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This Thanksgiving, the perfect stuffing bread DOES exist – and it’s brioche. As in St Pierre Brioche Thanksgiving Stuffing
No Thanksgiving spread is complete without a hearty stuffing. While add-ins are a matter of preference, choosing the right bread is crucial. One underrated choice is eggy, rich brioche – and with St Pierre Bakery, you don’t need to go to France to get it.
Thanks to its butter and egg content, St Pierre’s Brioche Loaf provides the perfect balance of crisp toastiness while remaining soft and creamy inside, while its lightly sweet flavor adds a decadent quality that can still lean savory. Attached below is an approachable recipe for stuffing allowing for all the craveable crunch for the whole family with minimal effort required.
St Pierre Brioche Thanksgiving Stuffing
By @BrandiMilloy
Ingredients
1 loaf St. Pierre Brioche Bread
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup carrots, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme, just the leaves
1 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
1 small apple (granny smith works well), peeled and diced
Salt and pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut brioche bread into 1” cubes and bake for about 10-15 minutes until toasted.
Meanwhile, into a pot over medium high heat add butter until melted. Add onion, celery and carrots and cook until everything starts to soften, about 7 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and set aside.
Into a bowl whisk together the eggs, herbs, apples, mushrooms, and salt and pepper. Add your cooked vegetables and mix to combine.
Pour mixture on top of toasted bread and stir to combine. Bake stuffing for about 45 minutes. If your stuffing starts to get too brown, cover until finished baking. Enjoy!
As America’s favorite brioche brand, St Pierre’s products are widely available via grocery stores nationwide as well as Walmart.
Vegas Crowds Searching for New Flavor Find it with Dancing Wines from Cynthia Russell, Lauren Russell in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County.
The team at Dancing Wines is developing a collection of sensory brands that celebrate life through taste, touch and aroma – inspiring you to find your inner dance and show the world what truly moves you.
Dancing Wines’ red wine trio includes Old Vine, Duo and Estate — three limited-release wines made from hand-picked grapes that showcase the full breadth of the Dancing estate.
Lauren Russell (L) and Cynthia Russell (R) from Dancing Wines Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Today’s conversation with the dynamic Mother / Daughter team Cynthia and Lauren Russell from Dancing Wines ha been edited for length and clarity.
Joe Winger: What is the most important message you’d like to share today?
Lauren Russell: I think one of them is dancing is art and art is life.
Another is love needs no explanation. I think really the thread between those is we’re trying to create a product and an experience that brings people together and invites them to find their inner dance, which is something we say a lot.
So we want to encourage people to find their unique rhythms. And wine is also really lovely because it is a vehicle that brings people together to enjoy a moment and diverse people together.
I think my Mom [Cynthia] can speak to this as well, but one of the things we thought about when first exploring wine was just how daunting the whole atmosphere is around the consumption of it and the buying and using all the right adjectives.
Especially for my generation I feel like there’s a bit of a learning curve. So I think one thing we really want people to take away from the brand is just like, just enjoy it. Love needs no explanation and you can’t drink wine when your mouth is full of adjectives. We’ve created a great wine just for you to be able to enjoy and to describe however you want and enjoy whenever you want.
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Cynthia: Yeah, I think the measures we created we have a beautiful heritage property that the soil and the climate create this great wine. And me being of an older generation where wine was very intimidating, even though I know a lot about it.
And drinking it for a very long time. I’ve lived in France. I’ve lived in California. It’s still when you order in a restaurant, you’re scared. Do I know enough? I’m going to be embarrassed. Is this the right pairing? And what the good news is that wine making in the world has become so sophisticated that if you are buying wine from a place that is special, including all.
Sonoma or France or Italy, the wines are good, they’re really good and all you have to do is be comfortable with yourself and enjoying it. And so that’s what we’re trying to do is take a product that has thousands of years of history as being a part of our culture and make you comfortable with just having fun, enjoying it and celebrating what wine can do to bring people together.
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Joe Winger: You have a really unique story that you restored a vineyard up in Dry Creek. Can you talk about experience and what you learned from the restoration?
Cynthia: We lucked out. It was a Covid purchase. We spent a lot of time as a family together in very small confined spaces drinking a lot of wine.
We [thought we] might end up needing a place where we have more outdoor space and can be together. So we bought this property more as a farm and then discovered that it was a unique part of the world.
Zinfandel grapes have been growing in this small region for over 150 years.
It was called America’s grape back in the time I think [the] 1850s. Okay, we have these vineyards. They’re really old.
There was one owner at this property for 60 years, an older Italian gentleman. And a lot of the area is multi generation, fourth generation Italian families who came over and cultivated this grape.
We never intended to make wine and yet we were scared to let this history and heritage die.
So we took classes and tried to figure out, can we make wine?
It’d be such a shame to let this history go in this special place.
We made a great discovery, which was that you don’t have to be an expert on wine. You just have to have great soil and a great climate.
Then we launched from there.
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Lauren: We’re always towing the line between the respective tradition and traditional winemaking and the land and all of the old vines and creating something new.
She [Mom, Cynthia] always brings a lens of respect for the older generation and ways of life and what wine has meant to her throughout her life.
I’m always pushing the other direction. We always land somewhere in the middle.
You’ll see that in the brands, it has really playful branding and packaging. But, our winemaking is a bit more traditional. We’re a sustainable vineyard but we have old vines and we respect what the land has to offer and what it’s been offering in that region for a long time.
It creates a better product and brand for us because we get to cater to both audiences.
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Joe Winger: You have a collection of sensory brands. Can you talk about what that collection is, what inspired the idea, and what we should be looking for?
