pudding--boy was I shocked!) Then journeyPod had a chance to speak with Chef Auggie and found out first hand what the heck a “wheeltapper� really is...

Check out the Celtic sounds of pod-safe artists, Great Big Sea and their song, Irish Paddy Festival.

 

journeyPod caught up with Evan Goldstein, Master Sommelier, at the 4th Annual San Diego Wine and Food Festival.  We had a sheer blast interviewing Evan and learned the “properâ€? way to taste chocolate with wine.  We’ll never taste chocolate the same way again, that’s for sure!

Evan Goldstein is one of the nation’s most prolific food and wine industry veterans. Evan provided festival-goers a Top Ten Wine and Chocolate Pointers for Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate, a new line of gourmet dark chocolate with sophisticated ingredients.

Evan shared his pairing tips in person with journeyPod. Who knew sipping port and melting chocolate in your mouth could be such a, well, mind-blowing experience! Take a listen now.

Then check out the unique sounds of Roadtrip and their song, The Chocolate Song.

journeyPod headed to sunny Southern California for the The 4th Annual San Diego Wine and Food Festival. journeyPod was there for lip smacking, glass clinking, celebrity watching, swishing, swirling, mouth watering kinds of fun! Held at venues along the stunning San Diego waterfront, the Festival was a sizzling five-day festa that offered attendees everything from cooking classes with celebrity chefs, to wine tastings with Master Sommeliers, to a Reserve Tasting aboard the Hornblower’s Inspiration, and the Final Grand Event --where over 800 wines were poured.

journeyPod caught up with some of the movers and shakers at the festival. We spoke with Kathleen Inman from Inman Family Wines. We also chatted with Executive Chef Jeff Grossman from Terra Restaurant right here in San Diego.

Let's take a listen to what Inman and Grossman had to say about this year’s San Diego Wine and Food Festival. And mark your calendar’s for next year’s event -- November 12-16, 2008.  And for an in-depth lesson on pairing chocolates with wines, check our upcoming exclusive podcast with Evan Goldstein.

Check out the cool sounds of Johnny O and his song, The Waterfront.

journeyPod is your guide to luxury travel around the world. We give you VIP access to the hippest hotels, hottest nightlife and coolest restaurants.

journeyPod was live at 8th Annual Wine South Festival in Atlanta where we enjoyed a wine sampling of some of the finest European wines available, paired with spicy food provided by Hector Santiago of Pura Vida.

Maureen Petrosky was our sommelier for this tasting and taught us about pairing rieslings and riojas with meats, shrimp, chocolate and peppers. We were surprised to learn that sparkling wine goes extremely well with hot wings..something for the ladies to remember during football season!

Among many other titles, Maureen was named "Female Chef Extroardinaire" by the International Organization, Les Marmitons, and was a recent judge on Iron Chef America.

Enjoy the alternative sounds of Figureone and their song "Beautiful Creation".

Ever wonder what would happen if you mixed together hardcore movie buffs, independent filmmakers, great parties and amazing weather? The San Diego Film Festival held this past September, mixed just that.  The four-day fest offered attendees a complete experience, filled with film premieres, educational panels, and nightly party options.

Co-founded by an award-winning filmmaker Karl Kozak (known for the acclaimed indie feature films: To Hell With Love, Out of the Black, Clawed and Skidmarks) and his wife Robin Laatz-Kozak, the San Diego Film Festival has been dedicated to supporting diverse, independent films for the last six years.

Each year, the Festival works hard to program a line-up of nearly 100 films - from newcomers to future Academy Award-winning films.  This year's festivities also included the largest screenwriting conference in the nation.

Having earned an abundance of awards that include: Best Festival, Best Regional Film Fest, Best Beach Fest, and a coveted spot as one of the country's Top 10 Film Festival Vacations - its no surprise that the San Diego Film Festival is such a hit! So for all you listeners...if you're looking for a great Film Festival experience, make sure to check out next year's San Diego Film Festival lineup.

Want even more behind the scenes info on this year's San Diego Film Festival? Check out our Events & Parties round up!

For more of journeyPod's picks, see the San Diego Destination Guide...and stay tuned for more of the city's hotspots!

Listen to the #1 rated podsafe artist Keith Varon and his hit "Can't Breathe".

journeyPod has teamed with InMotion Entertainment  to offer great travel tips and ideas on fun things to do in top destinations around the globe.

Pack your comfortable shoes, memorize the metro route and pop in your headphones to experience New York the way a traveler, not a tourist, does.

Explore Greenwich Village, Soho, Nolita, the Meatpacking district and the Upper East Side. Shop on Fifth Avenue, Herald Square, St. Marks Place, Broadway and Soho.

To experience true luxury stay at one of these boutique hotels: The Gansevoort, Maritime, Dream, Time or any of the W's.

journeyPod's picks for best restaurants include: Babbo, Il Mulino, Gramercy Tavern, Jean George and Mori Moto. Sip on a Manhattan at The Hudson Bar, Pacha, Gypsy Tea, BLVD and D.O.C. Wine Bar.

The podcast also covers some of the best sights to take in while in the city and best day trips from NY.

Listen to Death Cab for Cutie and their hit "Title and Registration".

journeyPod is back in sunny Miami, where the Caipirinhas flow like water, the bronzed bodies are scattered across the powdery sand and the big hot shots show of their phat rides! Summers in Miami are filled with pool parties, bikini competitions, celebrity DJs and great food. Check back with us soon as we cover the Taste of Miami Spice Month.

Lets listen in on our interview with Denise Grant, Director of PR and Special Events for Nocturnal nightclub as she shares some of the hottest events and festivals in Miami this summer!

For a full list of the best restaurants and nightlife check out our Miami Destination Guide!

Enjoy the cool sounds of Amy Ayres and her song " A little time".

journeyPod is your guide to luxury travel around the world.  This week we are live from the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.  Celeb sightings include Shaq, Paula Deen, and Martha Stewart.  Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria teams up with master chef Todd English to open a new restaurant.  Tom Colicchio, the judge from TV hit show Top Chef, shares some cooking tips.  Moet and Chandon Champagne flows all night long for a crowd over 2000 at the BubbleQ Party on the beach.

For more info on the Festival checkout our 2 page writeup with behind the scenes scoop.

 

 

journeyPod is your guide to luxury travel around the world. 

Al Roker and Pat Neely share barbeque secrets at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival at The Delano Hotel. Guests enjoyed a copious amount of Moet and Chandon Champagne while nibbling on BBQ pork and beef ribs.The festival showcased celebrity chefs from around the world. Fine wines and good times on Miami Beach! Local restaurants from Miami served up amazing samples for the masses. For more info on the top restaurants of Miami check out our journeyPod Destination Guide.

We leave you with a great track from a hardworking band called Death Cab For Cutie and their song "Title and Registration."

journeyPod is your guide to luxury travel around the world.  Get a sneak peak of the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami. Cooking demonstrations and tips from celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, Giada de Laurentiis, and Emeril. Barbecue events hosted by Al Roker. Miami restaurants, Miami chefs, and Miami bars at journeyPod.com.

journeyPod is your guide to luxury travel around the world.  Come along as we explore Canada and its top three cities of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. jetSet to festivals and events in Canada like the Toronto Film Festival, the Calgary Stampede, and the Montreal Jazz Festival.

Canadian music from Adrienne Pierce and her track off the Veronica Mars Soundtrack.