Aura, the first Indian restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake
Dining options are evolving in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Now you can have Indian cuisine right in the heart of the old historic town.
I dropped by the relatively new Aura on the Lake restaurant offering Indian cuisine, which opened in July 2022. It is the first Indian restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This upcoming season will be their first full summer since opening.
Nittin Sharma, owner and chef
I sat down with owner and chef, Nittin Sharma, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Anjna. This is Sharma’s first restaurant. He fell in love with the area, saw an opportunity and took a chance on himself, with the support of his wife.
As someone who loves Indian food and culture, I asked Sharma what his biggest observation has been.
“Most people think Indian dishes are hot and spicy.” But this is not always the case, he adds.
With that in mind, Sharma created a menu that has something for everyone, even for those who don’t like curries. They have vegetarian and gluten-free options. There are street food favourites such as Samosa Chaat, Dal Kachori, chicken fingers with fries and jalapeno poppers. For vegetarians, there are Indian classics such as dal and paneer tikka masala. For non-vegetarians, there is butter chicken, shrimp and lamb. For quick lunch meals there are burgers and rice bowls, and so much more.
samosa chaat (yummy!)
I tried the Samosa Chaat (chaat in Hindi means “to taste” or “to lick”): potato and peas stuffed samosas on a bed of chickpeas, with yogurt, the house signature chutneys and pomegranate seeds. It was delicious, with its tangy and spicy favours.
The restaurant interior is spacious and contemporary. There is a bar in addition to the dining room. The previous owners of the building did a marvellous job with the interior, which Sharma says he did not change when he took over the space because it was so well done.
Aura, located on King Street, is an ideal location as it is walking distance from the shops along Queen Street and other attractions, and a short walk to the lake. The staff is friendly and helpful.
I can’t wait to return to have another Samosa Chaat and try more dishes on the menu.
Location: 233 King Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON.
Website: https://www.auraonthelake.ca/
Shannon Skinner in an award-winning tv host/producer, speaker and writer, covering travel, wine and living well for women.
Two Sisters Vineyards owners open restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake
The owners of Two Sisters Vineyards, Melissa Marotta-Paolicelli and Angela Marotta, have opened an independent restaurant, 11th Post on Queen, in the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. The restaurant opened in April, as an extension of the Two Sisters winery, and I dropped by to have an early look one week after opening.
The restaurant name is a nod to the Two Sisters’ proprietary wine blend, Eleventh Post. The cuisine is described as “casual food in a refined atmosphere” and “upscale yet causal,” with a focus on locals and tourists alike.
The building, located on Queen Street, is new. It is a project that began about seven years ago, but took longer than expected because while digging they kept finding historical artefacts, which delayed it. The property is gorgeous (its design fits with the style of the local buildings on the street) and there is excitement now that it is open.
The restaurant/bar interior is contemporary, spacious and inviting. A couple of pieces of art from the family’s personal collection hang on the walls, adding a personal touch to the premises. There is a lovely courtyard in the back and there are plans to open a retail store on location for Two Sisters Vineyards wines. The facility will be available for events, weddings, etc.
Coincidently, on the day I was there, one of the owners, Melissa, was at the restaurant enjoying a meal with her family. I had the opportunity to have a delightful, quick chat and meet her family.
I also sat down briefly with the chef, Justin Lesso, who lives in the area with his young family, to chat about the restaurant, menu and what the future holds. Lesso previously worked at the Two Sisters Vineyards winery restaurant, Kitchen76, for five years, and is now at the helm as chef at the restaurant. “We make our own sauces and ingredients, except bread and ice-cream, and we use all fresh ingredients.”
Chef Justin Lesso and me
The menu has a range of items, along with wine from the Two Sisters Vineyards. Any dish can be made vegan, Lesso tells me, which is music to my ears. Some of their specialties include roasted chicken, tuna rice bowl, ribeye frites, salmon filet and back baby ribs.
I ordered the Post Nachos (vegan version). The chips were seasoned on top with spices such as chili, cumin, coriander, garlic, cinnamon – sweet and spicy to be balanced. The BBQ beef brisket was swapped for tofu seasoned with BBQ sauce. Other toppings included guacamole, chopped tomatoes, jalapeno peppers and sprigs of cilantro. The serving size is quite generous. They were absolutely delicious.
Location: 135 Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.
Hours: note they are closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Website: 11th Post on Queen
Shannon Skinner is an award-winning television host/producer, writer and speaker who covers travel, wine and living well.
India Consulate General in Toronto hosts media event
On February 10th, 2023, I attended an event for media hosted by the India Consulate General in Toronto.
I had the honour of chatting with Consul General, Apoorva Srivastava and all the other staff from the consulate. Ms. Srivastava provided highlights of this past year of achievements and updates regarding the important Canada-India relationship.
Watch for upcoming articles for more information.
Here are some photos from the event. I usually take photos of the food, but unfortunately this time I didn’t capture any because I had such a lovely time mingling that I forgot to take some snaps. Drat.
Consul General, Apoorva Srivastava
Pictured with Shuban Krishen, India Consulate General in Toronto, Com/Pol & CSO
Gursharan Mann, TV Host and Actor
Ms. Srivastava speaking to the group of media in attendance
Photo credit: Nisarg Lakhmani. Next to Ms. Srivastava, I might be the only non-Punjabi in this photo 🙂
Making new friends
Shannon Skinner is an author, international speaker, travel writer, and host and producer of ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com. She is also a travel expert on India as a destination. Read about her journeys to Incredible India .
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Shannon’s Travel Bag: India Stories
What to do, where to stay in New Orleans: 48 Hours in NOLA
If you are looking for a weekend getaway, New Orleans, Louisiana is a destination that has much to offer. Got 48 hours? Here’s what you can do, and where to eat and stay in New Orleans.
