Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
Posted on October 6th, 2007 by john
                                                                                                           
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Bearly Survived
Posted on September 27th, 2007 by john
One hell of day for this poor sierra bear. Glad he hung in there and made it out unharmed.
“A bear was walking across Rainbow Bridge (Old Hwy 40 at Donner Summit, Truckee) on Saturday when two cars also crossing the bridge scared the bear into jumping over the edge of the bridge. Somehow the bear caught the ledge and was able to pull itself to safety. Authorities decided that nothing could be done to help Saturday night so they returned Sunday morning to find the bear sound asleep on the ledge. After securing a net under the bridge the bear was tranquilized, fell into the net, lowered, then woke up and walked out of the net.”
Catfish Fridays
Posted on September 7th, 2007 by john
We stumbled upon this soul food joint in DC this weekend. The food was fantastic. In fact Helen, who has spent a good amount of time in the South, swears the fried catfish is the best she has ever had. I did a little research and found that the story behind this place is even more amazing than the food.
Here’s an article I found about owner Chris Dinwiddie from 2005:
Family ties turn Hollywood hopeful into a galloping gourmet
Vanessa Oyugi, Contributing Writer
Issue date: 8/4/05 Section: BUSINESS
Chris Dinwiddie always wanted to be an actor. After graduating from Howard University with a bachelors degree in film, he saved some money to move to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. However, his dreams of being an entertainer were instantly crushed the day he found out that his aunt had passed away, leaving behind her six-year-old son.
That’s when Dinwiddie knew he had to stay in Washington, D.C., to take care of his nephew. With 50 dollars in his pocket, Dinwiddie decided to work out of his house by providing catering services. Learning from others in the business as well as from experimenting in his own kitchen, Dinwiddie slowly established his own catering company he named after a club in Harlem called "The Breakfast Club."
His list of clients started getting longer and eventually the 35 year-old was able to buy a cozy kitchen on 4th Street he called "Catfish Fridays".
Now, nine years later, Dinwiddie is the president and owner of "The Breakfast Club," a full-fledged catering company and "Catfish Fridays," a thriving carry-out restaurant.
"I never thought that I would be in the catering business for this long and be so successful," he said. "It’s a hard business, but the catering market in D.C. is large, so if you work hard you can make it."
"The Breakfast Club" offers its clients "picture perfect catering" for events such as weddings, cocktail parties, birthday parties and the like.
"We provide our clients with gourmet food, beverages and a pleasant setting to create a comfortable atmosphere," Dinwiddie said. "We take care of everything and our clients love it."
Most of his clients are law firms such as Crowell & Moring, Kutak Rock and Winston & Strawn, who order from "The Breakfast Club" when they are lobbying Congress and find it more convenient to have food delivered. However, his client base is not limited to law firms, but is as extensive as his selection of exotic dishes that range from Indian, Caribbean, Italian, and Greek cooking to Thai, French, Spanish and Southern-style cuisine. Although Dinwiddie’s cuisine is inspired by the menus of various international gourmet restaurants, he makes them his own by adding his own touch.
"The dishes that I create taste even better than the original ones," he says.
Looking to the future, Dinwiddie hopes to turn "The Breakfast Club" into a chain of restaurants comparable to the "Cheesecake Factory", and "Catfish Fridays" into a chain similar to the"TGI Fridays" but with a "soul food tip." Dinwiddie is confident that he will reach his goals soon and he encourages young entrepreneurs to have the courage to pursue their dreams as well.
"I made it with 50 dollars, so anybody can," he said. "Just do it, because you won’t know until you try."
For a taste of Dinwiddie’s "Catfish Fridays" soul food buffet and a party atmosphere, club "Fur" is the place to go every Thursday from seven to 10 p.m.
Media Credit: Kenny Tracy/District Chronicles
With two restaurants, Chris Dinwiddie has a double dose of food just for you.
Posted on February 14th, 2007 by john
Joey DeFrancesco @ The Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society
Feburary 11, 2007.
JoeyDeFrancesco.com
Jake “the Mighty Thor” Langley
JoeyDeFrancesco.com