C&G New York

02/01/2017

04/08/2015

We have been remiss in not posting for so long but the book tour, the movie premiere, the fashion show and the myriad press conferences were unavoidable.

Thank heavens RPZL Blow Out & Hair Extension Bar brought us back down to earth or we might have kept on living in the proverbial clouds or certainly at the top of the ivory tower – a reference to which the RPZL name, with its ability to deliver locks of natural looking (and indeed real) hair, is directly tied.

The brand new extensions and blow dry bar opened last month to rave reviews on 20th between 5th and 6th. Look, we don’t pretend to be the queens of extensions but its clear RPZL has it down.
Real hair, innovative techniques (one of which includes using ultrasound to adhere the hair rather than heat) and a beautiful place in which to have the transformation happen! Most importantly, it’s super cost effective and fast! 1.5 hours and you can walk out with Rapunzel like hair. Now, we are the goddesses of blow drys and they sure know how to do that too – which is included with every extensions service. Melissa, who helped us look our best for this well planned return to Facebook post, was excellent.

We will spare you that picture, but check out those of the salon and the pillow that was put on the couch just for me I am sure. Wow, maybe still in the clouds a little bit.

02/11/2015

La Terrine's Caroline Baroody was kind enough to spend the morning showing us around their upper west side store and show room today and we are so grateful she did!

The main reason for our excursion: their awesome registry program (super amazing personalized customer service; lots of brands exclusive to La Terrine including Deruta of Italy; range of multi-cost options in flatware, glassware, linen and a bunch of other items).

The main reason for our going back? Um, the awesome hostess gifts! Check out these awesome options – cool presents some for under $50 that look amazing! But I think most importantly, Caroline has almost a decade and a half in the industry and 4 years at La Terrrine – the woman knows what she’s doing and she’s super nice too!

01/31/2015

Happy Friday!

After starting the week off with a blizzard, we thought we’d end it on a higher note with a beautiful ring from Leo Ingwer, Inc.!

This month we have a handmade antique inspired engagement ring holding a 1.01ct diamond in a bezel set with a milgrained halo of 0.19ct tw diamonds surrounding and on the shank.

It may not fend off the next storm…but it sure is pretty!

01/23/2015

We rarely post pictures of our events or wedding couples on here in detail (and certainly not within days of the event) but we also rarely get the chance to do a central park wedding, in almost teen degree weather, with snow everywhere. We just had to share this - and thank you Sarah and Zach for letting us. Raquel Reis Photography thank you for giving us the beautiful images to keep the memories alive, and for not sitting down once in like 11 hours.

01/16/2015

Check out the cake that we had Lauri Ditunno from Cake Alchemy magically whip up in a day for an awesome 50th birthday bash last night. AND, it was croquant filled. We should make you look that up like we had to, but, its Friday: croquant = carmelized sugar and almonds. I don't care if you don't like sugar or almonds, you would like this.

01/14/2015

You know, there is a reason that you check out this page. Check out our latest find: Gardenias Fire, a new organization who is putting a creative spin on an old idea. We have all heard about edible arrangements, but Gardenias Fire creates these really AWESOME edible floral arrangements out of macarons, cupcakes and other delicious dessert goodies. We love them for bridal showers or post-wedding brunches. Let’s face it. Nobody is ever going to complain about having something sweet in their lives! It doesn’t hurt either that their pastry chefs use only the freshest ingredients. They are so fresh, as a matter of fact, that the bouquets are hand delivered to a few select counties in New Jersey. Can you blame us for wanting to spread the word so these arrangements can make their way into New York?

01/12/2015

We are back and more excited than ever to kick off our winter 2015 show series, which will examine restaurants that have catering arms too. It’s a growing segment of the industry and one that has not been properly explored – how to create a great relationship with a restaurant (for smaller private parties) that also has a catering arm for the larger ones. “Restaurants, Private Rooms and Catering too!” will cover the small but burgeoning market of restauranteurs that do it all and well. Tune in on Wednesday, January 14th at noon as BOTH the Director of Catering Sales, Sarah Weisman, and in-house Director of Private Events, Jodi Lynn, for Epicurean Events join us. Wondering if you should host your next dinner in a private room or at home? We will answer that question, explore cost structures and private space possibilities in the Epicurean group, which also owns four restaurants in New York: dell’anima, L’Artusi, L’Apicio and Anfora. The Italian inspired cuisine is driven by seasonal products and high caliber service that focuses on being friendly rather than formal; the Italian seeking guests are driven by the amazing tastes, homemade burrata and exceptional customer service.