You can pack in a lot in 48 hours (2 nights/3 days) in the The Big Easy, a nickname originating from the laid-back attitude of the jazz scene, as I discovered on a recent visit. New Orleans has a whole lot going on, from its live jazz music scene, to chic bistros, sandwich shops, boutiques, antique shops, art galleries, museums, historical architecture, and other cultural delights.
The key to doing a lot in a short period of time is good planning and a solid itinerary; let me offer you mine. I am sharing with you my itinerary for my long weekend in New Orleans, which you can follow, or pick and choose whatever suits you. This itinerary basically highlights the attractions, activities and dining, just be sure you adjust for time and distance to get from place-to-place.
My Journey and Itinerary
My journey to New Orleans began travelling by van from Lafayette, Louisiana, where I was a keynote speaker at a conference for travel creators, TBEX conference for travel creators. I travelled with a group of travel creators/bloggers. My itinerary begins when our van landed in New Orleans at our hotel in time for lunch.
One thing to note upfront is, since I am a vegetarian, in my travel guides I include or mention vegetarian/vegan options.
DAY 1
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What to do in New Orleans During the Day
Early Lunch
Start with an early lunch at Joey K’s, a family-run restaurant offering homestyle Creole Louisiana soul food in an historic building located on Magazine Street in the heart of the Garden District. Joey K’s offers a range of dishes from the classic Po’ Boys to red beans and rice, to seafood, gumbo, jambalaya, bread pudding dessert and more. Vegetarian/vegan options: they have a large salad you can order without meat or cheese.
I ordered a garden salad
Some of the items my colleagues ordered
Go Exploring: Magazine St. and Garden District, Then Take the Charles Streetcar
Explore Magazine Street by foot and check out some of the quaint shops, antique stores, restaurants and bars.
Take a Garden District guided walking tour (Historic Orleans Tours) and discover historic mansions, lovely gardens and important architectural sites and history. The Garden District is a wealthy area and home of many celebrities, such as author, Anne Rice, who was born and lived in the ‘hood for many years, and based her books on the area. You can see the house where she lived (now different owners). Others include actors Sandra Bullock and John Goodman, as well as others. Plan for 2 hours.
The late Anne Rice’s former house that now belongs to someone else.
Our trusty tour guide, Rob Florence, taking us through the Garden District
Other mansions in the Garden District:
One of the area’s highlights is the historic Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, where more than 7,000 people are buried, including Rice’s fictional characters, the Mayfair Witches. The name of the cemetery is derived from the original name of the district which was called Lafayette. Fun fact: the Interview with a Vampire author, who recently passed away, got up to many shenanigans in New Orleans in real life, including staging her own funeral jazz parade while still alive and well.
Jump on the Charles streetcar to the downtown core. Along this scenic route are mansions, parks, large oak trees, restaurants, bars, hotels, shops and more. As this is the Mardi Gras parade route, you’ll notice many strings of colourful beads hanging from oak trees. Streetcars are a convenient and affordable way to explore New Orleans. There are 4 streetcar lines, originating from the downtown. One-way ticket cost: $1.25.
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What to do in New Orleans at Night
Dinner at Bombay Club, which offers live jazz music every night. Located in the heart of the French Quarter, the restaurant specializes in fine Creole cuisine, and some dishes are infused with Indian fare. It is also known for its speciality cocktails and they have a selection of sharables. I ordered the tikka masala, paired with Oynos pinot grigio, and for dessert shared a sticky toffee bread pudding. Absolutely delicious. Vegetarian/vegan options: if you eat cheese, I recommend the masala, but if you don’t, ask your server for recommendations.
Delightful live jazz performance
Tikka masala
If you are lucky, you might see an exciting wedding jazz parade at night in the city, especially on a weekend, as we did. The police stop traffic and escort the brass band and partygoers through the streets.
Later, an evening stroll along the world-famous Bourbon Street. It will surely ignite all your senses. Catch live jazz music on every corner. The street is wall-to-wall bars, strip clubs and souvenir shops, and revellers. Have a drink on one of its famous balconies. Just off Bourbon Street, visit hotspot Pat O’Brien’s, renowned for its Hurricane Cocktail (for me, a glass of wine). Located on Peter Street, just off Bourbon St., it has a large open-air patio, a famous flaming fountain, live music (duelling pianos) and lively atmosphere.
Bourbon Street
Drinks with colleagues at Pat O’Brien’s
Note: On Bourbon Street, if you are snake-phobic (like me), be on the alert for people with snakes offering pedestrians to have photos taken with them. And overall, keep your wits about you.
DAY 2
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What to do in New Orleans During the Day
Breakfast
Start the day off with breakfast of the New Orleans classic, beignets, a small square-shaped donut-like fritter served with powered sugar, at Café du Monde. Located in the historic French Market, the oldest public market in the U.S., in New Orlean’s French Quarter district. Pair the beignets with a café au lait. Fun fact: the beignets were brought to Louisiana by the Acadians.
Beignets
Walking Food Tour, Historic French Quarter
Take a walking food tour in the French Quarter with Destination Kitchen. Our food tour featured a 3-hour walking food tour “venue hopping” with tastings at famous eateries, while learning about the fascinating history of New Orleans. Tastings included Louisiana favourites: gumbo, jambalaya, Po’ Boys, gator bites, charbroiled oysters, bread pudding, and more.
Vegetarian Po Boy made with French Fries
Simple yet delicious, classic beans and rice dish (vegentarian)
Platter with sandwiches for our group
The venues on our food tour: The historic French Market has a variety of food stalls where you can try many items, and it is affordable and ideal for the budget-traveller; The Market Café, which has live jazz on an open-air patio where you can sit and take your time; and ended at the New Orleans School of Cooking where we tasted sweet pralines. With Destination Kitchen, there is an option to combine a walking tour with a cooking class at New Orleans School of Cooking. Vegetarian/vegan options: they can accommodate; ask when booking.
