Traveling on an Empty Stomachs

There is no surer bond of friendship than an identity of community of ideas and tastes. ~ Cicero

Taste ‘Buds’

Me & Tara stopping for a pretzel during the wedding day shoot..It was a joke but very much our character to do so!

If you are passionate about many things it’s highly likely that you keep company with similarly passionate people.  I know just who to call when I want to go out for an adventurous meal, a 90 minute yoga class, or find the ‘perfect’ outfit.  And if you’re lucky like I am – you have that one friend who is always up for anything, really…anything!

This post is dedicated to just that person!  My lovely and beautiful friend, Tara.  She is truly the epitome of a girl’s best friend.  She’s one of those people who are just so genuine, kind, and loving that it doesn’t seem humanly possible.  She is purely kind-hearted and thoughtful, a self-sacrificing person – the last being her only downfall in that she sometimes puts others before her when she should come first.

If that makes her sound saintly, then here’s the rest to reassure you that she is human just like the rest of us.  Tara is also that crazy fun friend that you find yourself having boatloads of margaritas, martinis, whiskey, wine, or really any interesting concoctions until 3am.  French dining at 4am.  Hours in dressing rooms and buying nothing.  Random shots of olive oil and salt while searching for diet Coke in a sea of diet Pepsi.  Tomato browsing.  Midnight plunges into the ocean.  Bubble gum as shoe glue.  Pantyhose as leggings…

I could go on but then I’m missing the point of this post.  Tara not only is my best friend but she is also one damn good taste ‘bud’.

The Chew

The week of my wedding, Tara got us tickets to ABC’s show, The Chew.  To be honest, until she told me we were going together, I had never heard of it.  But from a quick google search and some DVR’ing, I caught myself up on what to expect.  The two of us love food!  We could talk about food for hours.  It’s kind of bizarre how excited we get just describing things we have eaten or want to eat.  So this show was a perfect fit for us…and a very sweet gift for a kick off before the final days leading to my wedding.

I am on the left behind Mario’s head and Tara is on the right…

The Chew is hosted by Iron Chef America’s Mario Batali and Michael Symon, Top Chef’s Carla Hall, What Not to Wear’s Clinton Kelly (who introduces the guests and welcomes everyone to the show) and Dr. Mehmet Oz’s daughter, author and wellness enthusiast Daphne Oz.  I was most excited to see Clinton Kelly in person…I actually told him I wanted to miniaturize him and put him in my back pocket to keep with me everywhere I go.  I immediately realized how psychotic that sounded and was thankful that he laughed without being creeped out.

As you can see from the above photograph (taken by my very kind friend, Kat, who sat through the whole show just to see a few glimpses of us at the end of the hour) we were invited to sit at the tasting table.  I believe we shrieked and did a few fist pumps as a reply…yep, we were that lame but it was all we could talk about on the way there and we were chosen!  This episode was themed, “Battle of the Iron Grandmas”…check out the four-minute clip, we are featured quite a bit in this segment since we are behind Mama T. & Mario.

So the show can seem quite a bit corny at times and really isn’t one that I would regularly add to my DVR line-up but it was truly a fun experience and I’m so happy I got to share it with Tara.  What an unforgettable time and a brilliant way to start the final countdown to my wedding.

Behind the Scenes

Almost showtime!

Waiting for Mario’s lobster rolls at the tasting table!

Top Chef Carla interacts with the audience after the show

Clinton Kelly is just as sweet and adorable in person as he appears on television