What Luxury Celebrity Swag was in the TASTE AWARDS VIP Gift Bags this Year

Every year the TASTE AWARDS event includes a fantastic feature called the VIP & Celebrity Gift Bag, also known as the Swag Bag. Even though the 12th Annual TASTE AWARDS were presented virtually due to the Pandemic, this tradition continued with “bags” becoming “boxes” that were shipped directly to select award winners, honorees, inductees, and nominees.

They included a selection of luxury chocolates and confections, as well as other unique surprises from partners such as Panache Chocolatier, CocoTutti,  Toni’s Toffee, DGZ Chocolates (Toffarazzi), Hazelnut Hill, Mel’s Toffee, Luxx Chocolat, and Regenie’s.

Award winning filmmaker Rob Serrini produced a short and humorous video about what several award winners received in the 12th annual TASTE AWARDS VIP Gift Bag, which was shipped to them directly in that unique year for awards events during the pandemic.

 

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Looking for Natural Honey? Try these 3 Family-Owned Brands from California

Most honey is good for you, but the kind that comes from small family-owned producers is often the healthiest, and the tastiest. California is world renowned as being an excellent source of artisan honey. It is also one of the largest honey producing states, right Behind North Dakota and often ahead of Montana, South Dakota and Texas. Each year California produces almost 14,000 Pounds of Honey. In fact, for this reason as well as sustainability, all bees are considered valuable that in California even wild native bumble bees may become protected under the California’s Endangered Species Act.

We’ve tried many honey producers from the Golden State, and here are three family-owned brands you should try right now:

3 FAMILY-OWNED CALIFORNIA HONEYS

TRUE GOLD HONEY

True Gold is owned by mother-son duo Sarah and Tyler Sample, both of whom are 3rd and 4th generation beekeepers. They’ve grown up in the apiary business, and know their way around the hives with skills and experience.  Their bee farm is called the Sample Family Apiaries, with their separate honey business called True Gold.

ORANGE BLOSSOMEZ HONEY & WILDFLOWER HONEY

The True Gold Orange Blossom honey is a golden color with a citrus element of course, plus some zest. The Samples say that it can only be harvested where the weather is mild enough for orange trees to survive. Fortunately, the trees for their orange blossom honey basically come from around their own homes.

True Gold is well recognized for excellence, and has won Good Food Awards, Cal Expo Awards, and others.

https://truegoldhoney.com

 

KISS THE FLOWER HONEY

Kiss the Flower Honey Company was founded in 2010, and focuses on best practices for bees, people, and the planet. They use only natural methods, and have several hives in Sonoma County, including a Santa Rosa property, as well as in the West County. The flowers used in the honey include eucalyptus, Himalayan Blackberry, apples, and acacias. 
Kiss the Flower produces only about 3,000 pounds of honey per year.

WILDLFLOWER HONEY

The Kiss the Flower Wildflower is classic honey. Their wildflower honey comes from hives on Mount Taylor in Santa Rosa.

STARTHISTLE HONEY

The Kiss the Flower Starthistle honey is a light gold color, with a mild and flowery flavor profile, as well as a bit of anise and cinnamon.

https://kisstheflowerhoney.com

SEKA HILLS HONEY

Seka Hills has a line of tribal products that honor Northern California’s Capay Valley. The Native Tribe is known as the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation
meaning ‘Home by the Spring Water.’ In the native Patwin language, ‘Séka’ means ‘blue.’

The Tribe’s product decisions are based on good environmental stewardship, with over 22,000 total acres in production in Yolo County

WILDFLOWER HONEY

The Seka Hills Wildflower Honey gets its taste and dark amber color from variety of wildflowers, such as redbud, rose clover and ceanothus, which are found on over 9,000 acres of tribal land. They produce the artisan honey in partnership with beekeeper John Foster

https://www.sekahills.com/

The Benefits of Walking Yourself to Better Health and Fitness

What is one of the most productive and effective ways of exercise? Walking!

Walking in fact is not just one of the most effective ways of exercise, it’s also one of the oldest. Humans are designed to walk, it is how they evolved and thrived. It is how they overcame obstacles in the wild, found food and water, and expanded territory. You could say that in fact humans are literally meant to walk. So if this is true, it’s clear what happens when you don’t do what you’re supposed to do. You are not as healthy, not as fit, and not as happy. This is exactly why walking is great for you.