Lauren: All of the products have been and will be inspired by the backdrop of the vineyard.
When we talk about wine, we talk about this kind of multi sensory experience, whether that’s aroma or where you’re having it, who you’re enjoying it with.
We came into wine knowing that it was going to be not just about taste or smell, but about the holistic experience of what wine could do for someone.
Sort of the thread between all of our products are taste, touch and smell. Again, like finding your inner dance and allowing you to express your personality.
We’re launching a trio of fragrances, which are loosely inspired by the terroir and the vineyard.
Cynthia: We have a fresh perspective on Sonoma. Every time we arrive, we have this nose full of these incredible senses:, the smell of moss, crushed grapes, barrel, fire and oak.
Yeah. So we’re like, wow. Every time we arrive, we’re like, wow, this is really cool.
This is so distinct and unique and just elevates your experience of being there.
We are going to bring more experiences to the brand when we can, like having an artist in residence, creating visually beautiful contributions.
We have an art collection there that inspired us to bring art to the brand. It’s largely from a diverse group of artists from the West Coast who are very colorful and young and also push boundaries. So our idea with the senses is like we’re trying to This is a brand that you enter into our world and you get to experience people and life in a way that’s very unique and bold and
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Joe Winger: What are both of your backgrounds outside of wine?
Lauren: I was raised in Connecticut and went to Dartmouth for undergrad, was a creative non-fiction writer, so always had that storytelling bent.
After school, I worked at a lot of businesses in marketing. Uber Eats, Refinery29, right before the pandemic, I worked for AB and Bev that was my first kind of foray into alcohol.
Then during COVID, I got my MBA at Columbia. We all got this massive reset of our priorities. I come from an entrepreneurial family. This opportunity arose
Cynthia: We’re a family who really believes in experiences. I have dabbled in many different areas. I went to Scripps college. I actually was a dance major until I was not. I became an international relations major. I lived in France for a while. Then moved to New York City and worked for JP Morgan trading stock, money market securities.
I didn’t find that was my passion, so I went to Harvard Business School and I got a master’s in business. Then I worked for American Express where I started a weekend travel program. It was a little startup within the travel segment of American Express. I got my “sea legs” of starting a business.
I quit that business because I had kids, then I started my own mail order company then I decided again, that maybe I needed a little more education.
I went back and got a doctorate at Columbia in organizational leadership.
I have a consulting firm on the side where I consult leaders and organizations about how to handle complex challenges in a complex world.
So my daughter [Lauren] gets through business school and we decide to marry all these wonderful experiences together and create something really new and unique.
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Joe Winger: Let’s talk about your wines.
Lauren: We launched with our rosé which is really beautiful. It’s an intentional rosé. From our Primitivo grapes and we harvested them early and intentionally for rosé.
It has this really beautiful distinct, watermelon, almost Jolly Rancher aroma, and it’s really playful and full, but also dry. And it’s been a really big hit so that was a fun debut for us.
We just launched our trio of reds, and what makes them unique goes into the story about the restoration of the vineyard.
We’re still learning our land and learning from it.
We chose to harvest from different blocks and treat the wines in a similar fashion and bottle them separately to see what personalities they expressed.
One is the Old Vine Zinfandel, which is from our oldest head trained vines which is the deepest, moodiest, richest wine. It’s really lovely.
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Then we have an estate wine, which is actually from Primitivo, a different word for Zinfandel. That one is a bit lighter.
Then we have a third, a duo which is a blend of both. And so it’s really helped us to understand. And they are quite different.
They’re obviously all Zinfandels in their expressions, but they’re all quite different.
People say Zinfandel is like a map of the land and I think that’s really true here. Which is super cool.
But we have two forthcoming sparkling wines because I think it really speaks to our ethos about being playful and to my generation.
Cynthia: It’s really fun for us because being on the East coast, Zinfandel is a really unknown varietal and we think it’s underrated. Californians know it’s been around for a long time. It has a lot of possibilities with food. And so what we’re trying to do is bring to light this really good wine and do it in a slightly different way.
We pick ours earlier, trying to have it be less jammy, juicy, heavy; lighter, less alcoholic than some of the more traditional Zinfandels that are on our street.
That’s really trying to address the changes consumer changes.
Our wines are chillable, super easy to eat with most any food, especially ethnic food, spicy food.
2022 was our first vintage. 2023 is already in barrels and we’ll be bottling that in probably in March. But it’s going to be a little different because the climate was different that year.
The rosé was just a fluke. Our winemaker wanted to try a Zinfandel rosé. Most people love it. It’s so distinct and unique.
Our 24 Rosé will come out in March. The reds will come out in the early summer. We’re going to bottle the sparkling in January, but that will be at least a year until you’ll see that. The pétillant naturel will probably be launching at about the same time as the rosé
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Lauren: What’s fun about having both an early release sparkling and a [second, additional] later release [sparkling wine] one is going to be lighter, more effervescent, maybe geared towards the younger generation and the other will have that toastier champagne flavor.
Joe Winger: Do you have a favorite wine and food pairing?
Lauren: This one’s so hard. Rosé and oysters or any seafood is just awesome. Sparkling wine and a burger is one of my favorites.
In terms of red, when I think of Zinfandel, it’s Thanksgiving foods. It speaks to the hominess in our story. Bringing everyone around the table. Kind of experiential pairing.
Cynthia: Yeah, that resonates with me.
We have a lot of ethnic food, so it holds up really well to spice, to sweet and sour, salty and sweet. So it’s great with Indian food, Mexican food. Apples in your pork chops.
A burgundy is usually killed instantly by those kinds of flavors. It’s too fragile.
