Hotel D'Angleterre, Copenhagen

Oprah was recently in Copenhagen, trying to gin up support for Chicago’s Olympic bid. Chicago didn’t get the 2016 Olympics, but Copenhagen did manage to grab on to some precious Oprah magic potion.

Visit Copenhagen – the official tourism board, has put together an Oprah-themed stay in Copenhagen – where she stayed, what places she visited, where she went shopping, and what kind of food she eat.  Read More »

A marble sculpture at Fine Line Designs

The beauty of Door County, Wisconsin isn’t just confined to nature.  The area boasts an impressive array of art galleries, including Fine Line Designs.  Located in the quaint town of Ephraim, the gallery  is noted as the host of  the annual Town Line Art Fair every Columbus Day weekend for a two day festival of art and entertainment.  Actually, the gallery itself counts as a non-stop festival, with art from 80 different artists on display inside the gallery and outside in its whimsical sculpture garden. Read More »

Country Ovens, home of cherry De-Lites

I love cherries. I thought I was well versed in the tart or sweet variety of cherry products until I arrived in Door County, Wisconsin.  Not only is the area covered with cherry orchards, but Door County appears to produce every kind of cherry concoction imaginable.  I began my cherry adventures at Country Ovens, home of the devilishly delicious Cherry De-Lite chocolate covered cherries.  A brief tour of the store and genrous sampling reveals a dizzying variety of cherries. There’s the original Cherry De-lite , which are plump, dried Door County cherries, then there’s dark chocolate or milk chocolate covered cherries. Country Ovens also produces Cherry De-Lite sprinkles and morsels, which are tiny cherry pieces that can garnish salads or cereal. Of course, the store also offers cherry juice, preserves and gourmet mixes for cherry pancakes, brownies and scones. Read More »

Holiday bon bons at French Market vendor, Canady Le Chocolatier

The newly opened Chicago French Market in the trendy West Loop neighborhood, supplies a dose of style and fresh ingredients to the Chicago shopping scene. This indoor, one-stop, market features 30 specialty vendors including gourmet cheese, wine, chocolate and pastries.  Modeled after outdoor European markets and operated by the Bensidoun family, who are the largest  developers of Paris markets, the Chicago French Market supports local farmers and artisans in a year-round venue. Even though most of the market’s offerings are food related, I found an array of  special gifts on my recent visit.