Like  Wine? Like Zinfandel?  Like Maui Culinary Academy?

Then here’s an event for you:

WHAT: ZAP Spring Tour:  Zinfandel Grand Tasting

WHEN: Friday, May 21, 2010

WHERE: Maui Culinary Academy located at UH-Maui  310 West Ka’ahumanu Avenue in Kahului

ZAP is traveling to Maui as part of its spring tour.  A group of premier ZAP member wineries that specialize in Zinfandel will be staging tastings to meet the public and the trade.  Participants can mingle with top winemakers and principals, learn about remarkable richness and versatility of Zinfandel and discover why Zinfandel is “America’s Heritage Grape”.

Public Tasting event takes place May 21 from 6 – 8:30 pm.  Six two-person student chef teams from the Maui Culinary Academy will compete in a people’s choice cook off.

Tickets for the public tasting are $55 per person for non-members and can be purchased on line at www.zinfandel.org.  Some tickets may be available at the door for $65 per person.  Zap members can also purchase tickets online. Order Public Tickets online until noon (PST) Friday, May 21. After this time, tickets are available at the door – cost of $65 per person.

Trade Tasting event takes place May 21 from 1 – 5 pm.  Complimentary Trade Tasting is for qualified trade only.  Participants must be a representative of licensed on or off premise wine buyer or seller.  This includes distributors and licensed brokers, restaurants and retailers.  Certified sommeliers are also eligible for trade status.

Trade tickets and registration is available online at www.zinfandel.org.

I was reading Kristen’s WFMW’s tip for this week which is “Bulk Blogging” and it made me happy that our WFMW tips are both about blogging. For me, inviting “Guest Bloggers” works. It gives mutual benefits both to the guest blogger and to the host blogger. Here’s an example below. I posted this yesterday but would like to use it as my “Works For Me Wednesday” post for today. It’s a fun post I am sure you’d all enjoy:

Everyone on Maui have already heard the news about Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston being on Maui to shoot some scenes for the movie Just Go With It. I read that about 3,ooo Maui people showed up for the audition to be extras. Well, my co-workers, Holly and Lloyd were among the lucky ones who got selected.  And when you hear Holly talk story about their experience, you’d know that “it was not just luck”.  ”It was meant to me”.  She’s born to be in Hollywood.   I wish you can hear Holly tell her experience – she’s absolutely animated and fun! It was like a stand up comedy.  I was not set up to take a video of her,  so you’ll have to read it on print.  I asked her to be my guest blogger and she graciously accepted my offer.  Just imagine her with all her flare and intonation, as she wrote “I put the “S” in Sassy and the “D” in Diva.”

To Holly’s fans who had been waiting for this “press release” since this morning, I apologize for the delay of publication.  Here it is, by popular demand.  Ladies and gentlemen, presenting Holly Folsom, a Maui star (and yes, with her handsome husband Lloyd) :

If anyone was born to “work it’ – baby- I’m your girl. I put the “S” in Sassy and the “D” in Diva.

It all came together in a most fantastic way last week. With only a flair for the dramatic story tellin’ , all that I that I had to work with – I whipped out my Loudest dress and Biggest hat. When Conte, one of the Directors started walking my way, my little bitty eyes bugged out as much as they could, and with a lock down stare as subtle as a wild western dual- a little nod in my direction was all it took. Lloyd-my tall dark and handsome husband and I sprang up so fast we nearly flattened the poor fellow and before we could say, “I’m a Star!” , we are in the center of all he action- right there with Jennifer Anniston and Brooklyn Decker. AND Adam Sandler acknowledged us with a , “Hey-guys.”

Making my Hollywood Debut, I’m walking with a “real child actor.” On my first take- I left the poor kid in the dust. He then, coached me to mime, “peas and carrots.” I put my arm around him like I would my own son; Conte reminds me to be happy- Action! Rolling! Background! (my queue) I “snap” into character and away we went. The two of us walk out before Jennifer. Lloyd comes in from the opposite angle, walks by her so close he almost brushes up against her arm, but opts to shove Randall, his walking partner and our friend into the palms instead. After 2 hours of “Reset” I think we actually got it!

Off the set- Jennifer and I happen to be within feet of each other and at least twice we caught each others eye with a knowing glance- from one actress to another and a slight lift of the eyebrows, as if to say- “Isn’t it good to be us.”

For another post and perspective on being in the set of just go with it, go to Maui Goodness Blog