[Ours] is not fragile, but it still has so many nice aromas and flavors to enhance whatever you’re eating.
Lauren: It’s great with pizza. Pizza and a nice glass of Zinfandel
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Joe Winger: What’s something magical about Sonoma that you learned through this journey?
Lauren: True of both Zinfandel and Sonoma it always has this underdog energy to Napa. One of the hidden gems, we wake up really early and drive to the Redwood forest to watch the sun rise through the trees.
We eat a burrito because we have terrible burritos in New York.
There’s an amazing food community, 3 Michelin star restaurant, chefs, farm to table.
Cynthia: The distinct part of Sonoma is how important nature is to everyone there. It’s not just about wine. It’s incredible nature.
We both traveled a lot, lived in a lot of places. I’ve never seen such natural beauty in such a small area.
Lauren: That’s what the idea of our products is too. We have to bring people here in some way, differently than just having them taste the wine.
So as many dimensions as we can bring people into that realm to experience [00:29:00] that it’s like definitely the dream.
Joe Winger: Whether it’s social media, website, or other ways, what are the best ways for our audience to find and follow Dancing Wine?
Pacific Foods, a brand known for its organic and high-quality ingredients, has launched its #TGISunday content series to help people overcome the widespread phenomenon known as the “Sunday Scaries.”
Developed in partnership with chef and television starMatty Matheson, the series is designed to transform Sunday anxiety into a time for culinary joy and inspiration.
A recent survey by Pacific Foods* revealed the deep impact of the Sunday Scaries, with the average American experiencing this pre-Monday apprehension 36 times a year. Typically, the unsettling feelings begin around 3:54 p.m. on Sundays, leading to an average of six hours and six minutes** spent in dread each week—totaling a staggering 219 hours annually.
The Bear Star Matty Matheson launches #TGISunday with Pacific Foods to Tackle the Sunday Scaries
Recognizing that cooking serves as a soothing activity for many with 31% of people finding joy in preparing meals on Sundays, Pacific Foods is addressing these anxieties by offering easy, comforting recipes through the #TGISunday content series on its website.
Matty Matheson and a group of wellness and food aficionados will share curated recipes designed to combat the Sunday Scaries and embrace the calming, restorative power of cooking to unwind and reclaim their Sundays.
Chef Matty Matheson brings his trademark enthusiasm to the kitchen, making his stance on Sundays clear by turning them into a day of culinary excitement. “Look, I know Sundays can be a drag for a lot of folks, so let’s flip that script. Let’s rock the kitchen with some serious cooking that’s all about fun and flavor without it being a chore or another worry. Cooking isn’t just about eating; it’s about chilling out and making something awesome that feeds your soul,” explains Matheson.
Matty’s unique recipe—the Spicy Shrimp Pasta Bake—will be a highlight of the series, which will also feature content from various figures known for their culinary expertise. All recipes and tips will be available through social where viewers of the #TGISunday series are encouraged to share their own meal-hacking tips using Pacific Foods products. Fans can also enter to win a custom illustrated soup mug, designed by Pacific and Matheson, to add to their Sunday rituals.
“Matty Matheson’s vibrant personality and the joy he brings to food make him a natural fit to join us in our mission to take back Sundays,” said Erika Jubinville, head of Pacific Foods marketing. “He inspires all of us to bring more fun and creativity to our cooking routine, and sparks excitement for new ways to use Pacific products.”
About Pacific Foods Pacific Foods was founded in 1987 in Tualatin, Ore. and was acquired by Campbell Soup Company in 2017. For more than 150 years, Campbell (NASDAQ:CPB) has been connecting people through food they love. Generations of consumers have trusted us to provide delicious and affordable food and beverages. Headquartered in Camden, N.J. since 1869, the company generated fiscal 2023 net sales of $9.4 billion. Our portfolio includes iconic brands such as Campbell’s, Cape Cod, Goldfish, Kettle Brand, Lance, Late July, Milano, Michael Angelo’s, noosa, Pace, Pacific Foods, Pepperidge Farm, Prego, Rao’s, Snyder’s of Hanover, Swanson and V8. Campbell has a heritage of giving back. The company is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 as well as the FTSE4Good and Bloomberg Gender-Equality Indices. For more information, visitwww.campbellsoupcompany.com.
Vermont Smoke & Cure, a rural smokehouse maker of premium meat products, and WhistlePig Whiskey, acclaimed for its exceptional rye whiskey, announce their groundbreaking collaboration:
Maple Old Fashioned Smoked Meat Sticks, a limited time offering.
This innovative product marks a creative partnership in the premium meat sticks category, combining Vermont’s rich culinary traditions with the artistry of craft cocktails.
Inspired by the classic Maple Old Fashioned cocktail, these unique meat sticks are slow-cooked in Vermont Smoke & Cure’s smokehouse using locally-sourced WhistlePig Whiskey, custom made chips from whiskey barrel staves and WhistlePig’s Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup.
Cocktail-Inspired Meat Stick: from Vermont Smoke & Cure and WhistlePig Whiskey
The result is a sophisticated snack that pairs perfectly with whiskey and elevates the cocktail experience. Made with pork raised without antibiotics or added hormones, these sticks contain no artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors, staying true to both brands’ commitment to quality.
“We’re thrilled to partner with WhistlePig to create something truly special for snack enthusiasts and cocktail aficionados alike,”
Michael Schafer
Commercial Business Lead of Vermont Smoke & Cure.
“This collaboration represents the best of Vermont craftsmanship and innovation.”