City Festivals
Check out a city festival. New Orleans has more than 130 festivals every year, including Mardi Gras. For a brief part of the afternoon (30 minutes), I parked my butt on some grass at a park and enjoyed some live music at the 15th annual Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival that featured blues and jazz performances, an art market, BBQ vendors (with vegetarian options). Presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the festival took place at Lafayette Square. I caught the performance of the amazing Joy Clark (it was brief, though, because it rained). Check the entertainment listings for current festival events.
Tour Sazerac House
Late afternoon tour of Sazerac House, a relatively new fun and interactive venue where you will learn about the famous New Orleans Sazerac cocktail created in the 1850s, and experience a variety of tastings. Located at Canal and Magazine streets.
Sazerac House lobby
Sazerac House, sampling the famous drink
Sazerac House lobby
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What to do in New Orleans at Night
Dinner
Dinner at Meril, celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse’s latest concept and his fourth restaurant in New Orleans (Meril is named after his daughter). Located in the Arts Warehouse District, Meril is casual and contemporary with a lively atmosphere. There is something for everyone on the menu and the staff will happily adapt for food restrictions. Lots of sharable items on the menu, as well as a decent wine and cocktails selection.
Since I was with a group of travel bloggers, so we ordered a large variety of items to share, which ranged from fried turkey necks to devilled eggs, gnudi, ribs, eggplant, crisp cauliflower, chocolate mousse, yellowfin tuna bundle, and more. I had a beet and arugula salad, as well as vegetarian flatbread. The meal ended with candy floss for the table. For wine, I paired my meal with K Vintners Golden West Columbia Valley Pinot Noir 2019 (Washington). Vegetarian/vegan options: there are plenty of options.
The meal ended with candy floss with sparkles
If you desire a nightcap, consider the bar or lounge at the hotel as it is a packed day and you won’t have far to flop into your cozy bed.
DAY 3
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What to do in New Orleans During the Day
Brunch, French Quarter
Brunch at the historic The Court of Two Sisters in the French Quarter (Royal Street), known for its live jazz brunch, creole cuisine and romantic outdoor courtyard. Enjoy some soulful entertainment while you feast on items from their extensive buffet, or order dishes such as omelets from the menu. Vegetarian/vegan options: the buffet has plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and yogurt.
Two Sisters outdoor patio
Live jazz musicians play outdoors on the patio
Explore Royal Street, French Quarter
To work off that food, take a stroll along Royal Street and through the neighbourhood. heck out the Voodoo shops and cool architecture.
One of the French Quarter’s famous buildings
Voodoo shops are popular here
Moi
Visit Vue Orleans
Afternoon, visit Vue Orleans, an interactive experience to learn about the history of New Orleans and view the city – a breathtaking view – from the 34th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel.
The Four Seasons Hotel. Vue Orleans is on the 34th floor.
Interactive exhibition, video story of the founder of jazz.
Interactive exhibition
View of New Orleans from the rooftop of the Four Seasons Hotel
IF YOU GO…
Where to Stay:
New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District, located across from the Convention Centre on Convention Center Boulevard. Redesigned, comfortable and convenient. Rates range from about $230+ (U.S.), depending on when you go (check with the hotel directly for rates). The warehouse arts district was once an industrial area that evolved into an artsy and trendy area with art galleries, museums, boutiques, chic bistros and wine bars.
Photo courtesty Marriott
Getting There:
If you are travelling by air, taxi from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to downtown or French Quarter cost is approximately $40.00 (U.S.), with Uber being only a slightly less (by a few dollars). It takes roughly 20-30 minutes.
Getting Around:
A good option are the streetcars, convenient and affordable. Uber and taxis were reliable.
Safe for Women Travelling Solo?:
Stick to tourist or familiar areas, be aware of your surroundings at all time when in crowds and, of course, mind the alcohol.
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly?:
Louisiana cuisine is traditionally heavily meat-based and/or fried, though New Orleans has fabulous restaurants that offer healthy options for vegetarians/vegans.
What are your favourite things to do in New Orleans? I would love to hear from you. Tweet to me at @Shannon_Skinner.
I was a guest of New Orleans Tourism. Special thanks to Lafayette Travel and TBEX for making arrangements. Opinions are mine.
Shannon Skinner is an award-winning broadcaster, international speaker, author, and travel and wine writer. She is based in Toronto. Watch her interviews at www.ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com. For information on her speaking engagements, contact her at Shannon (at) ShannonSkinner.com.
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Friday Harbour Fashion Show with partner CAFA
On Saturday, August 20th, Friday Harbour, a new luxury, all-season resort located 45 minutes north of Toronto, presented its “Dress to Impress” Fashion Collective Series in partnership with the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards (CAFA). It was an inspiring runway show infused with energy and passion celebrating Canadian designers, which took place on the resort’s signature pier.
CAFA was created to recognize and celebrate outstanding achievement and emerging talent in Canadian arts and fashion.
The show took place over two weekends this summer.
Some of the Canadian designers featured in the show, which took place on the pier at the resort, included: Pink Tartan, Shan, Joseph Tassoni, Narces, Whitney Westwood, Christopher Bates, RVNG Couture, among others. The show was hosted by TV personality Nicole Servinis.
Hani Roustom, CEO, Friday Harbour, welcoming remarks with Vicki Milner, CAFA president
I also had the privilege of attending a pre-runway fashion show VIP cocktail reception on the pier. It was great to catch up with Friday Harbour’s CEO, Hani Roustom (I’ve known Hani since his days as director of the Hazelton Hotel in Toronto).
We tried a delicious new cocktail from Moët & Chandon: Ice Impérial, champagne on ice infused with fruit. And there was musical entertainment.
Moi (jacket by Italian designer, Etro; pants, Valentina; sandals, Chanel; sunnies, Chanel)
Guests were treated live music entertainment on the pier by Kyle Wauchope.
There were also several pop-up vendors onsite selling clothing, accessories and lifestyle brands (see below).
