I have mentioned a bunch of friends and their awesome ventures lately. I have been meaning to tell you about my friend Vicki and her husband who started the awesome cooking community website, Compleat Chef. Vicki is a friend from high school. She was in my middle brother’s class and was close friends with several of my track teammates. There is a photo of us from winter track, but let me say that I am not planning to post photos of myself from NJ in the late 80s on this site (as much as I like Vicki!) Vicki is a working mom (she works as an executive recruiter) in NJ with a passion for food. She and her husband started Compleat Chef in 2012.
What is Compleat Chef? It is “a food lover’s community.” This community was “born from the idea that super-busy people really can have wholesome meals made from a plant—not in a plant—CompleatChef is a food community on a mission to connect people with a passion for the real deal: cooking from scratch using fresh ingredients. ”
They invite all comers – even kitchen phobics like me – to participate in the discussion and fun!
How does it work? After you create a free Compleat Chef profile, you can meet other home cooks, find and share recipes, read quick kitchen tips and news stories (this is the section for me!), review eateries and tell your kitchen stories. They also encourage you to “bring the CompleatChef experience to life” with the Supper Club forum where they have tools to help you to organize a supper club in your area.
Check out Compleat Chef – you’ll be glad you did! (And say hi to Vicki for me, too!)
It is one of my favorite times of the year! Duck Derby! The Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby benefiting Special Olympics Illinois (SOILL) is next Thursday (8/8) and you still have time to be part of it. Adopt A Duck for $5 or a Quack Pack for $25 to help SOILL reach their goal!
The Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby is an annual fundraiser. Thousands of spectators watch over 45,000 yellow rubber ducks splash into the Chicago River from the Columbus Drive bridge in downtown Chicago and race down river towards the finish line. Race Day kicks off at 10am on Thursday, August 8, 2013 at 400 North Michigan Avenue (The Wrigley Building) with entertainment for the entire family – face painting, games, free food and appearances by several sports mascots. Splashdown for the Duck Derby is at 1pm. All proceeds benefit over 21,300 athletes and nearly 13,000 Young Athletes across Illinois.
Adopt here and be sure to use the official hashtag #ChiDuckyDerby to get live updates and have a chance to win great prizes!I found lots of fun summer deals this week:
- New customers to Bulubox can get a free box with the code TWEET10 at checkout and new customers to Bestowed (healthy curated box from celeb nutritionist Heather Bauer) get the first month for $10 with the code HELLOYUM.
- Get $15 off of your $60 purchase and free shipping at Shoebuy.com until 8/7.
- Save 30% or more at the CRAFT clearance on cycling, running and other sport apparel and accessories.
- Get 35% off on personalized gifts for kids at Frecklefox with code PlumDistrict35
- In Chicago, Zozi has a great deal on the Super Hero Scramble on August 24 (which sounds crazy to me!), 50% off on the Petco 5K9 walk/run and 50% off on Yoga Rocks Chicago and more. Check out their national, other major metro and travel deals, too!
- Lifebooker Loot has great deals on spa, health and wellness in major metros and some online deals, too. Get an additional 20% off on your loot with the code DEJAVU
- Save 20% at 1800flowers.com! with code FRIENDS20 at checkout (Expires 08/04/2013)
- Get 25% off when you sign up for email at Derailed and free shipping for orders over $45 with code DALAUG3.
- Get discounted gift cards for your favorite stores plus $5 off $75 for new customers at Raise with code RAISE75AF.
- Check out great deals at Gilt City get 25% off if you are not a member and sign up – free!
- They have 45% off of a 3 month summer beauty regimen from From the Lab (online) and get 50% off online vouchers for jewelry from Marrin Costello Designs.
- In Chicago get 18 exercise classes at 6 studios for only $75 with the ChickFit Challenge, 39% off at Zocalo in River North and more.
- In NYC, save 60+% off on rock climbing classes at Brooklyn Boulders, up to 47% off on cupcakes or cooking classes at Butter Lane, and more
- In LA, save 40% on deals from Sticky Finger Doughnuts in Santa Monicaand more
- Lots of great deals in other major metros, too!
- Hey Runners, enter to win a free entry to the Chicago Half Marathon on September 8th at Running the Windy City (winner to be selected on Monday, 8/5.)
Happy Friday and have a great weekend all! Who is doing something fun? Lollapalooza? Good luck to Jeff at his first 70.3 Half Ironman in Michigan! (and to all other racers out there.)
PS. Share a tip and enter to win!