Alice in Recreation Land” Spring Eggstravaganza: This  Saturday!

Hosted by Parks and Rec at Golden Gate Park

Hosted by San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, “Alice in Recreation Land” Spring Eggstravaganza is pure family fun! The event takes place on April 7th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Sharon Meadow in Golden Gate Park.

Featuring:
Egg Hunts
Carnival Rides
Jumpy Houses
Arts & Crafts
Entertainment
Rib Cook-Off

$8 per person for an all-access pass. Get more info here.

Peruvian Pop-Up Dinner: Tuesday, April 10th

Sunday streets/golden gate park, April 16, 2012

Sunday Streets is San Francisco’s official block party– a monthly neighborhood celebration where the streets are closed to vehicles so pedestrians, roller skaters, bicyclists, etc. can get out and get active in various neighborhoods throughout the city. This months event takes place along the GreatHighway/Golden Gate Park. Get more info here.

Slow Beer:Saturday, April 28th

Slow Food Hosts Slow Beer at the SF County Fair BLDG

We are especially excited about Slow Beer! Slow Beer is a Slow Food SF event that doesn’t take place until the end of the month so save the date now so you don’t miss it! The event is taking place on April 28th from 1-5 p.m at the SF County Fair Building. Imagine fantastic local beer and good food to pair with your Amber Ale or chocolaty Porter-yummy! I don’t know about you but we are all about promoting our local brewers. If you haven’t been to Slow Beer before, you don’t want to miss it this year, hope to see you there! Get the details here.

$295 / 240ft²

Fabulous, huge, sunny, quiet studio/office space available in the Mission

ARTdeezine is looking for a couple of designer, artist types to join us in the studio! Our awesome space is equipped with  internet, and a mailbox both included in the monthly rent. The space has  a shared tall-top table with a built-in light box for projects and meetings with clients, as well as a kitchen area which includes a butcher block counter top with a microwave, coffee pot, electric tea kettle and a sink. The space comes with a nice desk and space for shelves, filing cabinets, seating, etc. The walls on one whole side of the studio are completely blank for you to decorate in your style. The space faces the courtyard and gets tons of light during the day.

• Internet included
• Mailbox included
• Electricity, water and trash are included.
• Month-to-month.
• Customizable space.

Security Features:

• Card key access
• Video cameras throughout
• Deadbolts on every space

Building Features:

• 24hr access in established Creative Building
• All basic utilities included (electricity, water, garbage)
• Cold water sink
• Operable window in each space
• Onsite Parking Garage
• Walking distance to 16th Street/Mission Bart
• Pet friendly
• Each space is wired for phone and internet
• Lobby with seating and community bulletin board on each floor
• Coffee shop on ground level
• Shared courtyard area

Requirements: Must have good references/credit. Deposit is $295, plus $35 deposit for keys and building entry card. Lease is on a month-to-month basis. Rent is due on the first of each month.

Ideally I would love to find another graphic designer/web designer, programmer, or event planner looking for a professional space to conduct business but am open to all business/hobbie types.

Call DeeDee at 415-828-1618 or email with questions or to set up an appointment to come check out the space.

Spring Into Natural Health: A hands-on workshop with Kiki Of Kiki’s Raw!

Join Kiki for a Hands-on Workshop!

Sunday March 18th, 3-6pm
Would you like to…have more energy, lose weight, detox your body and prevent disease? 

Then this 3 hour intro class may be what you’ve been looking for. This is a hands on class where you will learn to prepare super easy and delicious raw/vegan/gluten-free nut milks, various pates, zucchini alFREEdo, and chocolate pudding! We will feast on what we create and if we are lucky enough to have leftovers you may go home with something too!

