• by Kelly Samardak , June 18, 2010

BLBL Wine Launch Lunch, Felidia, New York
June 17, 2010

Let's say you love really good food. Let's say that when you eat this really good food you also like to quaff good vino with it. And let's just say that sometimes this eating and slurping happens in front of the television while watching a cooking show. And then let's just say that sometimes those cooking show viewings inspire you to go to the greatest grocery store ON EARTH for ingredients to make your own concoction - and also watch a lobster on a trapeze. Obviously you are me in this scenario. And I like invitations that include Lidia from Lidia's Italy, plates piled with meat, ladies who launch, and Stew Leonard's. That, my friends, was yesterday's lunch...

My parents taught me to treat everything new not with fear but with the heart of an explorer. Trust me, it makes lackluster situations a lot more...lusty. So when we moved from Detroit to Connecticut, before the boxes were even partly unpacked, we made two very important trips: NYC and Stew Leonard's, a winding maze of a place lined with freshly baked pies, singing dairy products, a mooing cow's head, and towers of red fat-ribboned meats. I'm drooling on my keyboard.

But that's not my only memory of Stew, Sr. When my dad and I both worked at IBM , my dad taught leadership development and other important brainwashing, I mean, management training courses. One video that we always got a kick out of was the Stew Leonard customer-is-always-right-egg-nog-return-policy video. The guy is the king of customer service. So it would make sense that his son, and now his granddaughter, would follow his lead in attempting to deliver a world class product to the masses.

Blake Leonard didn't bring any dancing milk cartons to launch her BLBL wine, but she did bring friend Blake Landini, successor to the Italian Viticcio Estate and partner in this "Two Girls One Wine" endeavour. I wonder if Stew Sr. got that reference. And if you don't get it, I'm not explaining it. Also? When anything is described in an Italian accent, it sounds like something you need.

The entire Leonard clan was there to support Blake and Beatrice, as well as Miriam Morgenstern from Wine Spectator; The Wandering Foodie's Hagan Blount; Grace Piper of FearlessCooking.tv; Annie Scott, Editor-In-Chief of PureHappyTravel.com; Karen Hochman from thenibble.com; Beatrice's father Alessandro Landini; and Chef Mark Tafoya, Executive Producer of culinarymedianetwork.com, and a dude I want to learn more from as he's taking a "how to build teams" course that deals with building teams in all facets of your life.

At my table I sat next to the lovely Erica Schwartz of Morris + King, who was the best lunch date ever. I mean, you have to sit with someone who will ooo and ahh over blobs of duck on risotto and the now famous "meat on meat on meat" main lunch course that practically leapt off the plate into my mouth. And the wine? Well, the BLBL "Super Tuscany Varietal", and grain of salt people, I'm not a wine writer, was light, lunchy, and could easily be sucked down a bottle at a time with a piping hot pizza (and maybe an episode of Lidia's Italy!)

Stew Leonard, Jr. introduced the lunch with a mirth-chubby speech full of cross stitch worthy bites like "If you wouldn't put it up for your mother, don't put it up for your customers" and, when describing his life full of women right down to his dog, "Someone in this house with all these hormones is always crying... and it's me." He was the ultimate proud papa and everything I would expect in a Stew Leonard: he knew everyone's names to thank without the aid of a note card, he walked from table to table, jabbing our blogger table for everyone having their phones out (you HAVE to tweet a meat plate!), clapping backs and shaking hands with everyone in the room. I don't think anyone left unscathed by the Stew Leonard charm.

Just before the dessert cheese plate was served, Felidia's owner and chef after my meat soaked heart, Lidia Bastianich arrived to show her support for the BLBL vino launch.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to map out where to fit the dancing milk cartons... or maybe the petting zoo...in my apartment.

Photos are up on Flickr, with MANY more coming!

*little wine scene gossip note: let's just say someone was getting a little flirty with Jerry Martellaro, director of wines for Stew Leonard's Wines*