MAJOR PLANNING EVENT

Posted on 25. May, 2013 by Howard Salus in Business, Education, Entertainment, featured, Florida News

GMFEA Presents “Festivals on Fire”

Posted on 25. May, 2013 by Howard Salus in Business, Entertainment, featured, Florida News

“FESTIVALS ON FIRE” Conference and Exhibition

 Make Your Event Sparkle

(Miami, Fl) The 1st Annual Greater Miami Festivals and Events Association’s “FESTIVALS ON FIRE” Convention and Exhibition will take place June 20^th in the Tree Top Ballroom at Jungle Island in Miami, Fl. It will provide event-planning professionals the chance to learn about products and services to help their festival or event exceed its goals, network with other industry professionals & attend informative cutting-edge workshops. If your service or product targets event professionals, this show is a must! The conference is from 9:00am to 2:30pm on June 20, 2013.

“The GMFEA Festivals on Fire Convention is an amazing opportunity to network with potential vendors for our festival and upcoming events. I am most excited to talk to other event planners in the Miami-Dade area. What a great way to build partnerships and learn from each other! I also heard the keynote speaker is unbelievable! I can’t wait!” – Amanda Bush, Director of Art Deco Weekend, Miami Beach, Fl

GMFEA’s “FESTIVALS ON FIRE” Conference & Exhibition will provide event planning professionals the chance to network with other industry professional and check out the exciting exhibitor hall, establish new contacts and reconnect with old ones, further your education by attending workshops, learn about new products and services that will help your event grow, interact with the movers and shakers of your industry, and discover new innovative technologies.

Tickets are $85 for non-members and $35 for GMFEA members. Ticket price includes access to all workshop sessions featuring presentations from industry leaders, a continental breakfast, trade show floor exhibits and entertainment, reception and networking lunch with performance showcases.

Event Schedule:

9:00-10:00am     Registration / Continental Breakfast

9:00am               Trade Show Opens

10:00-10:45am   Workshop 1

11:00-11:45am   Workshop 2

12.00-1:00pm     Cocktail Reception

1:00pm               Trade Show Closes

1:00-2:30pm       Lunch / Performance Showcase

THE ART OF DINING ON NORTH BEACH

Posted on 24. May, 2013 by Howard Salus in Dining, Entertainment, featured, Florida News

Linda Novit, ENV Magazine

George’s lies on the corner of Collins and 72^nd Street, North Beach. George’s is a family business, owned by George Iglesias and his sister Elizabeth. Their family-oriented business opened in the year 2000, and has prospered ever since. George’s caters mostly to the locals, statin, “Cuisine is Italian with a touch of Buenos Aires.”

George is an honest man, not prone to tooting his own horn, so I’ll do it for him   As I waited for George to appear, Nick the bartender and Maria Elena, the waitress, made us feel right at home. I say us, because I invited one of my favorite people, actor Freddy Howard, who is also known as the Golden Voice.

George, as I said, is an honest man.  He uses the best ingredients. He simply said that his food could go neck-in-neck with the more pricey Italian restaurants, giving you more bang for your buck! I tried the signature dish, lobster filled ravioli, and that’s quite a signature. Freddy tried the “Fiocci”, but not being a lover of sweet and sour, Fiocci  is pasta filled with ricotta and pears, with delicate lemon and fresh rosemary sauce. I do like sweet and sour, but had already been served “Ravioli Di Aragosta” which I was very happy with. Freddy turned his in for a “Spaghetti Bolognese” which brought him joy!

But the best was yet to come! As we heard Frank Sinatra singing in the background. Oh, these wise guys! (just kidding) So, it came before my eyes… the best darn Tiramisu IN THE WORLD! And believe me, I know! I have traveled around this world ( as a singer), including Italy, and THERE IS NONE BETTER!!!

I think that’s a sweet ending.

The Big Easy – Going More and More Organic

Posted on 21. May, 2013 by Howard Salus in Eco Tourism, Education, featured, Florida News

Linda Novit, ENV Magazine

New Orleans, even more dear to us now, since Katrina. But the places on high ground, such as the French Quarter, and the famed (mainly through Ann Rice),Garden District were not affected, apart from the loss of business and power outage.

Besides going to party down in the French Quarter, you can lay back and relax in the Garden District, which also has fine restaurants, access to street cars, even if they’re not called Desire, A 24 hour Tavern called The St. Charles Tavern, ask for Jay, he’ll tell you stories, a very knowledgeable man. There’s also “The Green Fork” a totally organic bistro, started 5 years ago. It had it rough for a while, but has prospered the last two years, as the people of New Orleans go more and more organic.

Then there are the wonderful (at least I think it’s the best way to travel) B&Bs. I picked one called the Fairchild House  (located at 1518 Prytania St – www.fairchildhouse.com)   run by Brazilian New Orleanians Beatriz Aprigliano-Ziegler and her mother Rita. They started their business 21 years ago, and they love it. As they lovingly call it “Faulty Towers” The breakfast array is wonderful and Kosher, which means they don’t mix meat with dairy (comes from the Jewish “Thou shalt  not eat the calf in it’s mother’s milk)

And when you’re in the mood, it’s only about ten minutes to the French Quarter, with all it’s excitement, and what I most appreciate, live music everywhere!!! I even found a hidden historic treasure, teaching me more about the city. I found the “Tango Bar”, the only one left since the 30’s. At that time, tango was the thing, and there were 30-40 tango bars. Although music on Bourbon Street is entertaining, along with all the shops, and you can barter at their Farmers Market. Near the Farmer’s Market, lies Frenchman Street, where the avante garde jazz is happening There’s also, on one corner of the French Quarter,  Louis Armstrong Park, beautiful, and nice to spend time in.

