Soylent Green Dreams Forever

Going to Kansas City means two things: sleeping in my childhood room and visiting The Campground. On this end-of-Summer evening, Chris and Cristin invited me over for a little neighborhood picnic involving not one! but three pups. I also had the pleasure of trying out a Campground cocktail Chris calls 'Soylent Green' (an homage to the Sci-Fi film.) The celery and lime combination made for a damn good, slightly more savory and extremely refreshing, margarita vibe. Drinks like this make me vow to never imbibe another lousy Gin & Soda. That vow didn't last long when we took an impromptu trip to the Bottleneck in Lawrence. The night hilariously ended with us running out of gas halfway home but I expect nothing less than a memorable time with these two.

Hunter Gatherer Studio Visit

As a jewelry fiend, I always have my eye out for unique designs. Back in January, I came across a collection while putzing around at City Soles in Wicker Park. An associate explained to me that many of the pieces were made from found objects; hence the name, Hunter Gatherer. From twigs to windshield glass to casts of fingertips, I was smitten. I left with a single piece and a desire to know more about the artist. Fast forward to the end of May, I got in touch with the hands behind Hunter Gatherer, Laura Prieto-Velasco. She invited me over to her home to take a look at some of her new designs inspired by bait and tackle. Two hours later we had talked about everything under the sun, including my newest pursuit thanks to her, Flamenco dancing. Laura's macabre aesthetic is something I've always been intrigued by and paired with her interest in Flamenco, I couldn't leave without making plans to meet again and put those themes in front of a camera - more on that to come.

Whole Larder Love

I like food. No, I love food. I've got a whole lotta love for food. In honor of his new book, Whole Larder Love, I had the pleasure of listening to Australian blogger, cookbook author and food warrior Rohan Anderson share the beginnings of his journey as a hunter/gatherer; hosted at Longman & Eagle's Off Site Bar. To top it all off, Rohan carried out a first hand demonstration on skinning a rabbit. His familiarity with the process was mesmerizing. I can't imagine that knowledge will ever come in handy for myself but Rohan's desire to work for his food has stuck with me (and to thank for my newly acquired tomato plant.) Post-skinning, Longman worked their magic and made a lovely dish for Rohan which I may have stole a delicious bite of. Thank you, Max Wastler, for introducing me and being an always charismatic host.