Femsplainers

The Femsplainers podcast with Christina Hoff Sommers and Danielle Crittenden first came out in May 2018. Their weekly girl’s night out includes some of the most fascinating and fabulous women on the planet. They dish on everything from #metoo and sex to, well, doing the dishes. No topic is off-limits — unless it’s boring.

Christina and Danielle have been best friends for over two decades. They don’t agree on everything, of course. But they love meeting new, interesting people and exploring ideas as friends do, with respect, humor and over a cocktail (or two). Guests include Tina Brown, Bari Weiss, Julia Ioffe, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Mandy Stadtmiller, Emily Yoffe, Caitlin Flanagan, Jonathan Rauch, and many more.

I always have a great time working with Danielle and Christina. We’ve done many projects together, and they never fail to make me laugh. I am so impressed with the rapid following they’ve been able to develop.

Their 5-Star rated podcast is the gossipy, smart, witty conversation you’d have if all of your girlfriends (and some of your guy friends too!) were experts on the hot topics of the moment. High-spirited and high-minded, they don’t argue or whine, but seek to get to the heart of the matter, over cocktails (or wine). I would highly recommend following the conversation by subscribing to the Femsplainers Podcast!

Pinstripes North Bethesda

The strategic vision of Pinstripes is to “offer people an alternative way to connect with others and have fun.” With this concept in mind, Pinstripes was created to allow people to combine fun (bowling/bocce) with exceptional food/wine (bistro), while connecting with others in the community. Their main idea is to accentuate the duality of bocce and bowling, Italian and American cuisine and wines, and gelato and ice cream. Furthermore, they combined the standard open-play of bowling/bocce/dining with a substantial focus on private events.

The new Pinstripes location at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda offers a unique variety of entertainment and events every day of the week. Everyone can enjoy the delicious made-from-scratch Italian-American cuisine during Sunday Brunch with the family, happy hour after work, or a night of bowling and bocce. Pinstripes is one of the few spots that provides the best of both worlds: great food along with fun group activities!

Mac & Cheese, Redefined

The Macallan hosted the “Mac & Cheese” event at the Marriott Corporate Headquarters in Rockville, MD. The Macallan was one of the first distillers in Scotland to be legally licensed. Since then they have built a reputation as one of the world’s leading single malt whiskies. The creation of The Macallan draws on the vital contributing influences of Spain, North America and Scotland - and of their respective natural raw materials, combined with traditional methods and craftsmanship.

“The Mac & Cheese” is all about two iconic indulgences, rooted in tradition. Both whisky and cheese making are sophisticated arts defined by institutions and time-honored processes. Complex to master, but easy to enjoy - especially together - The Macallan’s range of flavor notes are the perfect complement to the rich creaminess of artisan cheeses. The Macallan National Brand Ambassador, Nicolas Villalon, introduces the concept--and wisdom--behind pairing whisky and cheese.

At this incredible event, Macallan provided a scotch tasting, which they paired with various cheeses (hence the name)! The idea behind the event is to educate the food and beverage team at the Marriot Corporate Office about the variety of products they offer, and how to elevate your drinking experience with The Macallan. They taught about understanding the specific scotch they were tasting, and explained which cheese should be paired with The Macallan’s classic single malt whiskies.

For the maximum experience, they stressed the importance of tasting both elements separately first so that you can better understand the magic a pairing creates for your palate. For a full tasting, first you should taste the Scotch, then the cheese and then taste both together. Throughout the event, they raised the caliber of scotch, starting with a standard light and fruity scotch, and finishing with The Macallan Rare Cask, a very high-end scotch that goes for over five thousand dollars a bottle!

ICCF Gala

Each year, the U.S. Congressional International Conservation Gala offers an opportunity to recognize the outstanding work being done by government, non-governmental, and business leaders in furtherance of good conservation. This year’s International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF) Gala included the President of Botswana, who delivered the keynote address, members of the United States Congress, international policymakers from Botswana, Colombia, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Peru, and Zambia, diplomats, global business leaders, and leaders from the international NGO community. 

The Global Environment Facility CEO, Naoko Ishii, was one of the main speakers at the gala. “What unites us here is our conviction that protecting nature is a good investment,” said Ishii. In further remarks at the event, she stated, “It is one of the most cost-effective investments we can make to fight poverty in the developing world. Protecting nature also ensures that we have a healthy planet for our societies to thrive, for generations to come.” Ishii continued, “We have partnered with ICCF to build conservation caucuses in parliaments across Africa and Latin America, which was built on the remarkable experience of the U.S. Congress. The result of this work is stronger anti-poaching laws that protect park rangers who risk their lives on the front lines fighting against poaching day after day.”  

WCG Event at Air and Space Museum

The WIRB Copernicus Group (WCG) hosted this incredible corporate event at the Air and Space Museum. The highlight of the event was listening to Buzz Aldrin speak about being the first of two humans to land on the moon. He shared many interesting and funny anecdotal stories from his experiences as lunar module pilot on the Apollo 11 mission. Buzz Aldrin talked about taking the first “selfie” of himself with the moon. This was back in 1969 so way before the selfie stick phenomenon swept the nation!