Of the Essence

Aroma : The Magic of Essential Oils in Foods and Fragrance
by Mandy Aftel, Daniel Patterson

Explicit information on ingredients, equipment, and terms and techniques complements one fragrance recipe and three food recipes for each of nearly thirty ingredients–lime, mint, green tea, black pepper, vanilla, ginger, and more. This seminal work will open the senses to the aromatic dimension of food and fragrance.

Mandy Aftel, owner of Aftelier Perfumes, custom designs one-of-a-kind blends for individuals and formulates fragrances for private labels. Her book on natural perfume, Essence and Alchemy, won the Sense of Smell Institute’s 2001 Richard B. Solomon Award. Daniel Patterson opened a new restaurant in San Francisco in June 2004. Named one of America’s Best New Chefs by Food & Wine, Patterson previously was chef-owner of Elisabeth Daniel (Best New Restaurant in the United States–James Beard Foundation) and Babette’s. He lives in San Francisco.

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What if you could breathe deeply, inhale lemon verbena and not be instantly reminded of furniture polish but rather of dessert?

Mandy Aftel, who creates perfumes from essential oils, and the chef Daniel Patterson, who employs them in his cooking, believe that aromas and flavors are best enjoyed in their most fundamental form.

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
New York Times
Published: May 1, 2005

The Skirts in the Piazza

THE year is 1953, and a stylish young woman might be expected to wear a straw hat on her first trip abroad. Such a hat, a ribbon-threaded Breton placed on a bench, is the first thing you see, making its sunny debut in “The Light in the Piazza” well before the first of the characters strolls onto the stage of the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Blown off by the wind as soon as Clara puts it on, the hat is a fetching expression of the buoyancy of those postwar years. A similarly optimistic spirit colors many of the costumes, pastel-tinted confections light enough to be carried aloft on the breeze.

By RUTH LaFERLA
New York Times
Published: June 12, 2005

Buy The Light in the Piazza Tickets

Vacation Tips: What Your Camera Needs

As visions of vacation come into focus this summer, it’s time to get your digital camera ready for the road, too. While digital cameras can free you from lugging loads of film, they also tend to run out of two things when you’re away from home: power and memory. Here are some tips on coping with both.

By J. D. BIERSDORFER
New York Times
Published: June 8, 2005

Movie Review: Cinderella Man

Roll the Fairy Tale, Fade to the Fists

In “Cinderella Man,” his movie about Braddock and the fight of his life, the director Ron Howard brings you viscerally close to understanding how that sideways smile was almost erased. Played by Russell Crowe with moist eyes and restless animal vigor, the pugilist known as the Cinderella Man entered the ring against Baer (an excellent Craig Bierko) with the odds 10-to-1 against him.

By MANOHLA DARGIS
New York Times
Published: June 3, 2005

American Idol Live Tour Tickets

We know you love the American Idols and here’s your chance to see the Top 10 American Idols live on stage. The American Idols Live tour is hitting the road again this summer and tickets go on sale this weekend. One of the hottest shows ever is back for another great tour and you won’t want to miss it. Come check out your favorite Idols live and in person.

American Idols Live Tickets

Love Songs That Speak When Words Fail

“The Light in the Piazza,” whose sublime original cast album was released today by Nonesuch Records, has the most intensely romantic score of any Broadway musical since “West Side Story,” unless you count Andrew Lloyd Webber’s kitschy, pontificating melodic oratory for “The Phantom of the Opera.” There is nothing kitschy about Mr. Guettel’s songs, which share with Stephen Sondheim’s equally great but less overtly tuneful score for “Passion” a fascination with mad love.

By STEPHEN HOLDEN
New York Times
Published: May 24, 2005

At Wineries, the Visitors Can Be Young and Bubbly

We were standing by the fermentation tanks in a Napa Valley winery while our guide poured a round of merlot and waxed about the virtues of French oak barrels. Suddenly, the person beside me asked, “Could you zip and snap my pants?”

By KERMIT PATTISON
New York Times
Published: May 22, 2005

A Poet in Winter Relishes Spring in His Garden

Stanley Kunitz, Pulitzer Prize winner, poet laureate of the United States – twice, the first time from 1974 to 1976, when the title was “consultant in poetry,” the second in 2000 at the age of 95 – will turn 100 this summer. And he is still hard at work, he says, in his office and his garden.

By DINITIA SMITH
New York Times
Published: May 19, 2005

The White House Greetings Office

The White House Greetings Office handles as many requests as possible, in accordance with a set of long-standing guidelines.

PLEASE SUBMIT GREETING REQUESTS BY:

FAX

202-395-1232

MAIL

The White House
Attn: Greetings Office
Washington, D.C. 20502-0039

OR WEB MAIL

White House Web Mail

Please review these guidelines carefully before sending your request to the White House.

1. U.S. CITIZENS ONLY. The White House will send greetings to United States citizens only, for special occasions as outlined below.

2. ADVANCE NOTICE REQUIRED. Your request must be received six (6) weeks in advance of the event date. We make every effort to honor every request, but we cannot guarantee a greeting if this guideline is not met. (Greetings are generally not sent after the event date, except for wedding congratulations and newborn acknowledgments.)

3. ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS. Anniversary greetings are extended only to those couples who are celebrating their 50th (and subsequent) wedding anniversary.

4. BIRTHDAY GREETINGS. Birthday greetings will be sent only to individuals 80 years of age and above.

5. OTHER GREETINGS. A limited number of special occasions other than birthdays and anniversaries exist for which the Greetings Office will send appropriate recognition to United States citizens. These occasions include important events such as:
1. Wedding (send your request after the event)
2. Baby’s Birth (must be born during the George W. Bush Administration; send request only after baby’s birth)
3. Eagle Scout Award
4. Girl Scout Gold Award
5. Bar/Bat Mitzvah or equivalent occasion

6. REQUIRED INFORMATION. Please include the following in your request:
1. name and home address of honoree(s)
2. form of address (Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., Miss, etc.)
3. exact date of occasion (month, day, year)
4. age (birthdays) or number of years of marriage
5. your (the requestor’s) name and daytime phone number
6. Wedding (Include couple’s married names and current or new address)
7. Baby’s Birth (Include baby’s date of birth and full names and address of baby and parents)

7. WHEN TO EXPECT YOUR GREETING. In most cases, greetings will be mailed from the White House approximately ten (10) days prior to the event.

Singing for a Crowd That May Nod Off

The music industry is desperately chasing Internet-wired teenagers, but Mr. Lelen, 57, a former journalist and waiter, believes he has found a niche at the other end of the market in retirement communities. For the last four years, he has traveled from his home in Titusville, N.J., up and down the East Coast, playing up to 140 one-night stands a year and developing a contact list of 2,000 communities for the aged. His bookings run until November 2006.

By JOHN LELAND
New York Times
Published: May 7, 2005