We recently had the pleasure of working on logo design and branding as well as packaging  for new food business Kiki’s Raw. Kiki’s Raw is Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free, yummy food products handcrafted in San Francisco. You can now find Kiki’s Raw in the cold case at Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco. Kiki wanted her brand to communicate simple earthy elegance. Heres what we came up with…

Kiki's Raw Logo Design by ARTdeezine

In February Kiki rolled out her first 3 products: Almond Sun-Dried Tomato Pate′, Smoky Chipotle Chili, and Not Yo Cheez Sauce.  She has a whole line of new products she is currently working on that will also soon be available. And let me tell you, the perks of working closely with a client who is creating and testing recipes DAILY is awesome…especially when everything she creates is extremely healthy! I am learning so much about Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free food everyday thanks to Kiki. I wanted to share a little taste of what I’ve been learning so I  sat down with Kiki to chat about this new culinary journey she is embarking on…

Introducing Kiki of Kiki’s Raw

1. Tell us about yourself / background:
I have a few years of prepping in a kitchen as a young lass under my belt as well as a lifetime of hosting fabulous and nourishing backyard barbeques to formal dinners. As a licensed massage therapist/yoga practitioner for almost 3 decades, I have developed close ties to communities focused on health, wellness and nutrition. Combining the two talents has led me to create this business.

2. In a nutshell, tell us about your business, art or craft:
The target of Kiki’s Raw is to allow people ready access to fresh, raw/vegan, gluten-free food that’s fantastically delicious and ready to eat. What if we could celebrate and nourish our bodies and minds through clean, sustainable, simple, cruelty-free, raw/vegan, gluten-free food? We can when we share the abundance, aliveness and just plain deliciousness that raw food gifts us.

3. How long have you been in business or doing this?
We officially started February 6, 2012 with our first delivery to Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco!

4. Tell us a little about your process?
Kiki’s Raw Food uses exquisite ingredients that are organic and locally sourced, if possible, to produce food that is so elegant it doesn’t taste like it’s “good for you.” Our food is handcrafted in small batches with impeccable care. We soak all seeds and nuts so the enzyme inhibitors are removed and the seeds are awakened and bursting with energy. Flavors and textures are patiently developed through soaking, marinating and dehydrating and are never cooked or heated above 108 degrees F. In so doing, the food’s enzymes are maintained. This allows an ease of digestion and a greater assimilation of nutrients. In other words, your body has to work less to get more vitality.

6. What or who inspires your work?
My inspiration comes from all the people who contributed time…tasting my recipes, giving me valuable feedback and cheering me on before I launched. Kids inspire me…I love to see them enjoy real, live food!

7. What do you love most about your work/art?
The most gratifying thing about Kiki’s Raw is the possibility of change in peoples’ lives. Even a small change in your eating habits to a more plant-based diet can bring noticeable health benefits immediately…weight loss, shinier hair, clearer skin, more energy and a glow from within!

8. What tool(s) can you not live without?
Ah, the tools I cannot live without are my super-sharp chef’s knife, high-speed blender and silicone spatula!

9. What is your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge we have right now is gaining more shelf space. We have many more products to roll out so are currently looking to expand to more stores, farmer’s markets and festivals. Oh, and always being two steps ahead of myself!!

10. Is there a question you wish we would ask?
What’s next?

What next Kiki? What I love about Kiki is that she is passionate about food and she is a risk taker who is ready to make a move! She is always experimenting and loves sharing her findings and therefore is an amazing teacher, coach, consultant… What’s next? You can check out Kiki’s upcoming workshop and get hands on experience with creating your own Raw, Vegan, GF recipes customized to your tastes. She will be conducting ongoing workshops so stay posted as we follow Kiki on her Culinary Journey!

Kiki's Raw products now available in the cold case at Rainbow Grocery, SF

KIKI’S UPCOMING WORKSHOP:

Sunday March 18th, 3-6pm
Would you like to…have more energy, lose weight, detox your body and prevent disease? Then this 3 hour intro class may be what you’ve been looking for. This is a hands on class where you will learn to prepare super easy and delicious raw/vegan/gluten-free nut milks, various pates, zucchini alFREEdo, and chocolate pudding! We will feast on what we create and if we are lucky enough to have leftovers you may go home with something too!