Here are some of the looks from the show:
Moi, pictured with Andrea McMullen, owner of AMC designs at Friday Harbour
Musical entertainment
The pier and harbour as the sun falls
Some of the pop-up vendors selling Canadian clothing/accessories/lifestyle brands:
About Friday Harbour: an all-seasons waterside resort providing world-class luxury located at the edge of Lake Simcoe, Innisfil, Ontario and only 45 minutes drive north of Toronto.
Shannon Skinner is an author, writer, TV host, international speaker. She writes about travel, wine and living well for women.
India Independence Day Celebrations
Every year, August 15th is a holiday in India that marks the anniversary of India’s independence from British rule.
This year, it was the 75th celebration of India’s Independence Day and I was honoured to attend an event hosted by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Consul General of India in Toronto, Apoorva Srivastava
The event was held at the Pearson Convention Centre in Brampton. It featured remarks by the Consul General, Ms. Apoorva Srivastava, entertainment by the highly-acclaimed Lata Pada’s Sampradaya Dance Creations and a premier performance by Malhargroup. Of course, no India event would be without delicious India cuisine.
It was terrific to see so many friends after the past two years, and other friendly faces I have seen at various events in the Indo-Canadian community. I am so grateful that the community has welcomed me with open arms.
Here are some snaps from the event.
Ajay Tandon, the man who got me to India in the first place and started my love affair with India, who I will be forever grateful for.
Gursharan Mann, TV Host/Actor.
Malhargroup presented a musical rendition of patriotic songs Azadika Amrit Mahotsav
Lata Pada’s Sampradaya Dance Creations performers
Spot Shannon 🙂 Photo credit: General Consulate of India in Toronto.
My love for India does not diminish. It grows. There is so much to discover.
Shannon Skinner is a writer, TV host/producer, author and international speaker. She writes on travel and wine.
Brenda MacIntyre, Medicine Song Woman
On June 21st, I had the honour of interviewing Brenda MacIntyre, Medicine Song Woman, a Juno- winning indigenous artist and keynote speaker. June 21st is Indigenous People’s Day in Canada and it also happened to be the summer solstice. I first met Brenda in 2010, when I first launched my web and TV show, Extraordinary Women TV. It was a delight to have her on my show then, and a pleasure to re-connect on Twitter Spaces, Twitter’s live audio feature, where I interviewed her a second time
Brenda’s music is healing. Through her signature medicine, song, healing work and picking up the pieces, 13 moon resilience and re awakening program, Brenda helps women manage grief, trauma and chronic pain. She’s based in Canada.
Show Notes
You will learn:
- The meaning of Indigenous People’s Day and Brenda’s perspective as an indigenous woman.
- The healing power of music.
- How a mother of a son who was murdered turned her pain into purpose and healing.
Audio Clip of Brenda’s Top Tip (sound on, 13 secs.)
Transcript (edited for length and readability)
Interview date: June 21, 2022 / Twitter Spaces / hosted by Shannon Skinner
Shannon: This space is powered by Extraordinary Women TV.
So it is Indigenous People’s Day here in Canada. What does it mean to you?
Brenda: It’s a day for our people to come together and celebrate, and to show our culture and take pride in who we are. and on the flip side of that, it’s kind of awful to know that our government is behind the scenes basically doing all kinds of, well, the genocide continues. And so this is kind of a performative day in a way for a lot of people. And then they will forget about us and go about their business, meanwhile we have missing and murdered women and girls. I mean, my son was murdered.
Shannon: That’s right. A few years ago, your son was murdered here in Toronto.
Brenda: Six years ago, still feels like yesterday. There’s still so much that’s going on that needs to be healed and the media loves to ignore it. And so does the government. So it’s a day where at least we can claim space. And have pride in our culture.
Shannon: It’s also a great day for others to learn about the culture, music, dance and art. So it’s good to raise awareness from that standpoint.
Brenda: It is. And it’s also really good to raise awareness about truth and reconciliation because that’s what really needs to happen so that our culture can be celebrated. And in an even bigger ways.
Shannon: You are an artist, a singer and you make beautiful music. What inspired you to become a singer? I’ve known you for a number of years, I’ve interviewed you in the past, so I’m familiar with your music. What inspired you to become a singer, in the first place?
Brenda: I always have been one. I couldn’t not be one. I was born to be a singer. That’s who I am. It’s in my name. It’s literally in my name – Medicine Song Woman. That’s who I am. And I didn’t know anything about my indigenous heritage at all until my thirties.
And I’m still discovering, because I was adopted in the sixties. But, I knew from the age of 11 that I was to be a singer.
Shannon: Maybe you can describe your music and what makes it unique.
Brenda: All of my songs are healing songs these days. When I started out, I was actually a rap artist in Miami.
So picture that. Right. that’s how I got my start. And I loved hip hop because it was very easy for me to just make rhyme. It was so easy and I was asked by this label to do a 12 inch single. And it was the start of my career, really. After that I went to reggae and I fell in love with reggae, and I am still in love with reggae. Roots reggae, mostly, but even a little dance hall, but I play in a way that nobody was really doing back then, which was conscious music. After just sort of doing empty rap and I don’t know, pop songs and whatever, even some house music and stuff like that, it was empty to me. But when I fell in love with reggae and started playing with the reggae band, back in the nineties, that just lit my soul on fire because now people were not just dancing and enjoying themselves, but they were listening to the lyrics and singing them.
They were singing those conscious lyrics. For me, it was about oneness and peace and coming together as people. And so that’s continued as a theme in all of my work, really. So reggae was a gift to me and became kind of part of the way that I sang too. Marcia Griffith, like I fan girl over her, she’s like one of the greats.
Because it’s conscious music and that’s kind of where I started springing into more of that. And now that’s all I do is conscious music. It’s no more of the fluff anymore. When I was 11 and when I was a teenager and even in my twenties thought that I was gonna be a pop star. That was my whole thing. And no, that’s like, not at all. I’m not even part of the music industry. My music now, kind of like my last album, there’s a little reggae. There’s a little rap. There’s a little kind of R and B styles. The thread though is that it’s indigenous reggae. So there is hand drumming and certain kind of shaker.
