Another busy month of fun events, dinners and all kinds of cool stuff!! Ready? Here we go….

Selfie With Chef Fabio Viviani At His Wine Collection Launch Party

Fabio Viviani Wine Collection Launch– Many of you know Chef Fabio Viviani from his stint on Top Chef and Top Chef Masters or having been to his restaurant Sienna Tavern in Chicago or Miami. What most of you probably didn’t know is that he just launched his own wine collection, sold exclusively at Mariano’s grocery stores. I was super excited when I was invited to the launch party of the wine collection and had the chance to not only meet Chef Fabio (and take a selfie with him…he was so nice too) but also try out the wines. I really liked both the red (cabernet sauvignon) and white (chardonnay) wines that debuted and I ended up buying a few bottles and had them signed by Chef Fabio himself! I never consider myself a wine connoisseur, but I must admit that both wines were delicious and very reasonably priced. Definitely check them out when you are at Mariano’s!

FruVe Express Juicery South Loop

FruVe Express Juicery– Well, with all the travels I have been doing the past 6 weeks, I was beyond excited when I was invited to the grand opening of this cold pressed juice spot in the South Loop. Just so you know, there is so much more than just juice including delicious and healthy smoothies and acai bowls. I loved trying out a bunch of the fabulous juice options and absolutely fell in love with the smoothie called the “Gym Rat” (blueberries, banana, goji berries, peanut butter, almond milk, chocolate hemp protein). If you are feeling the need to get back on track with healthy options, FruVe Express Juicery is the way to go.

Chef Meg Galus’ Desserts At NoMI Boutique

NoMI Boutique– Pastry Chef Meg Galus of NoMI has created amazing holiday desserts for the pop-up ‘Sugar and Spice’ at Chicago’s Park Hyatt Hotel. Her one-of-a-kind creations include everything from handmade bonbons, peppermint bark, signature candy bars to whole pies, specialty tarts and cakes. Um, yes please!!! I had the chance to try out many of these delicacies at a pre-launch event and let me tell you, decadent and delicious don’t begin to describe how amazing these desserts are. Stop by the Park Hyatt Hotel and check out for yourself. They even have great gift sets and packaging available if you really want to impress the host of the next party you attend!

Winning The “Wicker Park” Gift Basket From Pastoral

Pastoral– The awesome artisanal cheese, bread and wine shop with several locations throughout downtown Chicago was the spot for a pre-holiday get together through the Windy City Blogger Collective. We had the chance to sample some wonderful cheese, wine and bread while also learning how to assemble a cheese plate for a party (very useful with the holidays upon us). Not only was this a fun event to mix and mingle with fellow bloggers, it was quite educational to learn how and what to pair with certain types of cheeses. Pastoral can definitely help you take the guesswork out and they put together many wonderful gift baskets with all kinds of goodies ranging from specialty cheeses, chocolates, coffees, crackers and the list goes on. I know all of this first hand because I was the lucky winner at the event of a gift basket called “Wicker Park” with lots of fun treats. My co-workers were super happy I won since they got to indulge in all the contents of the basket. Thanks Pastoral!

Freshii’s New Vegan Chili Offering

Freshii– It’s winter, it’s cold and I live in Chicago, so you know what that must mean… it’s chili time! It could not be any more perfect that the healthy, international chain called Freshii just launched a new line of chili. I love that they have a vegan chili option with some cool toppings (think avocado and broccoli) but that you can also add any topping you would like (hmmm, I’m thinking some sriracha sauce will do the trick for me)! The chili was very flavorful and already had a nice kick to it but I like it spicy, so I’ll have them make it my way. Just another thing I love about Freshii and the ability to customize your order. They say the chili is a limited time offer, but I’m hoping it will find a permanent spot on the menu, cause I love it!

Please Note: While I was invited as media to each of these events, all opinions are my own.