Some of the benefits of walking include increased cardiovascular and pulmonary fitness for your heart and lungs. Walking also increases provides benefit, which is reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. It also improves the management of chronic conditions such as hypertension and high cholesterol, as well as decreased joint and muscular pain, stiffness, and diabetes. Plus it can lead to stronger bones and better balance. Mentally, there is nothing more refreshing than taking a nice, calm, and refreshing walk to clear the cobwebs out of your mind, and getting good air into your lungs.

Most cities and states in North America and Europe have parks and hiking trails in which you can get out and walk. California has a lot of great spots where you can walk. In cities like San Francisco, it seems like everyone either walks or hikes on a regular basis. In Los Angeles, there are beautiful places along the boardwalk and the beaches where you can walk and walk and walk.

It is recommended that you walk at least 30 to 45 minutes nearly every day. You don’t have to do it all at once, you can break it up into a 10 minute chunks, but the pace that you set is important. You don’t need to break a sweat, but your goal is to get your heart pumping.

So get out there and take a walk, your body and your mind will thank you

MUSIC VIDEO: RAYE, Rudimental – Regardless

When the weather is nice and warm you need a song and music video that fits the mood: light, carefree, relaxed, and fun!

RAYE x Rudimental’s hit song “Regardless” meets all of these criteria, and a bit more.

Here are a few lyrics to tell you what it’s all about:

I hate waking up alone
Call me when you’re heading home
I’ve got things I need to say
That I can’t say to you over the telephone

4/5 glasses all alone
Boys and girls just come and go
Haven’t seen you for a minute
I don’t like it not at all

Ohhhhh
One thing that I know
Is As hard as I try
I can’t face the thought
Of you not being in my life
Regardless

Find more RAYE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raye/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raye
http://www.raye-music.com

Find more Rudimental
http://www.rudimental.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/rudimentaluk
http://www.instagram.com/rudimentaluk

Song: Regardless
Artist: RAYE, Rudimental

UMG (on behalf of Polydor Records); PEDL, BMI – Broadcast Music Inc., LatinAutor – Warner Chappell, LatinAutorPerf, The Royalty Network (Publishing), ASCAP, AMRA, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA – UBEM, LatinAutor, Kobalt Music Publishing, UMPI, Warner Chappell, and 7 Music Rights Societies

Real Oyster Cult Makes Good on Promise to Deliver Delicious Live Oysters to Your Doorstep

Fresh oysters are a delicacy that require one main ingredient, and that’s freshness. So when we heard about seafood company Real Oyster Cult, that says they will deliver fresh oysters across the country to you, and guarantees that they are actually fresh, we had to take a look at it. Fortunately, we found that this promise was in fact delivered upon 100%.

The oysters that we received were all tightly closed within their shells, proof that they were not only alive but also determined to remain that way, with their freshness and sea water inside. Not a single one had even the slightest hint of an open shell. The overall reviewers’ verdict on their taste was an A+.

Real Oyster Cult is one of several national or local firms that have moved into the area of bringing sustainably harvested seafood directly to people’s homes. These oysters arrive live in an insulated cold storage device, which allows them to be stored in a home refrigerator for up to 10 days without a problem.

Of course, who is really going to keep live oysters in the refrigerator for 10 days without eating them? But it’s good to know that you have the option, as long as you keep them on ice.

Real Oyster Cult says that this entire idea came to them because they are already oyster farmers, and they were in the habit of throwing great parties on their floating workspace above the oyster beds, a perfect place to concoct this new business model.

Seems like they did a great job with that idea. Not only do they send the oysters that they cultivate themselves, they also now include the opportunity for seafood lovers to taste oysters from over 70 different farms from across North America. The 20 oysters that we received in the Real Oyster Cult Gift Bundle package were of three different types, and this was from a possible curated selection of over 20 varieties oysters available.  The package can be increased by 20 oysters at a time, and they can send a bundle of 40 or 60 oysters, depending on your needs. The Gift Bundle also includes a free shucking knife and rubberized non-slip gloves, which are not just practical and safe, but also a delight to use. They definitely speed up the process if you don’t have an oyster knife and gloves already available. If you don’t eat oysters on a regular basis, the gloves can alternately be used in the garden.