So it’s more like a roots reggae style, but with an indigenous flavour and foundation. And when I do my albums, everything’s done in ceremony. I’m infusing healing energy into what I’m doing.
Shannon: So, as you mentioned, your son. was killed in Toronto in 2016. And you really turned to your own music to help you with your own grief and you turned that into a way of also helping other women, too, with trauma and grief. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Brenda: First of all, music is the thing that brought me back from the shock. The first couple of years were just a mess of all kinds of weird publicity media stuff and discoveries and going to court. Then the real trial didn’t start until actually 2018. And it literally started on my birthday.
After a bunch of delays, it was supposed to start much earlier. I called that year, 2018, the year of court, not realizing half of 2019 would also be spent in court. But I prepared myself for it, so I was in ceremony that whole year. And I just did, nothing but healing for myself, but I also applied for grants.
I was like, what’s gonna get me through this as always is my music. So I decided to make an album literally while I was in the murder trial. Obviously not in the, on the benches, but in between sessions. That’s what I was doing was working on that album and it got me through it, but also those are songs for grief.
They’re full of love for my son. That’s the medicine, songs of love and grief. And I did that on purpose. So that all that I was going through would go into those songs as medicine and also the healing that I was getting while I was going through that. The trial ended June 2019. And then September, 2019 is when I put the album out. Every time I do music, it’s never just about the music. It’s always something attached to it for the healing. There’s always an e-book that goes with it to help people understand how to use the music for healing, and then spirit leads everything.
Spirit leads away on everything for me. So I got a download, a spiritual download. Here’s what I need to do next. And it was to create the picking up the pieces 13 minute program for women. And that program for women is how I get to literally just spend my new and full moons in play mode. I’m just playing and I’m lit on fire.
I’m just in my element and that’s because we’re singing, dancing, moving, we’re doing resilience, embodiment practices to those songs. And then on top of it, the new moons, that’s just a splash for me. That’s so much fun because I literally am channeling music live for them during the new moons for a journey every time.
So that kind of came through and it’s been amazing just seeing how the women have shifted and how they have become like sisters. It’s incredible for me.
Shannon: Give us an example of how you’ve helped someone.
Brenda: I have my medicine song healing technique that also came through from spirit in 2008. So I’ve been doing medicine song healing work for a long time. I have healed a little girl of a – she had basically came to me with a tumour and when I say came to me, they were thousands and thousands of miles away.
I do this all by distance, the healing work and the tumour had been operated on – and was there was something going on? The family contacted me and within two weeks of the healing session for that little girl, the tumour was completely gone.
So that was like my, ‘okay, now I know it works’ kind of a sign. In fact, when I started, I also had people just come into my drumming circles and literally walk away without the back pain or the headache that they came in with. Lots of stories. And the resilience piece is really important too.
Like, just to see these women who are struggling. I struggle with chronic pain still, ever since my son died, too. And I get myself as an example actually, cuz I had panic attacks all the time and now I hardly ever have them. And when I do, they’re very short instead of what I was having before with the CCP PTSD after losing my son.
I’ve seen similar shifts in others, in the women cuz we’re doing the practices. It’s not like here, go read a book, or listen to this song and now we’re done. No, we’re working with the music but really we’re playing with it. It’s getting those things into the body memory. It’s rewiring the brain and body, basically.
Shannon: Isn’t it amazing how music can be healing, but when you have knowledge and wisdom, like you do about a way of using and channeling music to heal, that’s truly a gift.
Brenda: I’m grateful to be able to do that work. It is everything to me.
Shannon: And on your website there’s some testimonials, there’s some women who wrote about their experiences. And I know that you have a video there as well about you talk like the one as a sizzle reel of you sort of speaking and whatnot.
And it’s really captivating. You can listen to your music, and we can watch how people react in the crowd to your music in the rooms. And I thought that was really quite lovely.
Brenda: Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. I really miss in person everything, I’ve been doing virtual ever since 2010 anyway, so it’s still fun. I’m still enjoying, delivering my music in that way, in those formats, still doing circle, it’s just not in person.
Shannon: What are you working on now?
Brenda: the healing sessions, the medicine song, healing work that I do.
And the picking up the pieces, 13 moon program, we open for the summer season, actually tomorrow. So, tomorrow I have a solstice event that’s happening, which is on my events page at my website medicine song woman.com. And you can join us for free for a solstice, celebration. We’re gonna do some of those resilience, embodiment practices and with the live music that I’ll sing for you.
Shannon: And, and to be clear too, people don’t necessarily need to be indigenous to work with. Though you work primarily with women?
Brenda: Yeah. For the picking up the pieces program, it’s open to women and two spirit non-binary people.
Tends to be all women that show up for me. and then the medicine song, healing work, really, anyone can book a session with me. I work privately with a number of long term clients and those are all women. Every now and then I will get an other gendered person for those healing sessions.
Shannon: I’m curious, to win a Juno is a huge honour. How did you feel when you got this award?
Brenda: It’s a little bit different of a story because it was our producer that received the award because it was for a compilation album. So really it’s like kind of 10 of us artists that got to share that honour. I didn’t even know we had submitted or anything was cuz there’s a whole process. You have to actually submit and pay a bunch of money to be considered for a Juno, or your label has to do it for you. If you have one and we didn’t have a label. I guess we were with a little label with that album. But it was exciting. Billy Bryans was my producer. He’s he was the drummer of the Parachute Club.
Shannon: So to wrap, if you can leave us with a tip on following your heart or something to do with music and healing, that would be lovely.
Brenda: I’ll always start with the breath. Always get into your body. Like we’re most of us are walking around in our heads. Most people are not living in their body. They’re living in their heads. And we need to get back into our bodies because that’s where the good stuff is.
