by Jennifer Baum

Every four years the nation gears up for a presidential election… and Leap Year. While the election has incited some of the most heated debates among both politicos and civilians, Leap Year tends to come and go more quietly, unless of course you are one of the lucky ones whose birthday falls on this anomalous day. 

We at Bullfrog & Baum feel an obligation to honor Leap Year for, well, obvious reasons.  And while in the past we’ve indulged in bottles of Frog’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon this year we took a different approach and launched a charitable initiative called Bullfrog & Books.

Since Bullfrog & Baum was founded in 2000, I’ve wanted to establish an charitable alliance with an appropriate organization. One Friday evening while poring over the pages of People Magazine (a favorite way to wind down the week), I came across First Book, a national organization whose mission it is to put new books in the hands of underprivileged children.

Now, for those of you who know me, you know that I am obsessed with books. And thankfully, so is my family – my husband is an serious book collector and my son is an avid reader. We even have our very own Bullfrog & Baum Book Club, which meets monthly.  It therefore comes as no surprise that First Book has become the recipient of our charitable programming, a relationship that was kicked off on Tuesday night at BLT Fish.

Approximately 150 friends, family and business associates gathered for some great cocktails (generously supported by Agua Luca, Dubonnet and Ketel One) and food (perfectly prepared and served by Laurent Tourondel and Amy Eubanks at BLT Fish).  We raised $1,500 that night, which will be matched by Bullfrog & Baum for a total donation to First Book of $3,000.  This translates into 1,500 books in the hands of needy children.

Congratulations and thanks to my hardworking and passionate staff (see class photo) for selflessly supporting this effort – with a special shout out to our Events Specialist, Rachel Baumgartner, for dotting every “i” and crossing every “t”.  Thank you to our generous sponsors including the aforementioned spirits brands, Garrett Popcorn Shops and BLT Fish. And thank you to every guest who came, ate, drank and donated. Your support is greatly appreciated.

This is just the beginning of what we know will be a long and exciting journey as Bullfrog & Baum works with First Book to continue their goal of putting new books in the hands of children who deserve to have them.

What I’m:

By Kate Schwab

It may come as a surprise, given our profession, but some of us Frogs actually cook. Certainly with the plethora of great restaurants and given the confines of my Manhattan kitchen, it is tempting to dial in for delivery. This year, I resolved to actually use my collection of cookbooks taking up valuable bookshelf real-estate instead of just admiring them from afar.

My favorite meal to cook is lunch, or as fellow Frog Charlotte refers to it, my “meal of the week.” I try not to heed co-worker’s cries of “Republic” and “Uni Sushi” as I remember the dish awaiting me in our fridge.  Some creations have been successful like a Moroccan Harira or the Braised Swiss Chard with Feta and Currants. Recently, I became enamored of my slow cooker, delighting in the spices of my Vegetable Vindaloo or the richness of Miso-Braised Tofu with Shallots over Whole-Wheat Couscous.  Other concoctions left room for improvement. At home, I enthusiastically added chipotle to my Black Bean Chili only to find that upon reheating it, the pungent aroma of the chili perfumed the entire office much to my coworkers' dismay. 

One of the benefits of this job is access to recipes from great chefs. In honor of Chinese New Year a couple weeks ago, I made Chef Chris Cheung of Monkey Bar’s Pork and Shrimp Potstickers (minus the Pork of course since I am vegetarian).  As I await the return of fresh tomatoes, I eagerly anticipate recreating Alex Guarnaschelli of Butter’s Yellow Tomato Soup with Salsa Verde. 

Whether the dish earns a spot in my repertoire or not, I enjoy the satisfaction in creating something from scratch and the pleasant surprise of a savory new meal.

What I’m:

Reading       Then the World Came to an End, Joshua Ferris

Watching     Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations

Listening to  Beth Orton, Central Reservation

Eating         Taramarsalata on whole wheat crackers

Drinking       10 Year Old Port from Presidential

                 (a small producer I picked up in Lisbon)

by Kalea Dunkleman

A lot of pressure can be put on newlyweds.  Sometimes you move in together for the first time and stumble around each other’s unknown habits; there’s the let-down after the wedding itself, the stress of which has virtually taken years off your lives; and there’s always the battle of changing your name.  None of these, however, were the cause of the affliction that darkened the door of my three-day-old marriage in December.

About two months before we walked down that flower-strewn aisle, my fiancée filmed his first episode of “Celebrity Fit Club.”  Some creative Google-ing and you will find why he falls under the category of “celebrity” but not necessarily why he needs to start pushing logs up muddy hills to be included under the heading of “fit.”  The man weighs in around 155, after a burger at comme Ça. This season, however, the goal of the show was to make people buff, ripped, ready for action.  This season, the goal was to film these celebrities as they were starved into waves of nausea-induced discombobulation perfectly setting the stage for… a wedding.

Now I know what you’re thinking- many a bride has terrorized those around her weeks before her wedding because of last minute fat-blasts and cleanses.  Your man is trying to better himself, deal with it.  And I did.  What I wasn’t prepared for what confronted me just days after I became a Mrs.  It seemed that the two teams battling it out for “fit factor points” were neck and neck and that it could go either way.  All of a sudden a fierce competitive streak reared its ugly head in my husband.  He had to win.  Needed to win.  Would do anything to win.  Starve himself.  Gone were my dreams of sipping Singapore Slings poolside at The Parker.  Married life announced itself with a bang.

The idea, courtesy of Tina Yothers, was to eat nothing but plain, grilled chicken and water for five days, after which they would all emerge triumphant.  For someone like me whose life revolves around food and drink, the plan was scary and mean.  Interestingly, after just three days, scary and mean was exactly what my husband became.  “I have a press dinner tonight so will be home late,” I’d say.  “It must be nice to eat,” would be the response.  “I’m going to meet Allyson for a drink after work,” I would mumble.  “Alcohol is for the weak-minded,” he would scream. 

During our six years together, we had never been tested like this.  Our weekends are usually filled with trips to a new brunch spot, a Vesper martini at that new bar downtown that’s in a converted boiler room, home-made pizza during football on Sunday.  But now, I would smell that forsaken chicken grilling and put on my shoes to make a fast exit before I had to be subjected to the moans of displeasure that accompanied every bite.  Five days may seem like a fleeting whisper of time, but let me tell you, they were some of the longest of my life.  You may say I’m obsessed with food (true), that I am selfish for making this all about myself (maybe true) and that as a newly minted wife I should have grilled that chicken for my husband, while smiling, in bare feet (never gonna happen).  But until you’ve stared into the sunken eyes of a man who dreams in carbohydrates, I reserve the right to whine.

Was it worth it?  Did we rise above our first challenge as newlyweds with the help of free trips, prizes and cold hard cash?  As he starts wasting away, as the sense of humor that propelled him through the beginning weeks begins to wane and the circles under his eyes turn from grey to black, do we know there is a light at the end of the tunnel?

Well, I can’t tell you that. 

You’ll have to watch in March. 

What I can tell you is that our marriage, for now, has averted disaster.  The rigorous regimen of indulgent dinners we adhered to the week after the show wrapped definitely helped, I’m not gonna lie.  He may have lost many pounds in 4 weeks, but he gained it all back in just 4 short days.

What I’m:

Reading       A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Watching     Project Runway and (for some unknown reason)

                  Millionaire Matchmaker

(Dreaming of) Eating   Gruyere popovers at the new BLT Steak in LA

Listening to:  Jonny Greenwood’s soundtrack to There Will Be Blood

By Charlotte Melcher