chez pim

Happy New Year 2007

Fireworks, plenty of champagne, a quiet snuggle in bed with your special someone, however you ring in your new year, I hope it will be a great one.

To greet the new year with style -as you might have noticed already- Chez Pim has got a minor face lift. Not a major redesign, mind you, since I rather like the style of my blog. But it's high time that I tidy up a bit around here. The design is tighter now, with a bit smoother navigation and a cute category cloud -I love those clouds. I've also been going back into old posts and replacing links out to Flickr with embedded Pictobrowser so you could get to my slide shows right here on the blog.

There will be a few new features coming. I don't want to tell everything now, as that would just spoil the fun. Suffice to say you might see more images of me around here, moving ones even. And there is a big surprise to be unveiled later in January. I've been at work on that project for a while, and I am so very excited about it. I hope you will love it as much as I do.

2006 has been great fun, though it has not been easy. I feel as though I spent half of it being ill with something or another. Perhaps 2007 -and the sixty thousand bits of good karma we've made together- will bring me better health. I hope that same good karma will bring you joy and happiness.

And, as that old saying goes, may the new year bring you all that you need and most of what you want.

What do you see?

A deliciously stinky white truffle? Or something else?

Menu for Hope III, the FINAL total $60,925.12

A final bit of good news to ring in the new year on a high note. Our Menu for Hope III announces the final tally today at $60,925.12. That's right dear friends, together we've raised over sixty thousand dollars!

If you're wondering how we came to that lofty number, let me explain it for you. On December 22, Menu for Hope closed our raffle at $58,256.70. That number fluctuated a bit in the following days, due to a few credit card processing issues, some of which have been subsequently corrected.

This morning, First Giving, the company that manages the donation for the current and all previous Menu for Hope campaigns, donated 1% of the total amount we raised this year to show their support. That brought the total to $58,925.70.

Then, a secret angel -who happens to be a good friend of mine- saw that we were edging ever so close to the $60K mark, so he donated $2,000 to put us over the top. His donation was accepted because he did not want to participate in the raffle -which has been closed to new donations since Dec 22.

So here we are, sixty thousand nine hundred twenty five dollars and twelve cents!!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Pim
--on behalf all the Menu for Hope organizers

Regional Hosts:
Sam Breach, Becks and Posh (US: West Coast)
Kalyn Denny, Kalyn's Kitchen (US: Central)
David Lebovitz, DavidLebovitz.com (Europe)
Adam Robert, The Amateur Gourmet (US: East Coast)
Helen Yee, Grab Your Fork (Asia Pacific/Australia/New Zealand)
Jasmine, Cardamom Addict (Canada)
Alder Yarrow, Vinography (Wine blog host)

Raffle Master:
Derrick Schneider, An Obsession with Food

Prize Tzars:
(Two very important people who will help ensure that the right prizes are sent to the corresponding lucky donors.)
Brett Emerson, In Praise of Sardines
Fatimeh Khatibloo, Gastronomie SF

Asia Pacific Media Contact:
Aun Koh, Chubby Hubby

Beneficiary:
The UN World Food Programme

And participating food bloggers everywhere.

tag(s):food | Menu for Hope | Menu for Hope | WFP | fundraising | World Food Programme | food bloggers

happy christmas

Menu for Hope closed at $58,256.70!!

Our third annual Menu for Hope campaign closed yesterday, and this time we raised $58,256.70 to support the great work of the UN World Food Programme.

Thank you so much to everyone who took part in this campaign, tireless hosts, partipating bloggers, and our generous donors. You've helped made it more successful than even our wildest dreams. Thank you so much.

Have a great holidays!

xx
Pim

tag(s):food | Menu for Hope | Menu for Hope | WFP | fundraising | World Food Programme | food bloggers

$50K!!!!

We've raised over fifty thousand dollars.

Fifty-Thousand-Dollars!!!!

...and a few more hours yet for you to join us.