Madison is joining our team!

We are very excited to welcome Madison to our team! She will be helping out with our blog which, with her help, will be much more consistent and interesting. We will post every Wednesday covering fun topics like Local Events, Seasonal Recipes, The Hot Seat-Community Spotlight, and DIY Art & Design Projects. So be sure to subscribe to our blog today!

Now, a few words from Madison…

“Hi,  I am new to the blogging sphere and I will do my best not to disappoint you readers out there. I know you are all dying for a little tidbit about me so here it is: I am currently attending San Francisco State University and pursuing a degree in English Literature (almost done!). I absolutely love to read (I probably spend too much time reading but who’s keeping track? Not me). I am a huge fan of graphic novels, Science Fiction and Fantasy novels. I spend most of my time in the Mission area at cafes where I can enjoy a yummy glass of wine or  refreshing beer, so if you see me don’t be afraid to say hello. That’s it for now. Stay tuned and let the blogging begin!”

Receive our 2012 Calendar as a gift by filling out the form below!

First of all welcome to 2012! We are so excited about all the stuff we are cooking up in the coming year at ARTdeezine, and would like to take a moment to thank all those who attended ARTasting 2011 on November 5th and have offered support throughout the years. ARTdeezine would not exist without you!

Each year ARTdeezine hosts ARTasting the first weekend in November. We invite our clients as well as  the local art and food community to get involved and showcase their work. This gives ARTdeezine an opportunity to give back to the local community as well as our clients a platform to showcase their work to their target audience.

We come up with a theme that, in some way, “explores the culture and style of San Francisco neighborhoods through art and food.” We choose 12 local art pieces that fit the theme and we create a 5×5 wall calendar that is released at the event. Each guest is able to take a calendar home that features all the artwork on display at the event. The calendar becomes a marketing piece to be enjoyed the entire next year benefiting all the artists and vendors involved.

This years event was held at the  historic Women’s Building on 18th Street in the heart of the Mission right down the street from our studio. The theme was “Bottle Art” and the Evolution of local brand, Chile Lindo. We showcased 12 local artist’s wine label designs,  and featured each in the 2012 calendar given to each guest. We also showcased 6 additional art pieces that explored the brand Chile Lindo, showing how the brand has visually evolved throughout the years. Complimentary appetizers from Steelhead Brewery were offered along with Chile Lindo Empanadas for $3 -$5.  4 local wine vendors: Bodega del Sur Winery, Threshold Wine Co., Icarus Imports, and Bi-Rite Market provided wine tasting. Some of the wine being poured was also featured art at the event and in the calendar.

Each of the 12 art pieces was included in a silent auction so 12 lucky guests went home with framed photo poster prints. This was the first year that we conducted a silent auction for the art and we think that for future events we will include the silent auction as it went very well. So thanks so much to all who bid, and congratulations to those who won, and took home some local art that night!

Below are images from the 2012 calendar starting with January, followed by photos from the event . If you did not attend and would like a complimentary copy of the calendar (while supplies last) fill out the form below and we will send you one. You can also purchase prints or framed artwork from the event here.

ARTasting 2011 Photo Gallery

Thank you!

Contributing Artists:

Evelyn Reyes-Umana

Jenny Dupont

Miguel Blazquez

DeeDee Hunt

Performing Artists:

High Society:

Danny Brown, Saxaphone

Danny Grewen,  Trombone

Eugene Warren, Bass

Michael Parsons, Piano

Ulf Bjorkbom, Drums

And DJ Jorgito

Sponsors & Contributors:

Icarus Imports, Bodega del Sur Winery, Threshold Wine Co., Steelhead Brewery, Bi-Rite Market, and Chile Lindo