After covering everything you ever wanted to know about liquor in our last series, it is time to discover where to find the best food to pair with those cocktails you now know all about!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weddingplanning/2015/01/14/event-jeannies-2015-winter-series-restaurants-private-rooms-catering-too

01/08/2015

You should be jealous of our Thursday afternoon. Thanks to the gracious hospitality of Julie McConnell and The National General Manager, Brandon Wilson, we ate till it hurt. We were also persuaded into trying the “National Mule,” a specialty cocktail made with vodka, ginger liqueur (now that’s not usual in a Moscow mule), lime juice, simple syrup and ginger beer concocted by Mr. Wilson himself. And of course, the infamous candied ginger garnish - AMAZING. When we say that the drink was out of this world, we mean it! We even asked Brandon to help ease the pain of ending our “Wet Your Whistle” liquor series by appearing as a guest star every month to feature one of his cocktails. If we get to try his drinks, then you should be able to hear about them regularly and so starts our cocktail of the month post! Or if you’d rather try them in person give yourself an excuse to stay warm and stop by The National on 50th and Lexington.

12/23/2014

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in NYC! The dinosaur shaped tree on the steps of the American Museum of Natural History's east entrance adds to the festive New York holiday glow. Take a look at the picture, we can’t make this stuff up!

In preparation for an upcoming event, two members of our FAVORITE museum team, John Duhig and Amy Ehrnsperger took us to a few nooks and crannies that even we didn’t know existed in the museum (even though we thought we knew it all) – what a great morning (thank you Amy and John). A special thank you to Audrey as well who spoiled us with a great book of quotes and cookies – all of which are awesome! While Jeannie REFUSES to take pictures anywhere, we made her dork out with Teddy after promising NEVER to show anyone……

12/18/2014

We are following up with one of the delicious Bombay Sapphire cocktail recipes Colin Asare-Appiah told us about on our December 10th radio show. You can make this drink single serve or in batches, however the holiday spirit moves you!

12th Night Cocktail (serving: 6 people) -

6 oz Bombay Sapphire gin
3 oz Martini Bianco
3 oz St-Germain
12 oz apple cider
Shaken served tall

12/17/2014

We are getting spoiled here in our offices this holiday season! Check out these beautifully customized macarons we received from one of our favorite places, Swallow My Words. They are the world’s only company that imprints customized messages on high quality chocolate and confections. If you can believe it, they taste as good (or, if it is possible, even better) than they look! With flavors ranging from peanut butter and jelly (one of our favorites!) to the Marco Polo (the really awesome black and gold ones), there is something for everyone. Check out their website at http://swallowmywords.com.

We are still fighting over who gets the last one here in the office so you KNOW they are that good.

12/16/2014

FINAL Wet Your Whistle Episode – Don’t yuck my rum - Zacapa!

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Yet what better way to bring our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series to a close than with the Brand Ambassador of the premier rum company, Ron Zacapa! On Wednesday, December 17th at noon Lynnette Marrero will introduce us to the first rum to be inducted into the International Rum Festival’s Hall of Fame. This honor may have something to do with the fact that Zacapa is aged in “The House Above the Clouds,” a facility 7,544 feet above sea level in the highlands of Guatemala. The naturally thinner air and lower atmospheric pressure of this unique location intensifies the infusion of flavors into the barrels. This is not the only thing that makes Zacapa’s creation process surprisingly unique. Instead of using traditional molasses as a base, Zacapa is made from concentrated first press of sugar cane, called virgin sugar cane honey, and a specialized strain of yeast extracted from pineapples.

Clearly, there is nothing typical about the way in which this rum is made, nor in the way that it tastes. Tune in this Wednesday to hear more about how this company has made their rum EXTRA-ordinary.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weddingplanning/2014/12/17/final-wet-your-whistle-episode--dont-yuck-my-rum--zacapa

12/09/2014

This week we will not only be infused with imagination, but also with alcohol! We will be continuing our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series on Wednesday, December 10th at noon LIVE from our offices with Colin Asare-Appiah. The Bacardi Portfolio Master Mixologist will be whipping us up some innovative new cocktails, perhaps even some of the final contenders of Bombay Sapphire's “The World’s Most Imaginative Bartender” competition.