So it helps you to feel grounded and to just be able to do anything if you get into your body and you can do that by breathing into your belly, that is the most simple thing that any of us can do to come out of a trigger, out of a panic attack.
Out of anger when you wanna like lash out at somebody or if you’re just feeling like you need to come back home, that’s the biggest and easiest thing that we can do.
Just brings you home. I learned that when I brought myself home. Literally, I sang my spirit home and you can’t sing without breath.
Shannon: So I’ve noticed that even for myself, when you’re feeling anxious about something, when you stop and just do some kind of breath work, it does center you.
Brenda: Immediately. There’s a reason our body’s sigh. Like all of a sudden you’re like Ah.
And yawning. Yawning is the deepest breath you can take. And there’s a reason for that, too. It just brings us back home.
Shannon: Well, thank you. And thank you for sharing some of your evening with me.
AUDIO RECORDING OF INTERVIEW (RAW, UNEDITED FILE)
Shannon Skinner is an author, international speaker, radio host, creator and host of Extraordinary Women TV.com, and travel and wine writer. You can find her on Twitter at @Shannon_Skinner.
Meet jibneh cheese entrepreneur Benita Kasbo
Benita Kasbo is a cheesemaker, entrepreneur and owner of Kasbo’s Market, based in New Jersey, U.S.
I met Benita Kasbo last year on Twitter. It was during COVID lockdown last year that I had the privilege of being one of the early adopters of Twitter Spaces, the social media platform’s live audio feature. One of the first people I met in Spaces was Benita, a bright and well-spoken Syrian-American businesswoman from New Jersey, U.S., whose story and business – making a special Syrian cheese, jibneh – intrigued me.
If you are on Instagram, you may have even caught our recent Instagram Live.
Earlier this month (June 10, 2022), I interviewed Benita Kasbo on Twitter Spaces, back at the place where we first met.
Here are some highlights from our conversation in the transcript below. Note the text from the original transcript has been shortened for length and edited for readability.
“My mission is to bring authentic Middle Eastern flavors and foods to your table.”
Show Notes:
You will learn:
- what Syrian Jibneh cheese is, what makes it unique and how it is made.
- tips on getting a food brand start-up off the ground (during COVID).
- how Benita landed a feature article in the New York Times (with millions of impressions and value of more than $150K) without having any PR experience.
“I came to the U.S. with my family as a toddler from Aleppo, Syria. I’m a proud Syrian American and I’m very excited to share my favorite traditional Middle Eastern staples with you.”
Audio Clip of Benita’s Mission(13 secs.)
“
Transcript (edited for length and readability)
*Interview Date: June 10, 2022 / Twitter Spaces
Shannon: What is Kasbo’s Market? Where did you get the vision?
Benita: Kasbo’s Market is a curated Middle Eastern food brand and it was inspired by my Syrian heritage. I was born in Aleppo, Syria, and I came to America when I was two years old. However, I wasn’t really Americanized because my family was very traditional. At home, we only spoke Arabic and at the school I spoke English.
I kind of grew up in two worlds. I honestly can say the best part about growing up for me was the food that I was exposed to. I always loved it and I would get excited if we got invited to someone’s house because I thought, what food they were going to serve us, cuz that’s how much I enjoyed the food of my culture.
As I got older and became an adult, I had this idea to do a food brand, almost 20 years ago. So I’m a little late, but it’s not really late. But I do wish I did start it earlier. What kicked it into gear for me was, actually back in 2018, I started working with Syrian refugees and I started helping them with translation.
That was during the height of the Syrian war. That really inspired me to say, how can I represent this culture in a positive way? Cause that was such a very difficult time for that part of the world. It still is, but people don’t talk about it that much anymore.
So I’ve been making jibneh since I’ve been married, so a long time, and I said, I really would love to share this with people. I started giving it out to friends, and friends of friends, and people would say, you should sell this, it’s so good, and nobody knows what it is. So I did start my LLC back in 2018, but I never got it up and going.
During COVID was when everything came together. While we were all home quarantining, I was able to get all my licenses and get everything properly done to have a real business. During the pandemic, I went for it and then I launched it.
Shannon: It takes a lot of guts and grit to get a business off the ground.
Benita: Totally completely. It’s still scary. There’s still a lot of questions. I always chuckle when you wrote entrepreneur, and you said that, because I don’t think of myself that way, even though I know that I am that by definition.
I just consider myself someone on a mission to expose people to food that maybe they’re not comfortable with or they don’t know. And so that’s really what motivates me is this mission to make it happen.
Shannon: Connecting food to culture. So what makes jibneh cheese unique?
Benita: Jibneh starts with curd. So I always joke around that I don’t have a cow in my yard. I’m not like going to get milk and make curd. I purchase curd and it starts with a curd recipe.
I try to make them as uniform as possible, but it’s not always perfect. Then, I salt them and they have to go through a curing process. What the curing process does is, number one, the salt penetrates the curd to give the curd the saltiness that you taste once the jibneh is fully made. And it removes the moisture.
And that helps makes it extremely meltable. Also it doesn’t get oily. Sometimes cheeses that are high in moisture, when you melt them, they tend to get oily. Jibneh doesn’t. So once the certain amount of hours pass and it’s cured, it goes through another process with cooking and seasoning. I use this Middle Eastern spice called mahleb, derived from seeds of cherry pits from the Middle East. These little seeds almost look like pinoli nuts and are very tiny. Then I finely grind them and it turns into a powder that releases an aroma of almonds and nuttiness, and a slight floralness. And that gets incorporated into the cooking process. Then the curds, as you’re cooking them, turn into cheese and these little mahleb seeds grab onto the curd.
Once it’s fully cooked, it comes out, and you see all the speckling on the jibneh and then I have to cool it immediately after. What the cooling process does, even though I’m not a food scientist, I just am an experienced person making this, is lock in the flavor of the jibneh.