Meghan Ireland, Chief Blender at WhistlePig Whiskey, added, “Our partnership with Vermont Smoke & Cure allows us to extend the WhistlePig experience beyond the glass. These meat sticks are the perfect complement to our whiskey and embody the spirit of Vermont’s maker culture.”
“The idea to present these meat sticks as a cigar-like experience came naturally to our team,” said Catherine Weiner, senior brand manager at Vermont Smoke & Cure. “We recognized the longstanding tradition of pairing whiskey with cigars and saw an opportunity to echo that in our unique smoking process. This playful concept bridges the gap between traditional pairings and innovative snacking, offering a new way to savor the flavors of Vermont craftsmanship.”
The Maple Old Fashioned Smoked Meat Sticks will be available for purchase starting September 23, 2024, National Snack Stick Day, through select retailers and online platforms. The product comes in an 8-count, 1-oz pouch, perfect for sharing, savoring solo, and garnishing your favorite cocktail.
For more information about the product and where to purchase, visit VtSmokeWhistlePig.com.
ABOUT VERMONT SMOKE & CURE Since 1962, Vermont Smoke & Cure has been crafting smoked meats and meat snacks in their Vermont smokehouse. The one-of-a-kind meat snacks are made with meat free from antibiotics and added hormones, artificial colors, preservatives or flavors. Available nationwide at natural food stores, supermarkets, mass merchandisers, club stores, and ecommerce retailers. All products are now available online. For more information, visit vtsmokeandcure.com. To find a store near you, click HERE.
Biggest Cookie Innovation Ever, Chips Ahoy Big Chewy Cookies! From America’s #1 Cookie Brand
The cookie experts at Chips Ahoy! are at it again – this time showing up bigger than ever before.
Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie
Introducing the Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie – an entirely new product line from America’s #1 chocolate chip cookie brand.
Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie
As the brand that is “Here for Happy,” this innovation from Chips Ahoy! brings cookie lovers an offering that is over three times the size of Chips Ahoy! Regular Chewy in an individually wrapped pack, making it the ideal go-to snack for splitting with a friend.
These new Chips Ahoy Big Chewy Cookies will up the ante in snack aisles and convenience stores across the country. Designed with Gen-Z Chips Ahoy! lovers in mind – this oversized treat is perfect for on-the-go snacking during their busy lives or to split with a friend.
Boasting chocolatey chips over four times larger than the iconic Chips Ahoy! Chewy cookie for a bigger, more chocolatey bite, the cookie itself clocks in with a diameter over three times the size, and will be available in three delicious flavors:
Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie: Delivering classic Chips Ahoy! Chewy flavor now bigger and with the just the right amount of chocolatey chips to compliment the larger cookie and its soft-baked texture.
Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie, Chocolatey Brownie: A decadent brownie-flavored base takes indulgence up a notch and delivers an extra chocolatey bite for even the biggest sweet-tooth.
Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie, Chocolatey Caramel: Delicious caramel-flavored chips blend with the iconic sweetness of the Chips Ahoy! chocolatey chips to create a delicious mash-up of caramel and chocolatey flavors to deliver a big, indulgent bite.
“From our original cookies to our newest innovations, Chips Ahoy! fans have long enjoyed our iconic brand and mouthwatering flavors,” said Jen Levin, Senior Brand Manager for Chips Ahoy! US. “For over 60 years, Chips Ahoy! cookies have been the go-to cookie for chocolate chip cookie lovers of all ages. Now, with the launch of Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookies, we’re excited to be their on-the-go cookie choice as well, offering indulgence and happiness in each big, delicious bite. And perhaps the best part of all? Their bigger size means you have enough Chips Ahoy! deliciousness to share with a friend!”
Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie will begin rolling out to retailers nationwide starting in October. Each 2.5 oz pack will be available for an SRP $2.29 at convenience stores. For more information on Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie, follow @chipsahoy on Instagram and @theofficialchipsahoy on TikTok to follow the latest Big Chewy Cookie news.
Incredible Flavors and Pairings at Chef Edward Lee’s 610 Magnolia in the heart of Old Louisville
Located in the heart of Old Louisville, Chef Edward Lee’s menu is a modern approach to the Southern Table.
610 Magnolia celebrates everything that is Louisville, both historic and progressive, diverse and complex.
Hamachi Aqua chili corn Gooseberry lime cilantro at 610 Magnolia
Hamachi Aqua chili corn Gooseberry lime cilantro
Gruet, Sauvage Blanc de blancs Albuquerque NV
Gruet Sauvage NV is a bone-dry sparkler, pale straw in color with a delicate but persistent mousse. Aromas of bright mineral and citrus followed by notes of green apple, lemon , grapefruit. The finish is structured and flavorful. The bright acidity makes a perfect pairing for oysters, sushi and cream sauces.
Lubanzi, Chenin Blanc, Swartland, South Africa, 2021
Ripe nectarine vivacity meets broad creaminess, Resulting in a bright, crisp and clean taste that pairs well with the shell fish and noodles we’re enjoying.
Lobster Tail, Fennel, Jicama, Lion’s Mane, Orange at 610 Magnolia
A glass of Atalier offers notes of saline, seashells, and minerality. Very refreshing with stone fruit, minerality and crisp, clean acidity. White flower aromatics, citrus orchard fruit. Lime and pear on the palate add complexity to the salinity.
paella, crab cakes, oysters, Mediterranean salads, and grilled shrimp (with a squeeze of lime).
Jerk Quail, Collared Green, Smashed Plantains, White Kimchi, Radish
Pira & Figli, Dolcetto d’ Alba, Piedmont 2023
Fresh black raspberries and cracked pepper. Good structure, medium body and fresh acidity.
