Dee Brun, better known in the social media realm as Cocktail Deeva, is anything but a diva. She enjoys the simple things in life, as long as they’re paired with a great cocktail while she’s wearing some killer shoes. (Okay maybe she’s got a few fun ‘diva’ qualities, but what successful woman doesn’t?!) She’s an award-winning author of Liberations of Life and A Girl’s Guide to Life One Cocktail at a Time. Dee is the resident cocktailista on The Stephen and Chris Show, coming up with tasty numbers such as the Drink-Yourself-Pretty Martini with ingredients that will improve your skin (now that’s a skin treatment regimen one should practice daily!). When she’s not mixing up one of a kind drinks for Stephen and Chris, she’s a celebrity event planner and food and drink stylist, and, of course, the hostess with the ‘mostest’. Not to mention she’s a mother of four, wife, humorist, TV Junkie, shoe-aholic, and borderline George Clooney stalker. She claims she doesn’t juggle, but she seems to do a pretty good job at balancing her busy lifestyle while always wearing a great pair of shoes.
It’s no wonder we picked her to be this week’s Friday’s Foodie! Dee’s got a great eye for food, not to mention style. With her new blog Ghetto Foodie focused on pairing drinks with food, she’s giving her audience a great way to discover unique recipes as well as fun drinks to serve alongside. So please join us in discovering more about what makes Dee Brun love food and drinks as much (or maybe more) as we do…
1. When and why did you start writing about food?
I started writing about food just over 5 years ago…Mainly how it pertained to parties I did or events I was attending. I recently started Ghettofoodie.com to get more in-depth with the fab pairings of food a booze…Of all kinds…Also to make it easy for people…no fancy ingredients and no hard to read recipes…
The why is simple…I love to eat and I love to write…
2. What do you love most about food?
My favourite thing about food is how it brings people together…we all have to eat…and chatting and sharing over good food and drinks is one of life’s most beautiful things. I feel we need to slow down and enjoy it more often, we are all so blessed to be able to have the privilege.
3. What do you do when you aren’t writing about or eating food?
Writing about and drinking Booze…;)
4. Do you cook? If so, what’s your specialty? If not, why?
I do…it is my therapy…I have 4 kids and the rule in my house is…When Mom’s cooking…get the heck out of HER kitchen. It is my ME time, I put on music, I drink wine…and I cook…My specialty is bacon wrapped meat…of any kind. What’s not to love..?
5. What’s your favourite type of food(s) and where do you go to get it?
FRESH anything! And I live in a place where I am blessed to have access to many local farmers and markets.
6. What’s your favourite hidden gem?
ALCOHOL…of any kind…best gem to add to any creation…
7. What’s your go-to restaurant?
A Thai place in my hood…the Sticky Rice is rub all over your body good..and I can’t get enough of it…
8. What’s the most memorable meal you’ve ever had?
Oh my word so many, hard to chose. Any that happened in my dinning room with good friends or family around. I also ate dinner in Germany in Hitler’s Bomb Shelter…The building was thousands of years old and converted to an amazing restaurant…this was memorable…
9. What’s one restaurant you have to try before you die?
Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark…ranked the #1 restaurant in the world…why not try the best…?
10. What’s your biggest restaurant pet peeve? (Play nice.)
Lack of FRESH… A place that keeps everything at “The Ready” to get you in and out as fast as they can. I will wait for fresh…what’s the hurry?
Follow Dee on Twitter @CocktailDeeva!