The final, final stretch, and $46K!!

Yes, this is the final, final stretch for our Menu for Hope this year. Now we are so close to at $46K, and we still have a little less than a day left for yet more of you to get involved.

So again, if you've been thinking about it, now would be the time to jump in.

Check out the master list of prizes, you might find something that you've overlooked the first time around. Our lovely West Coast hostess Sam put up some odds for the West Coast prizes for those of you who are into that sort of thing, and so did our Wine host Alder who put up another post today pointing out the wine prizes that are good chances too. Also, some bloggers have gone and sweetened their proverbial pot by adding yet more goodies to their prize package. Like the extra dinner at Bed Supper Club in Bangkok (AP44), or Meric in Cambodia (AP17), and what about a huge poster of Anthony Bourdain (AP34) –signed especially for Menu for Hope III- thrown into the set of his books?

There are also some great prizes that have so far not gotten that much attention. Paging Gale Gand fans, did you see that she's giving a signed chef's jacket(EU34) ?

What about some stuff that you might not otherwise see or try, like a box of Swedish sweets (EU20) or teas (EU17)? How about specialty cookies from India (UW30)? A hamper of goodies from Sonoma (UW20) is still up for grab as well. Or some cookies and coffees from Hawaii (UW14) anyone? How about a whole wheel (5-6 pounds) of Pozo Tomme, a raw sheep milk cheese from Rinconda Dairy in the California Central Coast (UW49)?

Have you got someone on your shopping list who's a fan of Nyonya cuisine? That's one of the world's best and least appreciated cuisines, if you asked me. We've got plenty of rare and authentic Nyonya-style cook books that are practically up for grabs here (AP32), here, and here (UW46). Jasmine, our Canadian host, whispered from up there that she's got a couple really nice books that haven't got too many bids either. Check them out.

There are a few newly added prizes hat still haven't got that many tickets out. So if you want a dinner at Centrico in Manhattan (UE36), or BIN 8945 in West Hollywood (UW50), or for the wine lovers, the mixed case of great Austrian wines from Wine Monger (WB31), you've still got a pretty good chance of winning them.

Of course, you can still throw you hat in the ring for the dinner at Manresa, the stage at Alinea, the coffee with Thomas Keller, the tea with Harold McGee, the dinner with Eric Asimov, or any of the great prizes on our list really. You've got until 6PM-PST (that would be GMT -8 Hrs) to do it.

tag(s):food | Menu for Hope | Menu for Hope | WFP | fundraising | World Food Programme | food bloggers

over 40K and just one more day!

We have just over a day left on our campaign, and we are now almost $42,000. If you've been thinking about joining our Menu for Hope and trying you chance at one of our many prizes. Now would be the time.

If you want to see the odds for the prizes from the West Coast, our local hostess Sam of Becks and Posh created a list that tells you just that. Go over there and check out what prizes would give you the best chance to win.

Together we are going to make a difference. Thank you so much for taking part.

The final stretch, and a few more prizes to consider

By this morning we've more than doubled last year's total -we are over $36K now. Thank you so much for everyone who helped us get here. We have just over two more days for this year's Menu for Hope, and I hope we raise even more money to support to great work of the World Food Programme.

There is a new prize to add to the already alluring list of wine prizes. Emily at Wine Monger has kindly offerred a mixed case of great Austrian wine as another prize for our campaign. The prize code for this is WB31. So, if you've always wanted to learn more about Austrian wines, this is your great chance to do it. The case will have 3 red, 6 white, and 3 half-bottles of dessert wine, featuring wines from 3 different regions, 10 different grape varieties, and 11 different wineries. This case is the ultimate gift for the connoisseur or the budding wine-novice alike. (Shipping US. only)

This is a brand new prize so you've got a great chance to win. Go get another ticket or two, perhaps, a chance like this doesn't come along very often! (Prize code WB31)

A few more people have also sweetened their proverbial pot to entice even more people to donate. Michael Ruhlman has added some charcuterie from Justin Severino to his personally inscribed book. Unfortunately this is only available for people in the US. If you're not in the US you'll just get his book.