Bourbon Aficianado: Drunken Banana Cake, Butterscotch, chocolate, Pappy Maple Syrup, Corn, Brown butter ice cream, smoke
Bourbon Aficianado: Drunken Banana Cake, Butterscotch, chocolate, Pappy Maple Syrup, Corn, Brown butter ice cream, smoke
10 Yr Tawny Port
Cherry, berry, walnut and chocolate aromas and flavors. Full-bodied.
In celebration of the debut for Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024, I joined a group of whisky and spirit reviewers at Maker’s Mark headquarters in Loretto, Kentucky for a day of tours, lunch and of course a private tasting.
Our Cellar Aged 2024 tasting was led by Innovation Manager Beth Buckner and Senior Director & Head of Innovation Blake Layfield.
Senior Director & Head of Innovation Blake Layfield and Senior Manager of Innovation and Blending Beth Buckner
The limestone shelf that surrounds Star Hill Farm, homeplace to the Maker’s Mark Distillery, is key to crafting the unique taste of its bourbon
Today’s tasting takes place in a built-in cave within the limestone shelf itself, at a chilly 50 degrees. It’s a memorable experience for a memorable bottle. As we walk into the limestone cellar, there’s dozens of barrels stationed on the floor, which is part of the Private Selections Program we’ll hear about below
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 Debuts its most mature bourbon
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 blends 15% Maker’s Mark 12-year-old and 85% Maker’s Mark 13-year-old, at 59.7% ABV or 119.3 Proof.
The aroma carries notes of caramelized sugar and toasted almond. The palate unveils a delicate interplay of buttery shortbread, a surprising bite of coconut, and spices. A lingering finish highlighting dried dark fruit and oak undertones.
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 alongside 2023
Side by side: 2023 vs 2024
The 2024 bottle (the 2nd inaugural Cellar Aged effort) takes a noticeable turn from it’s 2023 first path.
The 2023 is a blend of 87% 12-year-old and 13% 11-year-old barrels. Proof at 115.7
In comparing, you’ll notice strong differences. 2023’s bottle offers lighter greeting. Aromas of caramel syrup, cinnamon sugar, subtle red fruit. Cornbread, apricot, brown sugar.
Whereas 2024 is a more matured taste profile. The aroma carries notes of caramelized sugar and toasted almond. The palate unveils a delicate interplay of buttery shortbread, subtle coconut, and spices. A lingering finish highlighting dried dark fruit and oak undertones.
Private Selections Program
A Maker’s Mark priority is to maintain their taste profile. Famously, aged between 6 – 8 years old, but every barrel ages a little bit differently.
When loyal customers asked for a single barrel, they had to politely decline, but wanted to find a way to excite and involve their audience base.
So they created the Private Selections Program, which is how enthusiasts visit and pick their taste, a vision of what they want their Makers Mark to taste like and then the company uses custom staves in a barrel, which were seen stored on the floor around us.
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 will be available for a suggested retail price of USD $174.99 in the United States
The limited-release Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 will be available for purchase at the Maker’s Mark Distillery by booking the Cellar Aged Experience at https://www.makersmark.com//distillery/visit-us.
For more information about Maker’s Mark, please visit www.MakersMark.com.
ABOUT MAKER’S MARK Maker’s Mark® is the iconic handmade Kentucky bourbon driven by a vision for better flavor and a better world. Maker’s Mark began with the innovative spirit of Margie and Bill Samuels, Sr., who in 1953, fulfilled their dream to create a delicious bourbon without the bite, using soft red winter wheat instead of rye to enhance the softness, sweetness and signature creaminess. Highly desired around the world, Maker’s Mark is handmade, hand-dipped in our signature red wax, and every barrel continues to be rotated by hand and is aged to taste not time.
Always true to the founders’ vision, Maker’s Mark continues to shape the brand’s future through purposeful, flavor-driven innovation. In recent years, the brand has introduced thoughtful, super-premium expressions to its portfolio, including Maker’s Mark 46, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, and Maker’s Mark Cellar-Aged, all Double Gold winners of the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as Maker’s Mark Private Selection: the brand’s custom barrel program.
Makers Mark Cellar Aged 2024 Debuts its most mature bourbon
Makers Mark, the iconic Kentucky bourbon driven by a vision for better flavor and a better world, announces the 2024 release of Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged: the annual, global limited-release expression that delivers the distillery’s highly anticipated and oldest release.
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024
Like the inaugural, award-winning 2023 release, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 is aged to taste, not time – now blending 12- and 13-year-old Maker’s Mark to unlock new flavors.
“We surprised the world
with the debut of Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged last year,
a bold step in our family’s legacy because, for more than 65 years, aging our whisky for a decade-plus wasn’t something we did,”
Rob Samuels
8th generation whisky maker and Managing Director,
Maker’s Mark
“Staying true to our founders’ flavor vision and our relentless pursuit of excellence, we’re thrilled to introduce our most mature bourbon yet.”
Meticulously crafted, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 blends 15% Maker’s Mark 12-year-old and 85% Maker’s Mark 13-year-old, at 59.7% ABV or 119.3 Proof.
Aroma: Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024
The aroma has notes of caramelized sugar and toasted almond.
Palate: Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024
The palate unveils a delicate interplay of buttery shortbread, rich coconut, and bright spices. A lingering finish showcases dried dark fruit and subtle oak undertones.
“Delivering an elevated expression that’s distinctly Maker’s Mark,
Cellar Aged finishes maturation in our LEED-certified cellar,
built into the limestone shelf that surrounds us, creating a richer, deeper and more complex bourbon, free from the harsher tannic effects commonly found in older American whiskies,”
Dr. Blake Layfield
Head of Innovation and Blending, Maker’s Mark
The limestone shelf that surrounds Star Hill Farm, homeplace to the Maker’s Mark Distillery, is key to crafting the unique taste of its bourbon – thanks to the innovative spirit of Margie and Bill Samuels, Sr., who in 1953, chose the land in Loretto, Kentucky because of its water source and natural watershed.