On top of being a tasty luxury, oysters are known for having multiple health and wellness benefits. Furthermore, apparently being an oyster farmer is more than a delicious occupation, although tiring.  It also helps keep the natural environment clean. Oysters clean the ocean and can filter nitrogen from 25 to 50 gallons of sea water every day. Too much nitrogen is not good for the ecosystem, and oysters contribute to keeping it balanced. Real Oyster Cult says that helping to support this balance is part of their overall mission.

In addition to the several varieties of oysters available, Real Oyster Cult also has seasoning sauces and hot sauces (called Mignon-Nips), wine and whiskey pairing packages, caviar, Maine Lobster, and Jonah Crab Claws. The Gift Bundle starts at around $69.

Find out more at www.realoystercult.com

Twins For Peace & Singer Macy Gray’s My Good Sneaker Collaboration to Help Families in Need

 

 

Sustainable footwear company Twins For Peace, through its social impact initiative, has announced a collaboration with My Good and its founder, Grammy award-winner Macy Gray, on a limited edition series of sneaker releases. Macy Gray co-designed each pair of shoes, with a limited release date. For every pair of sneakers purchased, Twins For Peace will donate a percentage of the proceeds to My Good to help families who have lost loved ones to police brutality.

Twins For Peace and My Good joined together with synonymous values to create a meaningful collaboration that aligns with My Good’s mission to support families affected by police brutality. Twins for Peace was created after founder Max Mussard offered his shoes to a child in Madagascar during a game of soccer and was greatly impacted by the child’s gratitude and happiness after receiving the shoes. Twins For Peace has already worked with NGOs in Colombia, Cameroon, Mozambique, India, Haiti, Mali, Senegal and is excited to begin humanitarian initiatives in the United States with this collaboration. The Soles To Souls objective was created to encourage people to walk in peace and consciously use the soles of the shoes to touch the souls and hearts of others. Soles represent our feet and our behavior to walk in peace, and with every step pushes us to remember there is hope and beauty in the world.

“I have always been a fan of sneakers and partnering with Twins for Peace was a no-brainer, their values soulfully align with My Good” said Gray. “This collaboration is an effort that will benefit families in need, as well as draw attention to the incredible work Twins for Peace does worldwide. While on the road and even during this past year where comfort is key, sneakers have been a staple in my wardrobe and it was an honor to be able to help design this collection that is not only fashion-forward, but gives back in such a humanitarian way.”

Twins For Peace footwear is designed in France and made consciously in Brazil. Each sneaker comes with the Twins For Peace signature elephant logo placed on the sole of each shoe with “Be Cool Be Good” stamped inside the cushion of every pair. Soles To Souls color palette features red, white, and blue representing the American and French flags. Each purchase includes a QR code integrated with a video from Macy Gray on a custom sneaker box.

About Twins For Peace

Created in 2009 by the twins Maxime and Alexandre Mussard, the French brand Twins For Peace was born to promote humanitarian values ​​through its shoes. In 2018 the brand was incorporated into the global group NVH Studios to make it a lifestyle and, at the same time, invest consistently in countries affected by poverty through the creation of long-lasting solidarity projects. Since 2009, the company has donated the equivalent amount of more than 15,000 shoes through the “Be COOL, Be GOOD” initiative and continuously invests in the least developed countries’ health and education systems. Twins For Peace arrived in Brazil in 2011 and 2014 in a partnership with the Gol de Letra Foundation, founded by the player Raí.

About My Good

My Good is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in July 2020 by artist Macy Gray, along with Charyn Harris and Grace Blake to support families who have lost an immediate family member due to police brutality. The heart of the mission is to ensure that families receive the much-needed emotional, educational, and financial support as they navigate the aftermath of their loss.

Production Process

To guarantee the sustainability of the products, Twins For Peace sought material inputs with little impact. The soles of the shoes are made with 50% natural rubber, extracted from rubber trees, whose raw material has zero CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and provides resilience, elasticity, and comfort; and 50% recycled rubber, from the reuse of materials that would take years to decompose in nature and which, when transformed, add resistance and durability to the footwear.

https://twinsforpeace.com/

https://mygood.org/

Instagram.com/twinsforpeace

@mygooddotorg