If you've bid on or are interested in bidding on Austin's personal tour of Bangkok, you should be happy to know that he's throwing in a free dinner at Bed Supper Club in Bangkok too. (Prize code: AP44)

Also, Phil at Phnomenon is adding a seven course Khmer dinner for two at Meric, the modern Cambodian restaurant at Hotel De La Paix in Phanom Pen. (Prize code: AP17)

Meanwhile, if you are a bit confused about what prizes are shippable worldwide and which ones are not, you could check out this very handy list that Kat at Kungfoodie has put together for us. The list contains all the prizes that can be shipped anywhere in the world, free of charge to our raffle donors.

Menu for Hope will close this Friday at 6PM-PST. You still have a couple more days, so check out our full list of prizes and donate today.

Four more days to go, and a few more prizes

Only four more days to go on our Menu for Hope campaign. And we've raised over $27,000 already. Thank you so much for your help!

I've got two prizes to add from our friends at Centrico restaurant in New York and BIN 8945 in LA. I've never been to Centrico yet, but from what I hear the chef is something of a dish. Well, if you live in New York, or will be there any time in the next year, you might want to go get your raffle tickets for this prize. Centrico restaurant is donating dinner for four -with a cocktail each to get things started properly. The dishy chef, Aaron Sanchez, himself will come say hello and also hand you a personally inscribed copy of his book "La Comida del Barrio: Latin-American Cooking in the U.S.A." (Prize code: UE36)

Another new prize came from yet more generous friends at BIN 8945 Wine Bar and Bistro, which has become my hang out place when I am down in LA. BIN offers our lucky winner a dinner for two. And since BIN has quite a reputation for their wine list, they are also offering wine pairings for that meal as well. (Prize code: UW50)

Another great development for our campaign is Kalyn, our lovely Central US hostess, has added another Photo Studio in a Box as a prize, since the first one she offered was so popular and had so many bids on it. So, if you've been eyeing her Photo Studio, the new prize number is UC14.

Also a few more prizes that have been added by other bloggers. Check them out!

Don't forget to check on our entire list of great prizes and get your raffle ticket(s) today. Help us support the great work that the WFP is doing. If you've supported Menu for Hope already, thank you so much. Did you see we made just about $25K already!?!

You might also want to check our regional host blogs which will be highlighting great prizes that you may have not noticed yet throughout the week.

US West Coast: Becks and Posh
US East Coast: The Amateur Gourmet
US (the rest): Kalyn's Kitchen
Canada: Cardamom Addict
Europe and UK: Davidlebovitz.com
Asia Pacific/Australia/New Zealand: Grab Your Fork

And for wine related prizes: Vinography

tag(s):food | Menu for Hope | Menu for Hope | WFP | fundraising | World Food Programme | food bloggers

The Anti-diet, rations from the World Food Programme

I'm exploring a different side of food here today on Chez Pim. Not the usual romp among the delights of gastronomy, but a more realistic look, perhaps, at the state of the world. A couple of days ago, a package arrived from the World Food Programme headquarter in Rome. Inside the box were a few examples of typical emergency ration distributed by the WFP to the hungry and needy around the world. Greg Barrows of the WFP suggested I try them. I thought that might be fun, so I said yes.

I know, I know, it was glib of me to think that something like that might be fun. But in my defense, I could hardly help it, food is fun for me, and for many of you too I'm sure. It's only when I opened the package that the reality of the situation set in. The stuff they sent looked more than grim. I wondered to myself if I should talk about those rations at all, if juxtaposing High Energy Biscuits –that look sort of like compacted sawdust- with the usual talk of fancy food around here would just be too, you know, weird or heartless or...something.

Menu for Hope III: 18K!!