In between the French Quarter and the Garden District lay a huge Museum dedicated to WWII. I entered and felt chills. How could they change the Swastika, which used to be a symbol for peace, into the face

 Beatriz of Fairchild Gardens

of evil and horror!! Yes, someone in my family died in the camps.

Anyway, right next door, was the Contemporary Art Museum, which this week featured Teen Art.

And now to the food! I went back to a restaurant where I’d dined last year, and had fond memories of, the Pier 424 Seafood Market, on Bourbon Street, a special restaurant, the locals had guided me to last year. I then had some scrumptious Filled Portobello mushrooms. At the time I and another table were the only diners. But word travels fast, now it was packed!!

For my first course, besides the introductory drink, a chocolate martini, to die for! I am a chocoholic, , so from their wine list, which even educates you about wines, I chose one that went well with chocolate. Really good! I had oysters, that tasted so good, you’d think they had just brought them up from the beach and shucked ‘ em. They were so good I almost turned gay !!! To follow was a gigantic catfish that was so tender , it just fell off your fork, into your mouth, along with them I ha

At Pier 424 with Carlos and Paul  

some fried button mushrooms, mushroom freak as I am. Then, the Grande finale! I really felt like a VIP when I was served cheesecake with berries. Wow, so we splurge a little now and then. Many thanks to Paul, server extraordinaire, Manager Karl, and Morgan in marketing. We love you madly!  I’ll be back to the gym next week.

 Louis Armstrong Park                                                                  Café du Monde          

Contemporary Art Museum                                                                             French Quarter   

                                                               Breakfast buffet at Fairchild

Artists display their work outside Café du Monde 

Our heartfelt thanks to Christine and the others at New Orleans Conventions and Tourism bureau!!!

COCK – Have Your Attention? Now at GableStage

Posted on 21. May, 2013 by Howard Salus in Entertainment, featured, Florida News, The Arts Reviews

DIDATO, RICHBERG  SPARKLE IN PERFECTLTY SCRIPTED COCK –

THE LATEST OF ADLER’S PRODUCTIONS AT GABLESTAGE

Ron Levitt, ENV Magazine, Florida Media News

CORAL GABLES, FL —  With such a provocative title, Cock – the current production at GableStage –  will either intrigue theatre-going audiences that they are in for some X-rated material  or preclude it by saying “no-no.”    Both are wrong.

Instead they will get an intelligent, astutely directed production with some of the finest  acting seen in South Florida in many years.  Cock could have been named “cockfight” due to  the unusual staging in  a partial boxing ring. It is the appropriate site to mouth  the words of young British writer Mike Bartlett  as  a quartet of actors battle with verbiage to determine just what  “love” is.

In its simplest terms, Cock is the story of a young man John (Ryan Didato) who has had a long-term gay relationship with the older M (Nicholas Richberg)  before his world is turned upside down when he has an unexpected affair  with a woman W  (Julie Kleiner). He is put in the position of choosing to continue his gay relationship or accept the reality  that he is bisexual and capable of a loving future  with this woman,  even with the objection of M’s father–F  (an explosive Peter Galman).

But there is nothing simple about this script nor the plot   And, certainly, nothing simple about this production of a play which was a big hit in London and New York.   This is Joseph Adler’s 92^nd production at the Biltmore site and his adroit direction is apparent as the four actors dominate the stage.  It is by no means a simple reminder of why Adler has the most production and directing Carbonells  of anyone else in South Florida.  Once again, his mark of excellence is apparent.

Lest we ignore the dominant characters, let us heap praise on both Didato and Richberg.  Both obviously have anchored their characters with English accents that seem real.  There is no sense that the accents or dialects are for stage use only.   Richberg, in addition,  fills every pre-conceived  and stereotypical movement of the effeminate homosexual as envisioned in Bartlett’s extraordinary script.  Richberg is truly brilliant as the deeply hurt partner – joining with the superb performance of Didato as the confused John – a frustrated fellow who doesn’t seem to know what he wants!!.  What a topnotch twosome!

The writing of Cock is  witty, filled with truisms, and words which tell more about these characters’ premise of love than any action might produce.  It is a delicious script peppered with language one would expect of some twenty-somethings in urban London.  What a pleasure to witness such reality!!

Kleiner, whose attire is somewhat dowdy for such a bright character, and New York actor  Galman, are up to expectations in their supporting roles, as well.  Adler obcviusly chose this cast with care.  It would be half as much fun in lesser hands.

Lyle Baskin uses symbolism in his set design – one half of a boxing ring in which the characters battle. Matt Corey handles the  sound;  Jeff Quinn the lighting, and Ellis Tillman, the costumes.

Cock runs through June 16^th,  Call  305 445 1119 for tickets.