Then the next day, you have to keep it overnight, it’s ready.
Shannon: I know on your website, you have pairings ideas. You talk about, growing up, you would eat watermelon and cantaloupe with it. It sounds refreshing.
Benita: It’s so delicious with watermelon or cantaloupe, because you get that sweet and savory combo. Also because the jibneh is low moisture. I don’t want to say it’s semi soft. I’d say it’s semi hard. So it’s softer than cheddar, but not as soft as mozzarella. So the texture of it along with fruit is delicious.
Shannon: Also you pair it with apricot jelly. I suppose probably any kind of fruit jelly or jam would be good on it. And then toast it.
Benita: In the Middle East, we love apricot jam. We love fig, even cherry would be so good with it because it has the seeds from the cherry itself.
So any of those types of flavors where you’re getting sweet with the salty is so delicious and whenever you have a warm piece of bread with a cold jam and then something salty on top, you’re getting so many different flavors and textures as well as the heat from the bread. It just makes for such a delicious bite.
Shannon: Where is your cheese available?
Benita: I do a farmer’s market right now for the whole month of June, in Madison, New Jersey, which is where my commercial kitchen is. And then it’s available at Ideal Cheese Shop in Manhattan, as well as Day Bars now in Manhattan, that happened recently and then, and also West Side Market in Chelsea.
Benita: And in Maplewood, New Jersey, it’s available at a store called the Maplewood Wheelhouse. So right now it’s four locations. Then there’s actually one coming in about 10 days and then, something even bigger is happening probably within the next month.
Shannon: Your mission… can, if we can just circle back to that for a moment because I love this idea of connecting food with culture. For you, you know, it’s not so much teaching people about Middle Eastern culture, but you love for people to be able to experience the Middle Eastern culture through food. Is that what I’m understanding?
Benita: Yeah, absolutely. Unfortunately, because of the news that comes out of that part of the world, it’s never positive. And I think that there’s a perception of what that is. People are enjoying hummus and falafels, but they’re not thinking about the people that come from there, I think sometimes. I really want that to be a focus, like where you’re thinking like, oh my gosh, like these people make these, this amazing food it’s, you know, a beautiful country. I wanted to start being a broader picture of where these places are and how wonderful they can be and just kind of dilute that image that they see on the news about all the war and all the stress.
So if I can be a voice for that, that’s really is my part of my mission. Sometimes people can be intimidated by foods from other cultures because they might think it’s complicated or they’re unfamiliar with. So I think that if I can simplify it for them, that’s another way for people to learn.
Shannon: When you got started, what was the greatest challenge for you?
Benita: I think the biggest challenge is actually just taking the first big step. I think that’s the biggest hurdle. Taking down the mental barriers that we put up for ourselves to go after it.
So that was like the first big thing, because I do have a young family, I have three children. It’s very busy. It’s a very complicated schedule and you know, it would be easy for me to make excuses as to why I can’t.
And then once I knew I was like, all right, that’s it, I’m doing this, after that, of course like logistically it’s challenging in the beginning, especially because it was during COVID, was getting my licenses and having people come inspect my kitchen. Those logistics were very hard.
But I made it work. I got it done. And then off I went. And you have to be okay with rejection because there is a lot of rejection. You have to be willing to go out there and knock on the door of places and ask if you can meet with the owner.
Shannon: One thing you did extremely well, and I was really proud of you, is that you managed to land a feature in the New York Times. As somebody who has over 25 years experience in PR as a public relations consultant and in media, I know how difficult it is to get publicity, but in particular, the New York Times. And here you are a small business owner, you didn’t have a big agency behind you, you didn’t have a big publicity budget as well, but you did it. You got this amazing piece. So congratulations.
Benita: Thank you so much. It was very exciting.
Shannon: How did you do it? Because maybe there is an entrepreneur or a small business owner listening. They may be in your industry or any other industry, and they want to do it themselves, too. And maybe by you sharing how you did it, that will inspire others to do the same.
Benita: I knew who Florence Fabricant [New York Times food writer] was, in terms of her name and what she’s about. And I said to myself, she’s in New York city, New York Times is obviously in New York. I’m not far from the city. And I said to myself, why not just try? She’s she may not email me back. Like if that’s the worst of it, I’ve had worse things happen to me. So what I did was I put together an email. And I wrote an email that was kind of personal. I talked about how I came from Syria when I was two years old. And how one of the best parts of my childhood was the food I was exposed to. I even threw in a joke. I said, I’ve been eating hummus and falafel before it was trendy. I explained to her what I was doing. I told her that I had started this food business during COVID and that, I would love for her to try it.
I said, okay, now we’ll just leave it out to the universe and we’ll see what happened. I thought it was a catchy subject line and the way I positioned it was I wrote there’s a new cheese in town. Have you tried it? And I thought that that would be a little eye catching. It was new to New York city. So I was like, she needs to know that this new thing is there and she’s a food lover. She’s a cookbook writer. I just thought that might grab her eye and, so off it went and then I just waited. I didn’t give it a lot of thought because I’m so busy. And then one day, six, seven [weeks later, I get an email directly from her, from Florence Fabricant, and she writes back to me and she says, hi, Bonita, I’m sorry in my delay getting back to you. I would love to try this cheese and I’d be happy to go buy it.
I was like blown away. When I got the email, I was shocked. I quickly replied and they said don’t worry about buying it. I’ll deliver it to you. So, that evening I put together a beautiful package and I personally delivered it to her building in New York city.
And then she communicated with me that she received it. And then her team contacted me and they said it will be in the New York Times next week.
And there you go.
And it was actually a pretty large article as well as the picture was about a four by six size. So that really blew me away..
Shannon: Congratulations because I do know how difficult it is. What business owner wouldn’t want to be in the New York times?
So thanks for sharing that. And hopefully your little journey getting yourself some publicity [00:14:00] has inspired others. I’m sure that has opened or will open in the future some doors for you.
