Food

Highwood might be a small city in the North Shore, but what we lack in size, we certainly have in heart. Take our second annual Great Pumpkin Fest into consideration to get an idea of what I mean.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood and his wife, Sarah, are holding the 6th Annual Kerry Wood Strike Zone Celebrity Bowling Tournament. Over the years with this fundraiser, they have raised over 2 million dollars for children in and around the Chicagoland area!

I can’t believe this is the 20th anniversary of Green Tie Ball! I remember when I was graduating college and wanted to get involved in one charity that I knew could allow me to make a difference. I had always heard the best party of the year was called Green Tie Ball, so I did my research and found it was so much more than that I had to get involved.

A lot of talk is given to fast food and the restaurants that are associated with the “eat on the go” movement. However, there is a shift taking place right here in Chicago which prides itself on moving at a slower pace - actually tasting your meal and knowing that it was prepared through sustainable means. Slow Food, a not-for-profit organization believes that “the food we eat should taste good and that our food should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health.” Additionally, Slow Food focuses on the producers, stating that they “should receive fair compensation for their work, and be treated with respect in their communities.”

I am constantly asked by customers to lend tips and tricks on anything pastry related. I lend such advice, including the importance of selecting the finest and freshest ingredients available, and making sure you’re always using the right tool to execute the right technique. Recently, I found myself in a complete role reversal! I was asked by Food Network Challenge (picture above is of all the teams!) to compete in creating a 3-foot tall moving dinosaur cake. The process of making this is as daunting as it sounds.

What if my avatar literally came to life and spoke to people about a gigantic party to celebrate his 2nd birthday as the "person" behind all my social media platforms (facebook, twitter, blog..) that had been communicating with tens of thousands of people with similar interests for the last 2 years? And what if he explained in a really fun way that this huge party would benefit one of our favorite philanthropic missions, feeding people in need. Well, that was the crazy idea we came up with at Rockit Ranch Productions 6 months ago when we produced the attached video- we just never thought we would actually win awards for it!!??!

Hi readers! This is Stephanie Castagnier, I'm a friend of Billy's, but you probably know me from NBC's The Apprentice, the 2010 season.  I wanted to share an event with you that I hold near and dear to my...

Hey Everyone! Roxanne Johnson here from the RRP intern staff to share my excitement about an amazing event that Billy will be co-hosting Thursday, June 30th at North Avenue Beach! Havaianas sandal designer and...

Hey BillyDec.com readers! Matt Kochis here, Summer Intern for Billy - thought I would share this fun event happening this weekend! The Chicago Cubs are throwing their first ever “Wrigleyville Block...

Many who follow me on Twitter & Facebook ask me how I navigated my culinary research and development tour through South East Asia last month so I thought I would feature one of the companies that...