Maker’s Mark still owns, protects, and enriches all 76 acres of its main lake’s watershed; and today, is the largest bourbon distillery in the world to achieve B Corp Certification and the first distillery to achieve Regenified Certification, a reflection of the brand’s dedication to regenerative agriculture practices that enhances the flavor of its bourbon.
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 will be available for a suggested retail price of USD $174.99 in the United States beginning today; in the United Kingdom, Germany and select Global Travel Retail accounts in the coming weeks; and in Korea, Japan and Singapore in early 2025.
In the United States, in addition to select retailers nationwide, the limited-release Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 will be available for purchase at the Maker’s Mark Distillery by booking the Cellar Aged Experience at https://www.makersmark.com//distillery/visit-us.
For more information about Maker’s Mark, please visit www.MakersMark.com.
ABOUT MAKER’S MARK Maker’s Mark® is the iconic handmade Kentucky bourbon driven by a vision for better flavor and a better world. Maker’s Mark began with the innovative spirit of Margie and Bill Samuels, Sr., who in 1953, fulfilled their dream to create a delicious bourbon without the bite, using soft red winter wheat instead of rye to enhance the softness, sweetness and signature creaminess. Highly desired around the world, Maker’s Mark is handmade, hand-dipped in our signature red wax, and every barrel continues to be rotated by hand and is aged to taste not time.
Always true to the founders’ vision, Maker’s Mark continues to shape the brand’s future through purposeful, flavor-driven innovation. In recent years, the brand has introduced thoughtful, super-premium expressions to its portfolio, including Maker’s Mark 46, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, and Maker’s Mark Cellar-Aged, all Double Gold winners of the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as Maker’s Mark Private Selection: the brand’s custom barrel program.
Today’s conversation with Sommelier / Businesswoman Kristin Olszewski from Nomadica Wines has been edited for length and clarity. For the full, un-edited conversation, visit our YouTube channel here.
Joe Winger: We’re here today with Kristin Olszewski from Nomadica Wines.
What’s the most important message you want to share today with our audience?
Kristin Olszewski:
I think the biggest message that I want to get across is that everyone should be drinking more wine. That’s my mission in life to just bring consumers back to the wine category.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
Joe Winger:
Outstanding. And how how are you trying to get that done?
Kristin Olszewski:
I’ll give a little context on my own history and how I came here.
My undergrad degree is in sustainable agriculture and I ended up dropping out of Harvard Medical School to become a sommelier – typical journey.
I just really fell in love with wine. I worked in restaurants to pay for school and wine was always the thing that captivated my interest.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
I feel like it’s the intersection of history, agriculture and gastronomy. And then also there’s something so fun and communal and – you’re getting a little tipsy. It’s everything.
But I spent a decade-plus in Michelin restaurants all over the country, everywhere from three Michelin stars, Saison in San Francisco, Husk in Nashville, Osteria Mozza here in LA.
When Nancy Silverton was on a Netflix show called Chef’s Table, I started noticing a different customer coming into the restaurant. Usually as a sommelier, you’re talking to a very specific demographic of people. I would say 45 plus male white wine collector. That’s my demo. And when Nancy was on Chef’s Table, young people started coming into the restaurants, a lot of women, and I noticed they didn’t want to drink wine.
They would drink tequila, beer, cocktails, like anything but wine.
That always felt like such a missed opportunity because wine, it’s the most ancient beverage. Our people have drank wine for millennia. It’s also in an age where we care about what’s natural, what’s minimally processed, what’s better for you.
Great wine is literally just grapes, yeast, water, and time, so I started digging into why aren’t you drinking wine? And I found out a few things.
One, people felt like wine wasn’t a good value. If you weren’t going to spend a lot of money on wine, you couldn’t get a great wine, which is untrue.
The other one is people feel like they needed a PhD or some level of education or knowledge in order to access wine, which, again, is not true.
I want to be people’s guide, hold their hand and walk them into the world of wine. So I started Nomadica to do that on a larger level.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
Joe Winger:
That’s beautiful.
You mentioned two things. We’re going to go into both. Your background in Michelin restaurants. I’ve heard heavenly amazing stories. I’ve heard horror stories.
Can you share an experience and what you learned from?
Kristin Olszewski:
Everyone always asks me if I watch The Bear or not. And I’m like, no, I can’t.
Some positive stories, Michelin restaurants have changed a lot from when I started working in them. I think work has changed a lot for the positive. I remember one of my first serious jobs in a scary restaurant. You have your hair pulled back because you don’t want it to get in the food.
I had one small piece of hair hanging down above my face and the chef takes a match from the stove, lights a piece of my hair and says don’t ever have a hair hanging down in your face again.
Some of the wonderful stories are having the opportunity, especially at Mozza, you taste each bottle you open there.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
When I was at Mozza, it was a $5 million dollar all-Italian cellar with 90 pages of the best Barolo, Brunello, Etna Rosso’s, just things that like collector’s dream about tasting.
And I feel so lucky to have tasted things like Conterno Monfortino, which is the type of wine that you want to smell for three hours before you drink it.
When you have a wine like that, it makes you realize why collectors obsessively chase bottles, there’s something so romantic and intangible, and having a wine like that, you realize you’ll never have A wine that tastes the same at any moment in time ever again.
