One Busy Bee

That Southern Hospitality is real! And you'll feel it the instant your eyes meet Chef Stephen Pyles from Dallas, a fifth generation Texan. I have a love for Texas. My dog is named Bevo after the Texas Longhorns and my favorite band is from San Angelo, Texas, the Los Lonely Boys . I just returned from visiting five cities in the South. I fell in love with Charleston. And you'll feel warm and welcomed when you sit across the table from Chef Pyles if you have the chance. I can still vividly remember his smile. Comfortable with sitting across from this talented chef on Media Day at the Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival on Maui, we get to it. This is a man that has a weakness for travel. Inside I scream, " Me too !" Fellow Chef Wolfgang Puck also encouraged him, he says. Chef Pyles has opened 22 restaurants in five cities and has a new partnership with Delta Hotels by Marriott . His partnership with Benchmark Hospitality also has him running a culinary program. ...

The Bay Area is crazy about the Warriors , Stephan Curry, his daughter, Riley, that would steal the show during his interviews and his beautiful wife, Ayesha. Mrs. Curry is out with a cookbook and a restaurant partnered with Chef Michael Mina. After being in the south and enjoying BBQ in Charleston, South Carolina at Poogan's Smokehouse , I had to come back home to see how we compete. Actually, my reservation at International Smoke  was made at least a month in advance as it's a popular spot. I made a reservation for four not knowing who would be able to make it but I know a lot of foodies and folks in the industry. I could fill my reservation no problem, and I did! I invited my roommate, my Team inTraining  team made, Nelly, and our friend, Sandra, who was diagnosed with Hodgekin's lymphoma . Nelly is also a BBQ fan and does catering for friends and Raider games on the side. The four of us were coming from all directions - I was coming from work at the Argonaut ...

With my experience at the driving range and meeting Tiger Woods via the Madame Tussads. I am no Michelle Wie , nor a Hawaii native (sadly). But I'm not bad on the greens. The mini golf greens, that is...against a 12-year-old. On our recent trip out to the South with my nephew, I think I got him hooked on a sport!  Thank goodness! His parents aren't into sports but Auntie is! I remember teaching him to throw a ball when I would babysit him as a kid and it never stuck at home. He preferred video games and helping their machining business. Do you, Kid, but I can't help but be happy that he's into a sport now.  After an amazing meal at the Michelin star Sea Captain'sHouse in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, we walked over to Captain Hook MiniGolf . It was a Captain kind of evening. They were open late and it was warm out so we enjoyed the evening. The course had a waterfall, skeletons, boats to climb, a cave and even surprise bursts of water fr...

I am a creature of habit. As a One Busy Bee, I need some sort of structure and organization to this craziness that is life as a Concierge, Certified Travel Agent, Travel Blogger, Wedding Planner and occasional dog walker. I mistakenly arrived eight hours early to work one Sunday morning for my normal schedule. I forgot I had requested majority of the day off for a proposed bartending opportunity in Houston, Texas. The trip obviously fell through and I was unable to fall back to sleep in my car. Instead of be upset by my error, I went thru emails I haven't had a chance to review and was able to have brunch with a dear friend where mutual friends worked. I walked over to Union Street and went into a few shops such as Ambiance and Morning Lavender . I spent the most time in a shop called TopDrawer. It was a store for the travel lover! Get travel bags, Japanese slippers for the plane, power cord accessories, journals and fancy pens, crayons and markers. They also have meal boxes,...

It’s like Christmas came early this year when Jimmy G. hits the field for my San Francisco 49ers. Don’t get me wrong, my gold blooded heart will always belong to Jerry Rice but Jimmy will be so nice to wake up to every Sunday morning. Unfortunately, this One Busy Bee will not be able to attend a game this season as I currently work on Sundays and have quite a bit of travel planned. I do have a party scheduled at the house the day after I have a wedding to work in December but hey, it’s better than nothing. I’m ready for my phone to go crazy with alerts with some touchdowns! Fingers crossed! Let’s go Niners!

Two very different mammals but yet, they go together. " How? " you ask. In my recent experience, they support each other. Take note, humans. Stop shooting at each other! I came home to my new roommate sitting in the chair that my former roommate basically lived in in the living room, with my dog at her feet. They were watching the San Jose Sharks playoff game. Since then, we have watched the last three games together in the living room. We have had our first DoorDash experience together with probably the worst burrito I've ever had in my life. Sorry, Hayward's La Pinata. Never again. Then the next game, I was booking her Paris hotels for September and sort of watching the game. One Busy Bee strikes again. I can't remember the last time I watched a sporting event in my own living room. Though, those PacMan PPV parties were fun! Then today, after running into a tank of Boston Terrier like my Bevo who happens to be 27 pounds, I approache...