Happy Spring! Happy nettles, asparagus, wild garlic, strawberries, radishes and rhubarb!

I haven't shared much with you about my background in food. I grew up on the delicious eats of New Orleans, did marketing and publicity for Food Network chefs, and wrote for publications in the Pacific NW (with a monthly food column for many years). 

Food is nourishment, stimulation, communion, poetry and love. It's very deliberate that my signature course is called Luscious AF and a portion of the course and supplementary materials are devoted to helping you experiment and cook up a life that is big and juicy, not dry.

Consider a date to visit a farmer's market  this month where you can enjoy the conversations with vendors, and choose produce pulled from the earth just hours earlier. Try something you've never tried - let your senses guide you.

You can double down on embracing a full-throttled, technicolor savoring of flavor, nourishment and deep satisfaction! When we take the time to really touch, taste, smell and savor our food, we feel heightened satisfaction. When satisfaction is high, deprivation is low.

Game-Changers  

Life beyond alcohol is so colorful and full of dynamic people creating new options and real communities. Wouldn't it be amazing to have a visual representation of that....an interesting, high-quality magazine?! Well, it exists! It's called AFTER and is the brainchild of Nicole Hough. I love the article from the spring edition about women leading the charge in the NA beverage sector - the digital or print magazine is subscription-based but Nicole game me special access to the article to share with you!

Have you ever thought to yourself, I just want to drink like a normal person? Then this article, The Myth Of The Normal Drinker, is for you. In any way that you can, please share it! 

Big news in this world...Boisson, an NA beverage retailer that emerged from New York and garnered big investment and expanded rapidly -- to California, Florida and beyond -- has announced it is filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closing all retail shops shops in order to reorganize. It's tempting to think this means the market for NA beverages is just not big enough or that it's too niche, but nothing could be further from the truth. Boisson deserves massive props for what they did to advance this category, and they accomplished it all during and just after a pandemic! Yes, they might have grown too fast and tried to do all things...retail, e-commerce AND distribution. And bricks & mortar retail is tough right now no matter what sector (btw, the last few years have seen hundreds of alcohol-ventures shuttered). No, the data show that the production and sales of NA beverages just continues to climb exponentially! 

Speaking of online retailers, I recently tasted new offerings from No & Low. They import products from all over the world and ship them to the US and Canada, and they also have created a few of their own private label bottlings. I was already a big fan of their NA sparkling Chardonnay. Now I'm crazy for their rosé! It's very low sugar, nice acidity, notes of strawberry, rose and citrus. I'm not big on most of the still NA wines (I prefer the sparkling ones), but this is an absolute winner and FINALLY we can actually talk about "rosé all day." The other stand out of the group was their Cabernet Sauvignon. Really nice tannins and notes of blackberry and tobacco. (pictured above in our former wine tasting space which is now our home entertaining space, my ping pong court, and occasional Airbnb rental).

Dax Sheppard, actor and podcast host who talks regularly about his former addiction to pain killers, is launching an NA beer with two childhood friends because the three weren't impressed with the NA beers out there. Super tongue-in-cheek, it's called Ted Segers, and the branding is built around a fictional, mustached, Midwestern good-dad type that none of them had growing up but aspire to be. Think Ted Lasso! 

I honestly can't believe how quickly things are changing. Four years ago, mainstream media didn't publish anything about the health concerns about alcohol. I see a change even in the last six months with the number of news articles - the science really just can't be ignored anymore. Rather than heart-healthy, one glass of wine a day significantly raises the risk of heart disease in women, as reported in The Washington Post and Cosmopolitan, 

CNN reports that the latest trend in drinking is non-alcoholic. The article explores the diverse range of people who want to drink less and why, plus the businesses cropping up to support them.

The Washington Post reviews a roundup of NA beers and awards the winner as one that we've been drinking at home. Nice to see the competition getting so stiff and to have alternatives to Athletic Brewing.

I'm planning to go do something "spicy" this week - a female-owned Paris bar with an NA cocktail game is hosting a comedienne to teach how to "talk dirty" in French. Oh, la la!  

What's on your list this week for adventure, delight or spice?! xoxo

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From my hometown of New Orleans to working with Food Network chefs, to the vineyards of Oregon...food, friends and flavor figured centrally in my life - and got ALL tangled up in alcohol! I didn't want a wine habit running my life, but I was scared that giving up wine meant living with a "glass half-empty." When I got certified as a sobriety/mindful drinking coach, trained in the neuroscience of habits and behavior and did a deep dive in the health benefits of cultivating joy, I realized I didn't have to give up places and rituals I had enjoyed! I could double-down on them! I invite you to visit my site and book a free call because
I believe you deserve a juicy life, not a dry one!