Last week our family had a wonderful time with our Japanese daughter, Hitomi Kasai, and her mom, Yuri. They visited us during Hitomi's short vacation and were a surprise to many, as I had kept it a secret! They enjoyed snow activities such as sledding, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.

They were lucky to receive fresh lobsters as a gift from Mike Cromwell and were treated to fresh seafood at the Sea Basket. In return, they offered their cooking expertise and prepared a delicious, authentic Japanese Curried Beef dish with white rice, which is popular with their family. Jay and Lori welcomed these guest chefs to use their kitchen and people purchasing the delicious fare gave it rave reviews. Lori and I managed to capture the recipe and hope to offer it again soon.

This experience gave Lori a great idea. She is open to sharing her large and well-equipped kitchen with other guest chefs as well. If you have a favorite dish you'd like to prepare and serve at the store, or if you'd like to share a recipe for us to try, just give Lori a call at 882-9300 or stop by and talk to her. This Thursday I will be preparing homemade macaroni and cheese.

I have received a heads up for the first Community Association gathering this year. The annual wine tasting event will be held on Saturday, May 17 th this year. In addition to the wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres, they're planning a silent auction. Some of the items donated so far have been lobsters, gift cards, bread baking lessons and lunch for 3, a day trip on a sailboat, and a site visit from Anderson Farms for a consultation on plantings.

A full list of auction items and those offering the donations will be available in a later column. They are hoping for more contributions of items for the auction. If you'd like to donate an item or ask a question, please call Carol Blake at 882-4267.

If you have any news or business you'd like to see in this column, please contact me at: pbonyun@ gwi.net or 882-9032.