A Very Special Thank You…

…to Paula and the Chile Lindo Team, you are all such a pleasure to work with! I would also like to thank Evelyn Reyes-Umana and Luis Reyes-Umana of Bodega del Sur Winery for your continued support throughout the years. Sophia of Bumbershoot Events for coming through for us at crunch time. Madison, Katie and Stephanie our wonderful volunteers, Kevin Aldridge of Classic Party Rentals, Chef Byron Garcia of Steelhead Brewery for your continued help with ARTasting year after year. And finally I would like to thank my family: My wonderfully supportive parents Gene and Della, sister and cousins who never fail to arrive in SF from LA for ARTasting ready to help with wine consumption (and whatever else I need help with of course), brother Eric for moral and financial support, my hubby Steve and little girls Sonoma Rose and Lyla Sky for your patience and love always!

Cheers,

DeeDee Hunt,

ARTdeezine LLC

FRAMED ARTWORK and PRINTS AVAILABLE HERE

If you would like us to send you a complimentary 2012 calendar, fill out this form:

[contact-form]

Welcome to another Hot Seat Interview. The Hot Seat is our community spotlight! Are you a creative type? Want us to feature you? We’d love to learn about your creative business or hobby.

Click here to get started!

Tell us about yourself / background: I was born in San Salvador, El Salvador Central America. Came to the USA as a child , I have been in California most of my life. Got Married in the 70′s, I am a mother of two great guys Victor Manuel and Luis Edgardo…worked as Spanish teacher for 15 years before becoming a business owner.

Evelyn Reyes-Umana

In a nutshell, tell us about your business, art or craft: Bodega del Sur is owned and managed by my husband, Victor and I . We are focused on putting together the best possible team in order to provide a totally memorable experience. Our vision is quite simple. It is to make the Bodega del Sur experience a truly memorable one for our customers — through the quality of our wines and the professionalism of our staff.

The Bodega del Sur Family

How long have you been in business or doing this? If this is your business, is it a full-time gig? Do you have another job or hobby you’d like to share? We have been in Business for four years…this is our full-time job.

Great wine starts with LOTS of sweet, juicy grapes!

Evelyn and her grapes!

Evelyn working the grapes

Can you tell us a little bit about the Carmesi Label? Carmesi is a Spanish word that literally means “crimson,

The First Carmesi Label

bright red, somewhat darkened with blue; purple”. Its use in naming our wine goes back to the imagination and dreams of a 10-year-old girl in El Salvador. To me it meant wonder, delight, fantastic mystery. It was a word I heard in music and read in poetry. It was a word I fell in love with. So, when the time came to name our new red wine, the “word” and a fantastic idea came to life.The word “Carmesi” not only described this mysteriously, romantic, red wine with just a hint of blue, it was a perfect word to use in honoring the memories of my mother and mother-in-law – two very important women in my life. Thus, the first vintage of Carmesi carried a composite image of these two women and was named for them – Maria Alicia. But why limit it to these two women? Why not honor all those strong women who have inspired and made an impression on all of us? Just as poets and song writers have been honoring noble women with their poems and music over the centuries, Bodega del Sur wants to honor them with their wine.The era I chose to depict on the labels is approximately 1900 to the 1930s; a time when women were asserting themselves and making their strengths known. As the blend changes, different women will adorn the Carmesi label.With our most recent vintage of Carmesi we have a new figure adorning our label. Her name is Amparo?

 

A Wine Label Honoring Strong Women

Who is Amparo and why is she on the label? With the huge success of our first bottling of Carmesi, my husband, Victor and I searched long and hard for an image of another Latin woman who would convey both strength and beauty. The search ended in a family album of a friend and neighbor. There she was – Amparo Ramos. She was 15 years old when the photo was taken in 1894 in Sonora, Mexico, but her inner confidence and strength was already apparent. She went on to marry and have children, but after that the trail is lost. It wasn’t until long after the figure of Amparo had been chosen that it became apparent how appropriate the choice really was. The Spanish name “Amparo” translates to “protection or shelter”. While showing strong women on a wine label fulfilled part of my dream, it did not satisfy my desire to help women – and children – in need. Prior to opening Bodega del Sur, I worked as a schoolteacher where I witnessed women and children in trouble. I did what I could then, but it was limited. Now I have a chance to provide direct assistance.