Benita: It did. It actually helped me get into Zabars. Zabars is a very big name in New York and outside of New York as well.
So it has been helpful having that article in my pocket. My advice would be just try. Even if you’re not a food entrepreneur, whatever type of entrepreneur you are, is if it’s just an email, don’t say, oh, it doesn’t matter. Or they won’t read it. You don’t know. And you also don’t know what’s going on on their end. They may be in need of what you’re providing them. What was interesting about my timing with the New York Times was, even though I don’t celebrate Ramadan, my family’s Catholic, it coincided with Ramadan. Eid was actually that following Monday after the article was published. And so, it was just such a perfect timing for something that is Middle Eastern to coincide with the Ramadan holiday. That worked out great for Florence as well. And then that story was shared.
When it came out, I didn’t see as just like a win for me. It was a win for our culture. Like now people across the world are reading about something that comes from the Middle East. So it was a win for my people. It wasn’t just a win for me. And that really excites me.
My neighbour next door is Egyptian and he felt that way, too. He said, oh my God, it’s such a big deal that people will know about this thing that we eat. And I said, exactly, I’m like, great. It’s we eat? It’s not, you know, Syrians eat it. It’s across the Middle East. And that’s part of bringing it back to culture and tying it back into food and educating people. So it’s a win overall.
Shannon: If you had one piece of advice or one tip?
Benita: Just give it a try. You don’t know the timing, you don’t know what’s going on with the other person. You don’t know what their needs are. I have a friend whose husband does a lot of marketing and PR for corporations. And he said to me you helped her out, too. He goes, you gave her information about something that is so new and that helps her. And so just try, you just never know, reach out to people, DM them.
I mean, I’ve spoken to so many people that I never in my life thought I would ever speak to because of Twitter and emails and Instagram. I’ve connected with so many great people for my business. Just by trying. Don’t sell yourself short and just go out and do it.
Shannon: I would just like to acknowledge that this interview was powered by ExtraordinaryWomenTV.
AUDIO RECORDING OF INTERVIEW (raw file)
Shannon Skinner is an author, international speaker, creator/host of ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com, and a travel and wine writer. She can be found on Twitter at @Shannon_Skinner. Tweet to her.
Benita Kasbo Spaces interview (text)
Shannon’s Book Club on Twitter Spaces
If you are a book lover who also loves travel, wellness, food and wine, join me for my book club on Twitter Spaces.
Every Thursday at 10am EST on Twitter Spaces I talk about books. On June 17th, we launched the inaugural Shannon’s Book Club on Spaces.
It is a book club open to all book lovers on Spaces, featuring books that inspire change and connection through food, travel and wellness. It is free to join.
The theme for the inaugural book club was Anthony Bourdain’s books on food and travel. We talked about Bourdain’s life, his writing careers, books and TV series, and his spirit.
For Book Club members:
Book Club schedule: We will pick a book to read each month and then meet the first Thursday of every month to discuss. And on the other Thursdays, we’ll talk about more general book-theme topics.
For those of you who joined the inaugural book club, since we already scheduled the next one for this upcoming Thursday, I suggest we go ahead and have a discussion around it, although some people may need more time to read it. Let’s discuss in our next Space. All ideas/suggestions welcomed.
Next book: A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle – a classic.
Date: Thursday, June 24th, 10am EST
Sign up for my weekly newsletter on Revue that features highlights from my Twitter Spaces and up-to-date information about the book club.
Shannon Skinner is an award-winning broadcaster, international speaker, author and writer who loves to travel and write about it. Watch her interviews at ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com and join her live on Twitter Spaces weekdays at 10am EST at @Shannon_Skinner.
Comedian Judy Croon on finding more laughter to boost the immune system
Judy Croon is a comedian, motivational speaker (including Ted Talks), radio host, Second City stand up coach and author.
She has worked with many celebrities including; John Cleese, Jon Stewart and Joan Rivers. Her specials have appeared on NBC, CBS, CTV and The Comedy Network. She is a co-author of the book, ‘From the Stage to the Page: Life Lessons from Four Funny Ladies!”
Judy is also involved in a number of charitable causes, and as a dog lover, she dedicates a lot of time to helping dogs. She is based in Toronto.
Judy Croon inspires me. She is confident and poised. She has had done a number of cool things with cool people in her long career. She makes me laugh. Of course she does: she’s a comedian. But more than that, she is a powerful storyteller.
“Humour is a gift.” – Judy Croon
I interviewed Judy recently on Twitter Spaces, Twitter’s new live audio broadcasting feature, last month and she filled the space with laughter and wisdom. I had first met Judy when I had interviewed her years ago on Extraordinary Women TV. She had me in stitches, so to speak. We then stayed in touch on Facebook.
When my beloved Old English Sheepdog, Bob, passed away, and I was in acute grief, Judy reached out to me. It was at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the beginning of what would become a challenging time for so many. Her kindness touched me.
But above all, Judy delivers an inspiring message for all to hear: Humour is a gift that can take us through hard times.
Studies show that laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter releases endorphins and serotonin.
Here are Judy’s top tips to help you find more laughter in your day:
- Find purpose. For Judy, it’s been her charity work.
- Get into the right brain: Watch funny videos, shows, Jerry Sienfeld jokes, Chris Rock, funny people, memes.
“Humour helps us move forward and get out of the grief.”
It also helps us make sense of the unknown.
“Stress is a major cause of most illnesses, and humour is an amazing way to relieve it. Studies have shown that when we are stressed, our brain shrinks. However, when we laugh, we relax; and when we relax, we learn. Humour helps to fight stress and keep a positive attitude -especially, in the face of change. Humour helps us lead healthier, happier and perhaps, even longer lives.” – Judy Croon
[Interview date: May 13, 2021]
*photo courtesy of Judy Croon
Shannon Skinner is an award-winning author, international speaker, broadcaster and travel writer. Watch Shannon’s interviews with Extraordinary Women at www.ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com.