It should come as no surprise that the company whose namesake is a 182 carat sapphire entitled the Star of Bombay enjoys crowning the best bartenders in the world. The real gem of the company, however, is their brand new distillery, Laverstoke. Designed by multiple award winning designer, Thomas Heatherwick, the distillery boasts a BREEAM award for sustainability and two stunning, intertwining botanical glasshouses. These glasshouses are meant to maintain two separate climates, one tropical and one temperate to foster the ten botanicals from around the world infused into every bottle of Bombay. If we are lucky, maybe Colin will reveal if the rumor about these gin botanicals making people angry is true, or a complete hoax.

So get your shakers ready. If we can have martinis on a Wednesday afternoon then so can you!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weddingplanning/2014/12/10/the-event-jeannie-has-bombay-sapphires-gary-hayward-live-in-cgs-office-1010

12/02/2014

Today we had lunch with the amazing ladies of Ellis Island and they brought us such a great present that we had to say thanks and share it with all of you! Check out the picture! We love you Patti and Stacey!

Separately, although along the same lines of supporting the professionals that we love - our awesome web designer (have we not yet mentioned that we are coming out with a super amazing awesome new website as of January 1st???) with whom we have been working for over 4 years, has asked for our votes in this competition that will allow him to win over $30k in products! So if you have 15 seconds (it actually takes 5 seconds) click on the link and support Collin and Taikun Inc.!

Here is the link to vote: https://optimalworkshop.wishpond.com/competition/entries/10577676

12/01/2014

“I make a filet mignon at a pot roast price.” Tito Beveridge, founder and owner of Tito's Handmade Vodka, wasn’t talking about steaks when he said this; he was talking about his double gold medal winning vodka. This Wednesday, December 3rd at noon our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series continues as the VP of Brand Marketing for Tito’s Vodka, Nicole Portwood, joins us. Learn how Tito’s has become THE vodka in its less than 20 year life span. It all started with Tito racking up 19 - yes, 19 - credit cards to the grand total of $88,000 in order to build a one man distillery and production still.
His gamble of creating the first legal distillery in Texas paid off, not only for him, but for vodka lovers everywhere.

We know that you want to learn more about how Tito became ‘the vodka guy’ and exactly what it is about this brand that makes it so darn good. So join us this Wednesday at noon and find out!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weddingplanning/2014/12/03/wet-your-whistle-series-continues-with-titos-handmade-vodka

11/18/2014

In case you missed our post last week!

Good things come to those who wait. Bulleit’s Master of Whiskey, Gina Fossitt, will be joining us on Wednesday, November 19th at noon to tell us why the Bulleit Distilling Company has been over a century in the making. Our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series continues as we learn how the original creator of the high rye whiskey, Augustus Bulleit, mysteriously went missing one day in 1860. It wasn’t until his great-great grandson left a successful law practice 127 years later that the old family recipe was revived. Now the company boasts a bourbon, a specialized rye whiskey, and an aged bourbon reserve, all of which are the recipients of multiple awards.

We can’t spoil ALL of the fun. If you want the full story then you are going to have to tune in this Wednesday at noon!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weddingplanning/2014/11/19/fall-wet-your-whistle-series-with-bulleit-distilling-company

11/14/2014

Good things come to those who wait. Bulleit’s Master of Whiskey, Gina Fossitt, will be joining us on Wednesday, November 19th at noon to tell us why the Bulleit Distilling Company has been over a century in the making. Our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series continues as we learn how the original creator of the high rye whiskey, Augustus Bulleit, mysteriously went missing one day in 1860. It wasn’t until his great-great grandson left a successful law practice 127 years later that the old family recipe was revived. Now the company boasts a bourbon, a specialized rye whiskey, and an aged bourbon reserve, all of which are the recipients of multiple awards.

We can’t spoil ALL of the fun. If you want the full story then you are going to have to tune in this Wednesday at noon!


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weddingplanning/2014/11/19/fall-wet-your-whistle-series-with-bulleit-distilling-company