Portions of the sale of each bottle of Carmesi are donated to charitable organizations that assist needy women and their children. The Resource Connection has been chosen to receive the donations from the sale of this 2008 vintage of the Carmesi.

Awarded by the Board of Supervisors from the City and County of San Francisco

San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Award, 2011

Bodega del Sur's Award Winning Wine

Thank you Evelyn for sharing with us!

You can visit Evelyn and the Bodega del Sur Family at their tasting room located at 457 Algiers St., Murphys, CA  95247.

To Learn more about Bodega del Sur visit: www.bodegadelsur.com

or: www.facebook.com/bodegadelsur

A peak inside the beautiful Bodega del Sur Tasting Room

Tasting Room Exterior

Thanks for reading, we will be back soon with another Hot Seat Interview!

This week we feature Meagan Lewis of Brown Pigeon:

Hand-Cut Paper Design

Brown Pigeon specializes in handmade rubber stamps, cards, books & printed matter. 

Tell us about yourself / background:My name is Meagan Lewis and I’m a native Californian who went to school in Utah, obtaining my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2006 at Weber St University. I have always been an artist/craftsperson of sorts, but when I started taking classes at Weber, Printmaking became my passion. For a few years after college, I played around with how I could make my passion my livelihood. I attended Women’s Initiative’s business program in the city and took graphic design classes at CSM. Somewhere in between, Brown Pigeon hatched.

In a nutshell, tell us about your business, art or craft:
Brown Pigeon started with a lot of handmade cards and hand-bound journals. I was selling little by little on Etsy and I also did 2 craft shows with Lighthouse. At the second craft show, people kept asking me how I got the images on my cards…they were made with my handmade stamps! A light bulb went off and I realized people were really interested in the stamps. Now my Etsy store is steadily growing with custom orders from small businesses wanting a stamp of their logo and brides-to-be needing something special for their save-the-dates and such. It’s really fun.

How long have you been in business or doing this? If this is your business, is it a full-time gig? Do you have another job or hobby you’d like to share?
I’ve been selling on Etsy for about 2 1/2 years now. I’m in my studio full-time about 3 days a week. I do have another job at a local restaurant. Serving at the restaurant is a nice thing to have on the side and get me out of the studio…otherwise I’d be hunched over carving stamps all day!

Tell us a little about your process?
Carving stamps is kind of like wood carving or linoleum cutting. I take large sheets of rubber and trim them down to size. To get the design onto the rubber, I actually trace the image and burnish that onto the surface so that I can see what I’m carving. Carving the stamp takes me anywhere from a half hour to 2 hours. My mom and husband say it looks painful, but for me it’s actually very meditative and enjoyable!

What or who inspires your work?
I would have to say other artists, artisans and craftspeople. I feel that there are just so many innovative products and inspiring artwork surrounding me in the Bay Area and on Etsy.com. I’m just in awe by some of the things I see at craft shows and on blogs…people are so creative and I love it!

What do you love most about your work/art?
I love to be able to create something that someone else can use to be creative themselves. I love to hear how people are going to use my stamps…for their business, their wedding, their son/daughter’s birthday invitations…It’s just great to know that my work will continue to have a life in another persons’ hands.

What tool(s) can you not live without?
My carving tools.

What is your biggest challenge?
Finding enough hours in the day.

Is there a question you wish we would ask?
No, thank you. This has been fun!

You can check out Brown Pigeon on Etsy.com at BrownPigeon.etsy.com. Also Brown Pigeon will  have a booth at the Vagabond Indie Craft Fair Saturday, April 30th, 11am to 5pm, click here for details.

-Cheers and we’ll be back next week with another Hot Seat Interview!