Edward F. Nesta

Orchids are nature’s most beloved and exotic of flowers and The Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) in Bronx, New York, annually attracts orchid aficionados, horticulturists, artists, and photographers to celebrate their stunning beauty. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, this year’s show features the vision of the acclaimed landscape artist and designer Lily Kwong who transforms the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a dream-like fantasy that must be seen to be fully appreciated. We attended opening …

Blue Moon Marquee – Scream, Holler & Howl marks the sixth release from the duo of A. W. Cardinal and Jasmine Colette. Their unique way of blending blues, jump, jazz, soul, rock-n-roll, and country creates a sound which is captivating, and with Blue Moon Marquee – Scream, Holler & Howl it may be their best release to date. The release contains 11 original tracks and 2 covers from the legendary Lonnie Johnson.

Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia each have an extensive discography, so for the release of Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia – Blood Brothers, they united to craft a sensational release that draws together their unique energy and styles. The release contains 11 original tracks written by Mike Zito or Albert Castiglia, and as co-producer Josh Smith states, "With this release, they have both found their musical confidante." In addition to this release, look for Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia – …

Wine education is always fun especially when the seminar is given by wine educator and award-winning author Kevin Zraly. Held as part of the 1st Annual Queen City International Wine Festival at Revel 32 in Poughkeepsie, New York, the wine seminar provided participants with the ability to learn to appreciate and look at wines in a new way. As the class involved tasting four wines, it was the perfect combination of learning while experiencing. Cheers!

The Kosher Food & Wine Experience (KFWE) 2023 held at Chelsea Piers Pier Sixty in New York City was a sold-out event that took guests’ palates on a tasty journey around the world without the need for a passport with exceptional kosher wines from Argentina, Australia, France, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa, and the United States. Produced by Royal Wine Corp. and celebrating its 17th anniversary (after a three-year hiatus), KFWE attracted almost 3,000 guests. Distilleries were also …

Vintage Cru at the Mohegan Sun – Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 in Uncasville, Connecticut was a celebration of wine and spirits excellence and provided wine and spirits lovers with the opportunity to taste a well-curated offering of 145 wines and spirits. It was a fantastic bon vivant late afternoon of experiencing exceptional wine and spirits hosted by Celebrity Chefs Rocco DiSpirito and Christian Petroni with oysters, shrimp, pairing cheeses, and live piano music by John Lomartra. Cheers!

The Mohegan Sun – Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 in Uncasville, Connecticut once again provided a diverse selection of wines, liquors, and delectable foods to sample during the Grand Tasting along with celebrity chef demonstrations from Nyesha Arrington, Marc Murphy, Robert Irvine, Maneet Chauhan, Michael Symon, Richard Blais, Chad Rosenthal, Jason Santos, Michele Ragussis, and Robert Sisca. It was a perfect afternoon of eating and drinking well, with the bonus of learning about new products, and getting new recipes …

I Hate Hamlet, (actually, we do not) that is the name of playwright Paul Rudnick’s award-winning comedic play. Directed by Kevin Connors, co-founder of the Music Theatre of Connecticut in Norwalk, Connecticut, I Hate Hamlet stars Robert Anthony Jones, Liliane Klein, Dan O’Driscoll, Constantine Pappas, Jo Anne Parady, and Elena Ramos Pascullo, and runs until February 19, 2023. If you need a bit of laughter in your life, go and see I Hate Hamlet. Zany characters and a plot about …

We loved "discovering" Pink House Alchemy (PHA) and using their small batch handcrafted flavored simple syrups and shrubs in our cocktail and culinary recipes. Their Simple Syrups include Cardamom, Dark Cherry Grenadine, Ginger, Hazelnut, Mexican Chile Syrup, Pumpkin Butternut Spice Syrup, and many more, and inspired Shrubs include Pineapple Rosemary, Pineapple, and Ginger. Whether you opt to use it in cocktail or culinary recipes, the possibilities are endless.

American Contemporary Artist William Nelson first caught the attention of Luxury Experience during the artist reception for his new works for the exhibition, PRETTY, Desirable, Delightful, DANGEROUS, at Cavalier Galleries in Greenwich, Connecticut. As film buffs, we were intrigued by his large-scale paintings featuring iconic actresses Rita Hayworth, Jane Russell, Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Uma Thurman, and many more set against New York landmarks and other film locations. The deft juxtaposition of the glamorous actresses and …