There is little else more sacred in America during the month of October than the pumpkin. As a native fruit of North America, it has become the symbol of Halloween, autumn and all things related to the harvest. But I find it interesting that while I lived in the US, my primary
Posts Tagged ‘Den Haag’
Pumpkin Power
by Ginny Mees on October 13, 2011 | No Comments
California Crush in The Hague
by Ginny Mees on October 1, 2011 | 1 Comment
There is little more sacred in the wine-making industry then the fall harvest, or the “crush” as it is also known. Tonight at La Buena Vida we celebrate the wonderful harvest celebration with A California Crush wine tasting private event for The American Women’s Club of The Hague. Our private wine tasting events have become [...]
Posted in Culinary Expertise, Events, Good Living, Products 
Tags: American, American Women's Club of The Hague, California, California chardonnay, crush, Den Haag, events, EX-Pat, Fahrenheitstraat, Gift Shop, harvest, International, La Buena Vida, private winetasting, San Francisco, The Hague, The Netherlands, the wine institute, trip, Vacation, Wente wines, Wine, wine-tasting 
1 Comment »Bobotie: Sweet & Savory African Style
by Ginny Mees on September 27, 2011 | No Comments
A few weeks ago a South African client of mine popped by La Buena Vida for a latte macchiato, and was telling me she was having friends for dinner that night. Whenever I hear someone is entertaining, I love to hear what they are preparing. She shared that she was making bobotie (pronounced ba-boor-tea) with yellow [...]
Posted in Culinary Expertise, Good Living, Recipes Tags: bobotie, chutney, Culinary, Den Haag, easy dinner, Fahrenheitstraat, International, La Buena Vida, Malay, recipe, South Africa, sweet savory, The Hague, yellow rice No Comments »Coffee: A Drink To Celebrate on Thursday!
by Ginny Mees on September 26, 2011 | No Comments
This Thursday the 29th of September is officially “National Coffee Day”, which is celebrated in the USA and many other coffee-loving countries. This week is also referred to as National Coffee Week, and people are asked to take a “coffee break“. In
Posted in Events, Good Living, News Tags: American, Cappuccino, coffee berries, Coffee Break, Coffee connoisseurs, Den Haag, Dutch, Ethiopia, Holland, Indonesia, International, Java, koffie, La Buena Vida, National, Netherlands, Portugal, Surinam, The Hague, The Netherlands No Comments »How Do You Thank Your Clients?
by Ginny Mees on September 13, 2011 | No Comments
In any business, client appreciation for loyalty is one of the most important gestures a business owner can give; an occasional free coffee, or discount, which tells your client you value their business. One of the most popular things to
Posted in Events, Gift Baskets, News, Products Tags: appreciation, client gifts, Culinary, Den Haag, discount, Fahrenheitstraat, Gift Shop, Gifts, holiday gift baskets, holiday shopping, International, Kerst, kerstpakketten, korting, La Buena Vida, Netherlands, party koop avond, The Hague, Wine No Comments »Slow Cooking: Not Such a Crock
by Ginny Mees on September 9, 2011 | 1 Comment
For those of us raised on the wonders and convenience of the slow-cooker (also known as The Crock Pot) Fall and Winter mean celebrating this terrific invention. Dust it off after the sunny months of summer (or if you do not have one of these time-savers, drop into La Buena Vida on de Fahrenheitstraat in The [...]
Posted in Culinary Expertise, News, Products, Recipes Tags: American, cookbooks, cooking, crock pot, Culinaire, Den Haag, Dutch, EX-Pat, Fahrenheitstraat, fall, home cooked, La Buena Vida, Recipes, slow, slow cooker, The Hague, Winter 1 Comment »Kerstpakketten: Go Green in 2011
by Ginny Mees on August 23, 2011 | No Comments
According to P&OActueel, more than 49% of employers in the Netherlands still provide their employees a Kerstpakket, or Christmas basket. As long as the gift does not exceed 70 euro it is considered “tax-friendly” (maximum 84 euro including BTW). Many of the “baskets” found however, are the predictable fare of Oliebollen bowls, bottles of wine [...]
Posted in Gift Baskets, Good Living, News, Products Tags: Cappuccino, Christmas baskets, Coffee connoisseurs, Den Haag, Dutch, Fahrenheitstraat, Gifts, green, green living, holiday gift baskets, Italian coffee, kerstpakketten, La Buena Vida, Netherlands, Recycled glass, Revolution, tea, The Netherlands, thee, Wine No Comments »Top 5 Entrepreneur Lessons: A Year in Reflection
by Ginny Mees on August 5, 2011 | 6 Comments
On the 18th of June 2011, De Fahrenheit winkel centrum in The Hague celebrated their annual Braderie, or street festival. The Braderie kept us busy at La Buena Vida, but we had an extra special day since it was our one year
Posted in Events, Gift Baskets, News, Uncategorized Tags: American, blog, business, client, Culinary, customer service, Den Haag, Dutch, English, entreprenuer, EX-Pat, facebook, Fahrenheitstraat, foreigner, foursquare, Gifts, gourmet, International, Italian espresso, La Buena Vida, lessons, linkedin, Nederland, new, Nordstrom, ondernemer, Robert Spector, social media, The Hague, The Netherlands, twitter 6 Comments »The Winding Path of Wente Wines
by Ginny Mees on July 16, 2011 | No Comments
As a San Francisco native, I have explored many amazing California wines over the years. Making a choice can often be fraught with issues related to the individual palate, food pairing, price-point, vintage and other important issues such
Posted in Good Living, News, Products Tags: American, Beyer ranch, cabernet sauvignon, California, chardonnay, Charles Wetmore, Den Haag, Fahrenheitstraat, International, La Buena Vida, Livermore, Riva Ranch chardonnay, San Francisco, sustainability, The Hague, The Netherlands, Wente Family, Wente vineyards, Wente wines, wijn, Wine, winery, zinfandel No Comments »The Currency of Relationships
by Ginny Mees on June 23, 2011 | No Comments
Times are tough. People everywhere struggle to make ends meet during historically difficult times. Okay, I know I sound like Debbie Downer, but it is the reality of our era. Living La Buena Vida is about finding pleasure in all aspects of our life. We need to remind ourselves: “The Most Important Things In Life Are [...]