It’s just such a lucky experience.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
Joe Winger:
I’m curious about how that experience inspired you to open Nomadica.
Kristin Olszewski:
My entry point into wine was always through farming. I majored in sustainable agriculture.
I was an avid farmer. I ran our community garden in college and was focused on permaculture. I lived in India and farmed for a while there.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
And I always say great wine is made by great farmers, great wines made in the vineyard, not the cellar.
So when I was looking at starting Nomadica, that sustainability ethos, it was always my starting point, but I was really shocked when I found out how bad glass bottles are for the environment.
30% of glass is recycled in the US. The rest just goes into a landfill. It’s highly energy intensive to make, to ship, because it’s so heavy.
The fact is, most wine does not need to be in a glass bottle.
Yes, that Barolo I mentioned absolutely needs to be in a glass bottle. That needs to be aged for years before it even comes into its own.
But for a $20 – 30 bottle of wine that you’re going to pop open and drink it on a weeknight or on a not special weekend does not need to be in glass.
So that’s how we started.
Cans at 70 % reduction in carbon footprint. Our newly launched bag and box wine is almost a 90% reduction in carbon footprint.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
Joe Winger:
I sampled your sparkling white, your white, your red and your rose, they were dangerously drinkable.
Can we talk about where the fruit is sourced from?
Kristin Olszewski:
Absolutely.
The name Nomadica is really a fun double entendre because you can take it wherever you want to go. Of course, cans and boxes can be found in places that bottles can’t.
We source our fruit from all over.
We’re truly a nomadic winery.
Our head winemaker spent time at some of the best wineries in California, like Eric Kent Cellars, which makes award winning Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and also Kosta Brown.
Before that he spent 10 years doing vineyard management in California. So through Corey, we’ve really got a handle on some of the best fruit. A lot of our wine comes from Mendocino. A lot of our grapes come from Mendocino or Lodi. I’m such a Sonoma girly. Our winery is located in Sonoma, and so I always find myself drawn back to that region.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
Joe Winger:
Are there any vineyards you’d recommend us touring when we come to Northern California?
Kristin Olszewski:
I think the Sonoma Coast is the best wine region in California. They’ve fought very hard to become designated as their own AVA, which is very important in terms of quality.
The oceanic influence, what we call a diurnal shift, the extreme temperature change between night and day, like Hirsch and Littorai.
I think if anyone ever wants to see proof in the pudding of what great farming can do, you need to go see Littorai.
Ted Lemon was one of the first Americans to ever be a winemaker in Burgundy and he brought all of his practices back, was one of the first people to practice biodynamic agriculture in California and really brought that style of farming onto a larger scale.
When you go visit his vineyards, it’s like teeming with life. You look next door at a conventionally farmed plot, which is just like dead and sad looking. And then you taste the wines and you’re just knocked on your butt because they’re so good.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
Joe Winger:
Nomadica Wines has several varieties. White, Sparkling white, Rose, Red, Orange.
Can you walk us through the taste profiles of any of your favorites – what’s the aromas, what are the profiles?
Kristin Olszewski:
Something really cool about our wines is everything’s practicing organic. No pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, all of our wines are fermented dry. Naturally zero grams of sugar per serving. They have nice fruit notes, but none of the wines are sweet.
Crushable bright flavor.
Across the gamut, our entire portfolio has a brightness and a freshness to it. All of our wines are like slightly aromatic because I love an aromatic variety, but part of the thought that we put behind the brand is that I wanted to take that sommelier curation and put it in the restaurant, on the retail shelf so that when you’re serving Nomadica at your home, at parties and the beach, 99% percent of people will love it.
I’m doing the work on the back end on blending, sourcing, creating these flavor profiles that’s really taking that wine experience, that decade plus of developing my own palette and giving it back to the consumer.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
Joe Winger:
Are there any favorite wine and food pairings for you with your wines?
Kristin Olszewski:
I love an aperitif. Our sparkling rosé is definitely my favorite wine in our gamut. In a can you always have the perfect pour because sometimes you don’t want to open up an entire bottle of wine.
When we do that in my house, it usually gets drank. It doesn’t go back in the fridge.
Sometimes you just want a glass of sparkling. And I love that.
I love that with a charcuterie board and cheese. I also love Rose with green salads.
I think one of the best things about living where we live [Los Angeles] is we have the best produce on the planet.
I still run some wine programs in Los Angeles and I’m actually opening up a restaurant in Silver Lake next year, an Italian restaurant. Orange Wine is like the hottest trend.
I was doing the wine list at a restaurant in Hollywood called Gigi’s and I noticed I was selling more orange wine by the glass than all other colors combined, which was just mind blowing to me.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
We made what I think is the best orange wine coming out of California.
There’s a lot of talk about natural wine, orange wine. They’re not all created equal. My winemaker and I tasted through my favorite Italian skin contact wines and decided on a really concrete flavor profile source.
My mother in law in Orange County is drinking her orange wine with her friends. So I really feel like I’ve achieved something. That with sushi is a mind blowing pairing.
Then our red. We found Teroldego growing in Northern California, which is a grape that’s indigenous to Northern Italy from the Alto Adige.
It’s really Alpine, like dark fruit, like a Zinfandel, but really refreshing and bright acidity and a little bit more tannin than a Zin [Zinfandel] has.
There’s a perception that we had to overcome about can and boxed wine. People think that it’s low quality.
Whenever I pour our red for somebody, the response is always, “Wow, oh my god, that’s so good.”
No matter your level of wine knowledge, you can see what I’m trying to do when you taste our red wines.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
Joe Winger:
What’s next for you and Nomadica?
