Chef Jamie Kennedy is our neighbor in Prince Edward County. During the warmer months, he hosts a popular Saturday night dinner series that is both legendary and enlightening. It has a certain exclusivity in that it generally sells out quickly—even at $250 per person—making it a lucky break that we managed to slide in at the last minute. READ MORE
I never thought that becoming a mother would make me a better cook, but you know what – it has!
The second I learned that I was pregnant with our daughter Audrey, I started to become more conscious of the food I was putting into my body. Mind you, I was never a bad eater—I don’t consume a lot of processed foods—but dining out was my standard, and there was never any meal prep on the agenda. Ever.
Once I started becoming more aware of the foods I was choosing to eat and enjoy, I started seeing it as a form of self-love. I was not only nourishing my baby, but I was feeding my body and mind at the same time. READ MORE
There was a time in my life when everything felt like it was crashing down on me. I was 24 years old and had just broken up with a boyfriend that after learning he was unfaithful. I was feeling down in the dumps, unfulfilled in life and in my career. I knew I was in a transitional period but wasn’t sure which way I was going.
Over my eight years as a matchmaker in Toronto, I’ve received numerous wedding invites from my clients – clients whose happy ending I was a very big part of. Though I love weddings, my habit is to graciously decline, not wanting the couple to feel pressured to introduce me to their guests as their matchmaker. Though it is a matter of pride—it is, after all, what I do—I am content in my behind-the-scenes role. Making people happy is what makes me happy.
Recently, however, I did attend the wedding of a couple I introduced. Over the years, the couple had become good friends of mine and my husband’s and I was happy to attend as a friend – not “the matchmaker”. It was an absolutely surreal experience.
I’m going to make a somewhat controversial statement:
Divorced men are the best ones to date.
Wait right there – before you pass judgment, just hear me out for a second. Nobody enters a relationship or marriage hoping that it’s going to end, but sometimes—and there could be a hundred different reasons a relationship does not succeed—the couple decides to part ways, moving on in different directions.
This spring, I helped Mike pick wild lilacs for the Madonna Vermouth. (I bet you were thinking of something other than vermouth when you saw this title, right?)
It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon. Audrey was spending time with Grandma in the winery while we were out in the backfield scouting out 4 large buckets worth of the headily aromatic flower.
Even though Mike runs the winery very successfully on his own, I still have a big role to play: helping him reach for his dreams as his partner, confidant and biggest supporter.
I jokingly call myself the “wife of a winemaker”, but really, I am so much more.
Our Prince Edward County home is surrounded by water and farm fields, very different than what we’re used to in the city.
Instead of seeing skyscrapers, pavement, and street lights, we are in the company of horses, cows, and the smell of fresh manure.
I definitely met my husband at the right time in my life. I was four years into running a successful woman’s wear store, and had already started the Match Me brand. My confidence was high, I was in a really good place in my life and I was really loving the person that I had become. It was exactly the right time to meet the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
Being an entrepreneur, and being a mother don’t usually go together in the same sentence. For me, both have made me a better person, and I know that all my hopes and dreams are achievable, simply because they’re in my power to make them real.
My life is love and wine.
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