We did it! We did it! We did it!!!!! (And we are not even done yet!)

Thank you so much for the outpouring of support. In just four days we've exceeded the total amount we raised during the entire last year's campaign!!!

We are $18,040.00 right now, as of 12.06, PST

We have another week to go. Let's see how far we could take it until then!

And to get you to buy even more raffle tickets, we've got more great prizes that have just been added. Check our full list of prizes here.

Roll your mouse over each picture to see the prize code and description, click on it to see the prize in details.

Menu for Hope: Help us fight hunger

Find a prize you fancy and join our Menu for Hope today.

Help us help the World Food Programme feed the hungry.

Menu for Hope III: the No-food Diet

This is a real story of a mother who tricked her starving children to sleep with a promise of a hot meal when they woke up, as told to a WFP aid worker.

Help us help the WFP feed the hungry. Find a prize that strikes your fancy and join our fundraising raffle today. You might win some very cool prizes, and perhaps one less mother will need a stone soup for her children.

tag(s):food | Menu for Hope | Menu for Hope | WFP | fundraising | World Food Programme | food bloggers

Menu for Hope III: new prizes!!!

The second day of our Menu for Hope III is drawing to a close, and we are merely a few dollars away from hitting our first $10,000!!! Thank you so much.

We've also got new prizes that have just been added to the campaign. They range from a personally signed copy of the Charcuterie book from the über author and new blogger Michael Ruhlman himself, to a pizza tour of New York, a country lunch in Normandy, a custom tour of the streets of Bangkok, and many more.

I will be adding them to the main Menu for Hope list, but I also want to highlight them here on this post so they don't get lost in the big list.

Move your cursor over any picture to see the prize code and short description. Click on it to read about that prize in the glorious details. You may also go directly to the donation site to donate to the UN World Food Programme.

Here are the new prizes that have just been added to our campaign.

Menu for Hope III: prizes from Chez Pim

I've been too busy writing the round-up prizes that I haven't got a chance to highlight the prizes that I've managed to hoodwink persuade some generous people I know to offer for our Menu for Hope this year. I'm getting into it now, and just in time to announce a very cool new addition that just came in this afternoon.

With no further ado, Chez Pim is proud to present these prizes........

Ok....maybe just another small ado, in case you haven't noticed, we raised over $8,000 already!!!! And we're not even done with our second day yet!

Alright, alright, now on to the prizes proudly presented chez moi.

Menu for Hope III

Every year, Food Bloggers from all over the world get together for a fundraising campaign. We call it 'Menu for Hope'. Last year, we raised $17,000 to help UNICEF.

This year, Menu for Hope III raises funds to support the UN World Food Programme, which provides hunger relief for needy people worldwide. To us Food Bloggers, food is a joy. On our blogs, we celebrate food as a delight or even an indulgence. Unfortunately, for many others who share our world do not share that privilege. For them, food is a matter of survival. This "Menu for Hope" is our small way to help.

On our Menu this year is a great list of amazing food related prizes. We hope that they will entice you to give whatever you can, and with some luck you can win unique and wonderful food gifts offered up by food bloggers from around the world.

The rule is pretty easy. For every US$10 you donate, you may claim one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. The more you give, the better your chance to win. The campaign is scheduled to run from now until Friday 22nd, 6PM PST. So get a move on!

We have plenty of great prizes, including a chance at a meal of your life at the renown Tetsuya's in Sydney, the 2-Michelin Starred Manresa in California, Iggy's in Singapore, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in London, and more. We offer unique experiences, such as a chance to have coffee with Thomas Keller, or even a cup of tea with Harold McGee. There are also lots and lots of cookbooks, including signed and hard to find items. Also on offer are plenty of goodies from all corners of the world, scrumptious tours, and many other delicious experiences.

Ok, enough intro already, let's get to the fun stuff, shall we?

Purple is the new brown

Brown is the new black