Posts Tagged ‘Palm Beach Society’
Veggie recipe: Chef Jeremy Hanlon’s Napa Citrus Slaw
September 17th, 2009 | 
Author: I love to surround myself with creative, expressive people — photographers, designers, chefs, writers, gardeners, artists of all kinds. There’s something calming about them, even in the midst of a frenetic debate over architecture, wine or modern art.
The first time I met Chef Jeremy Hanlon was in the West Palm Beach studio loft he shares with photographer Montana Pritchard. I had just returned from a summer trip to New York and was bored senseless with Palm Beach life when I received an invitation to Studio 1608 and decided to check out the space with a few girlfriends.
This is a small town, people. Most of us return to the same haunts, make small talk with the same people, drink the same cocktails and nosh on the same canapes, weekend after weekend. Sure, we have some great times, but the Palm Beach social scene has its monotonous moments.
Studio 1608 was a light at the end of the tunnel. Funky back-door steps leading up to a loft full of art galleries and loads of people — none of whom I knew, for a change — jamming out to Bon Jovi and checking out Montana’s new shots.
It wasn’t long before I was barefoot and singing “Living on a Prayer” at the top of my lungs, channeling the funky crowd I’d just partied with at fund-raiser for the Watermill Center.
In any case, I’ve kept in touch with the boys over the years, and recently I’ve tapped Jeremy to share a few veggie recipes while I search my soul over meat consumption. Here’s one that makes for a fresh, end-of-summer first course or side dish.
Chef Jeremy Hanlon
Napa Cabbage Coleslaw with Florida Navel Oranges & Raspberry-balsamic Vinegar
(serves 4-6)
1 head of Napa Cabbage – shredded
4 Florida navel oranges – peeled & segmented (juice reserved)
1 large red onion – finely chopped
15 leaves fresh basil – torn into pieces
½ C raspberry balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
1) Shred cabbage and place in large mixing bowl. Season with 1 Tablespoon salt. (Note: this begins the “cooking” of the cabbage and will absorb the flavor of other ingredients better)
2) Add segments of orange, any reserved juice from the oranges, red onion, basil and raspberry balsamic vinegar. Toss ingredients well with coleslaw, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to marinade for 10 minutes at room temperature.
3) Taste and adjust salt and pepper seasoning. (note: this coleslaw gets better with time, so making this recipe the day before is never a bad idea!)
For more information on Jeremy’s culinary skills and services, visit www.my1chef.com and www.myfreshchef.com.
Related Reading:
Posted in 
Tags: 
It’s me time
One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2009 was to be more high maintenance. No, seriously. Contrary to what my husband might tell you, I’ve never really been a girly girl. I don’t make hair appointments at the proper intervals, or schedule my mani/pedi with enough time for my nails to dry before the big event. Facials? I haven’t had one since 2006.
Every weekend last season as a Palm Beach society reporter for The Palm Beach Post, I was the angry blonde (with mousy brown roots, no doubt) hightailing it to the nearest sale rack to find a dress and the shoes to wear that night, then rushing home to touch up whatever hair and makeup the workday had left me before jamming to The Breakers or Mar-a-Lago. When the first cocktails were served at this year’s Heart Ball, I was still picking out the right shade of red at a cheapie nail salon in the burbs. Yes, that was me sneaking in as the first coarse was served in the Mediterranean Ballroom.
Thankfully, Palm Beach is a massively self-obsessed community, and I can take comfort in the fact that the beautiful people are loathe to notice anyone who remains safely in the middle ground — like this reporter, who doesn’t mind wearing last season’s Carolina Herrera (or trying it on in an outdoor field at a charity shopping event somewhere near Watermill, NY, to get a deal). If your look falls somewhere between diva (Neiman Marcus orders their gowns direct from Milan) and fashion tragedy (the guest of a guest who breaks out the sparkly lavender number she wore at her Godson’s wedding — 20 years ago), you may as well be invisible.
But back to my resolution. I enjoy the pampering, you see, but for as long as I can remember I’ve worked 50 hours a week and overcommitted myself to every worthy cause in the book — and I only got worse with the advent of the smartphone. Health and beauty did not make it into my crowded iCal.
No more! In March, I took a flying leap into the world of self-employment. As a freelance writer, my schedule is my own, and I have time to regroup, to prioritize, and to make up for years of self-abuse. Washing my face with a bar of body soap is going to come back to haunt me in a few years if I don’t make some changes!
