The Big Winner & Other Business

And now for the winner of our James Beard Foundation Las Vegas Gala Dinner contest. Congratulations: Angie Neer! Sounds like your boyfriend is going to have a fantastic birthday. I’ll be e-mailing you directly to tell you the good news….

Now for other business:

* Check out my friend Emily Farris’s new book Casserole Crazy which came out this week. Emily’s a hoot and her book, which I received an advance copy of, has more recipes for casserole in it than you ever thought possible. It even has the winning recipe from the casserole contest Emily had me judge… go buy ten million copies!

* Josh Ozersky, who you may remember as the voice behind Grub Street, has a new blog called The Feedbag. It has a retro, vintagey design and Josh’s signature voice. I’ll definitely be reading.

* Finally, a strange request: my talented writer friend Alex Bullen is working on a young adult novel that now needs to be set in San Francisco. Only problem: Alex has never been to San Francisco. So you San Franciscans, can you please e-mail Alex at thisislandlife@gmail.com and answer the following questions: how does a 16 year old get around the city? What would be the most perfectly quintessential San Francisco date (for a 16 year old)? What are some off-the-beaten-path hang-outs for San Francisco teens? What are the hippest, most up-and-coming neighborhoods for shopping and dining?

Thanks everyone and have a great weekend!