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<p>Chefs Collaborative is a national culinary activist group lobbying for change in the food industry. They agree with almost everyone that food is fundamental for life. They believe that good food begins with good environmental practices, farming and animal husbandry. They also espouse using only the best, minimally processed ingredients as the basis for great [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The Turtle Club is a beachfront restaurant. They have been open almost 20 years. The Turtle Club is about a block away from the Ritz-Carlton at Vanderbilt Beach, which towers over it. Although it is a much different dining experience from the Ritz, it by no means stands in its shadow. Read More&#8230;</p>

<p>Taste of the Beach (TOB) is an annual event held on Fort Myers Beach, FL. It is held to benefit the Greater Fort Myers Beach Friends of the Arts. TOB is sponsored by the Greater Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce. TOB was held from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. This year over 20 restaurants participated which [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Food Truck Wars was an event held in Fort Myers, FL. It was estimated close to 20,000 attended the event that day. Read More</p>

<p>Craft Beer is in it&#8217;s infancy in Southwest Florida. At most, craft brew has been on the map in Southwest Florida for less than half a decade. Of note are some of the food pairings on a weekly basis with these beers.  Read More</p>

<p>Fort Myers Brewing Company  (FMBC) is a craft brewer in Fort Myers, FL. As with most craft brewers, the proprietor, Rob Whyte, started as a home brewer in 1990 in San Diego, CA. Many years later, the owner of his home brew shop invited him over to taste beer from his brewery, Oceanside Ale Works. [&hellip;]</p>

<p>1500 South  (1500) is a restaurant in Naples, FL in Naples Bay Resort The restaurant is owned by chef Art Smith. Chef Smith owns a number of Restaurants and has numerous Cookbooks in print. His Bio is very impressive listing many high profile chef positions and coveted awards in the food industry. His Chef De Cuisine, Dagan Stocks, [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The Brass Tap is a Franchise of over 20 restaurants in Florida. As you walk in to the restaurant, there is ample seating both indoors and outside on their patio. They offer a wide selection of both bottled and draft beer from their Menu, and they also brew their own beer. Having recently got a [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The American Culinary Federation is a professional organization of chefs, cooks, food industry professionals, food enthusiasts and a food blogger or two.  They have about 200 chapters and almost 20,000 members. They offer training, accreditation, scholarship and certification to foster professional growth in the culinary arts. They publish a free quarterly periodical, Sizzle.  Sizzle features culinary [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Cooper&#8217;s Hawk Winery and Restaurant (CH) is as of this writing a chain of 22 Casual Dining restaurants but with a twist. All restaurants in the chain have a tasting room and the company makes it&#8217;s own private label wines, but more on that later. I was part of a media tour that day to [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The Wine Cellar was hosting a very special wine tasting featuring wines from Charles Krug (CK), a winery inNapa Valley, California. CK is the oldest winery in Napa Valley. CK was started in the mid 1800&#8217;s by Charles Krug, a Prussian immigrant. It was purchased in the early 1940&#8217;s by the Mondavifamily. The Mondavi family [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Another installment from the wine blog, Windows on Wine by retired Master Sommelier Barrie Larvin, a local resident. For those that do not know, this certification is very serious business. If you have the time or interest please click and explore this Link. This Segment is a very interesting discussion of global climactic changes on world [&hellip;]</p>

<p>A Crack Heard Around the World is an annual event highlighting the “king” of cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, at Whole Foods. This event has taken place since 2008 and is held simultaneously at every Whole Foods location. Read More </p>

<p>The SW Florida Restaurant Review Group (SWFRG) is a Face Book page dedicated to restaurant reviews and other food-related matters in Southwest Florida. What is remarkable about this page is that it has been in existence for less than two years, and already has over 16,000 members. A statistician would have in many cases enough [&hellip;]</p>

<p>USS Nemo is a restaurant in Naples, FL. They are best described as an Asian fusion restaurant and have been open for 16 years, a very good sign. I have eaten here a few times over the years and it has been a year or so since I have been back. I friend had recently [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The Palm Beach Show Group is a production company featuring displays for sale of upper end antique, jewelry and art in various markets in the United States. They come to Naples, FL typically in February for member participants to display and sell their wares. When the Palm Beach Show Group organizes their annual event in [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The Willamette Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Oregon. Briefly, AVAs are wine production areas designated by the U.S. Government. If a vintner claims to be from a particular AVA, 85% of the grapes used in their wine must be from there. This area is nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains. [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Naples Originals is a consortium of approximately 40 restaurants in Naples, FL.  Quarterly, they run specials where you can get gift certificates to member restaurants for 30% off (e.g., $50.00 gift certificate for $35.00). The next date is Thursday, February 11th, 2016. This is a really good way of trying perhaps new, member restaurants at a [&hellip;]</p>

<p>7th Avenue Social is a restaurant in Naples, FL.  From their website, it is a place to &#8220;gather, eat and drink&#8221;. They have a happy hour that runs daily from 3-6 P.M., and one can sit anywhere in the restaurant for happy hour. This can be in the dining area, the bar, where they may [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Old Naples is one of the original residential neighborhoods in Naples, FL. It is located near downtown Naples and the Gulf of Mexico. Ever since reconstruction began after Hurricane Donna in 1960 this area has become progressively more gentrified. Old Naples is now some of the most Coveted property in the area.  The Old Naples [&hellip;]</p>