Kristin Olszewski:
Right now we’re in hardcore expansion mode. We were the first people to do fine wine and can, and I grew really slowly at my own pace.
I wanted to build the brand.
A lot of people just run to retail shelves and they want to be in every grocery store on the planet. I didn’t want that. I wanted to be, at the Four Seasons, at the Ritz Carlton, at music venues.
I wanted to be in places where people don’t typically expect to see wine in cans and boxes.
We are one of the highest velocity items at Whole Foods in our category.
We just launched all of our box wines at Total Wine in California, Texas, Florida, Colorado, and New York and got some really big plans for next year.
So keep your eyes peeled. People are about to see me everywhere.
That’s my goal.
Source: instagram.com/nomadica
Joe Winger:
Having a canned wine at some of these nicer hotels is a challenge.
What lesson did you learn by accomplishing that rather large challenge?
Kristin Olszewski:
That’s the best thing about how we’re positioned. Not only am I a sommelier, my VP of sales is a sommelier. My winemaker has an incredible reputation. Every person on my team comes from the wine industry and we have the best product.
When we’re sitting down and tasting with these buyers, these people that are in our industry. They recognize it. I always say taste out of a wine glass. Everything tastes better out of a wine glass. The second that they taste it, these are people who taste wine all the time and they taste a lot of bad wine.
So that has been amazing.
We’ve always had the industry behind us. It’s a huge differentiator for us. So I think it was slow build. Everything takes a lot more time than you think it will, which is I think the biggest lesson that I’ve taken away from this business over the last seven years.
But you got to build your brand first.
Joe Winger:
You seem like a deep-souled individual. Whether it’s wine or otherwise, is there an overall message that you want to share to inspire the audience?
Kristin Olszewski:
We are in a time where sustainability is more important than it ever has been. You can’t base your entire brand about it, but I think it’s an absolutely necessary component to any consumer product that’s coming out today.
One of my missions in life is to have that conversation about sustainability and have it with other brands because it needs to be convenient.
Otherwise, consumers will not buy it, care or participate or choose a sustainable option. That’s my big thing.
Joe Winger:
What are the best ways to follow your journey and to learn more about you?
Kristin Olszewski:
You can buy Nomadica online and our new rosé yuzu spritz, which is delicious at ExploreNomadica.com. And then our socials are at Nomadica on Instagram.
Nén Danang Awarded 2024 MICHELIN Green Star for Sustainability
At the prestigious MICHELIN Awards Ceremony held at the InterContinental Hotel Saigon, a notable achievement was celebrated within the realm of sustainable gastronomy: Nén Danang, a pioneer in Vietnam’s fine dining scene, was honored with the 2024 MICHELIN Green Star for Excellence in Sustainability. As the first Vietnamese restaurant in the world to be recognized, as well as the first in Vietnam, this accolade underscores Nén’s commitment to innovative and environmentally conscious practices that set a benchmark for the industry.
The Michelin Green Star, a prestigious annual award, celebrates restaurants leading the industry in sustainability. Highlighting establishments that uphold rigorous ethical and environmental standards, this accolade recognizes those who collaborate with sustainable producers and suppliers to minimize waste and reduce or eliminate plastics and other non-recyclable materials. To date, only 540 restaurants worldwide have earned this honor, offering dining experiences that not only exemplify culinary excellence but also demonstrate exceptional eco-friendly practices. These restaurants serve as beacons of inspiration for both enthusiastic foodies and the broader hospitality industry.
Nén Danang, under the visionary leadership of Chef Summer Le and her partner Leon Le, has been instrumental in redefining what it means to dine sustainably. With a culinary philosophy deeply rooted in the principles of ethical and environmental stewardship, Nén sources 99% of its ingredients locally, including from its own farms, thereby supporting Vietnam’s local economies and artisans while minimizing environmental impact. This approach not only ensures the freshest ingredients but also fosters a strong connection with the community and the natural world.
The restaurant’s Sto:ry Menus exemplify this ethos, merging rich Vietnamese traditions with inventive dining experiences. Each dish is a celebration of nature and a narrative of culture, crafted to offer a multi-sensory delight that evokes emotions ranging from joy to nostalgia. Notably, their Sto:ry Menu #5 is a zero-waste venture that transforms everyday ingredients, such as eggshells into noodles, showcasing an innovative approach to sustainability.
The core of Nén’s culinary identity lies in its commitment to ‘Conscious Vietnamese cuisine.’ The restaurant’s ethos—origin, aesthetic, intention, balance, emotion, and presence—guides its culinary choices. Each aspect, from the sourcing of ingredients to the final presentation, is thoughtfully curated to enhance the dining experience, making every meal an event of conscious consumption and enjoyment.
Nén’s unique approach to cuisine also reflects in its name, derived from a humble but flavorful ingredient found in Central Vietnam’s kitchens. This reflects the restaurant’s philosophy: finding potential in the overlooked and elevating it to something extraordinary. It’s about transforming simplicity into splendor, turning each meal into an exploration of the hidden depths of Vietnamese culinary traditions.
Located next to Nén Farm in Da Nang, the restaurant serves as the flagship for a brand that is deeply invested in research and sustainability. Despite challenges like a temporary closure during the Covid-19 pandemic, Nén Danang reopened in 2023 with renewed vigor and a continued focus on its sustainable mission. This commitment culminated in receiving Vietnam’s first and only MICHELIN Green Star in 2024, a testament to its leadership in promoting a sustainable and ethically aware dining culture.
Through Nén Danang, diners are invited not just to eat, but to experience stories through flavors, where each dish serves as a dialogue between the chef and the earth, a narrative that continues to inspire both food enthusiasts and culinary peers around the world.
