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THE GRAPE WRAPPER
 VOL 1 ISSUE 4
Greetings!

ducatiWell we survived another weekend.  Hot August Nights was a resounding success, sans a couple of unfortunate incidents, like the whole Hippie Uprising thing (who'd ever of thought that plain brownies would be received in such an unwelcome manner?), and of course their was the "Wendell in Tie-Dye Scare", which had a salve not been immediately administered, could have been much worse.  Other than that, it was great fun, there were hundreds of participants here for the car show, and even more for the open house, The Mainstreet DeLand Association did a great job putting it all together, and I can't wait to see how, Slightly Cooler September Evenings turns out next month.  Now it is time for us to move on to the rest of the newsletter......Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention the most incredibly wonderful obligatory picture of Kate.....
 
Bill Budzinski
The Elusive Grape
 
THE CHALLENGE-PART ONE
DELAND'S TOP CHEF- HOME EDITION 
vicapps
This is the start of a new competition, one that will rival any other that starts today and is mentioned in this newsletter!  Each month The Elusive Grape and Cress Restaurant will combine forces and sponsor a cooking competition wherein six ordinary individuals (as in non-professional), will take a wine from the Grape and create a meal that matches it perfectly.  Cress's Executive Chef and Owner, Hari Pulapaka and two others, will judge each entry to see which is best.  The winning dish, after proper refinement if needed, will be featured on Cress's menu for one month, and the winning cook will work there one evening preparing it for real customers.  If you are interested in competing please let me know directly, the first wine that we will be using is the Efeste Syrah from Washington State, and the first cook-off will be September 19th.  I'll have further info in the next Newsletter.
 
TRIVIA THURSDAY- 
3ladies
The much ballyhooed match between the Brain Trust and The Gators, was merely a sideshow to the feats of the Us Vs. Them's, the Bad News Bears of the trivia world.  While the two previous champions were resting on their combined laurels, reveling in past greatness, like a 45 year old wearing his high school jacket, the U v T's quietly, if not noisily, snatched the evenings' booty from another upstart team, the "They're Real, and They are Fantastic's".  After a slow start, the TRTF's rebounded with a perfect ten in the Seinfeld category, but than were slowly beaten down by the combined wisdom of Ken and Carmen G., and British Dave, the French guy from Spain.  So what does it all mean for this week's competition?  I haven't a clue, but I'm guessing the jacket goes back in the closet.  As a special treat this week, Jeremy and Yvette Ferrell, from the aptly named Ferrell Jewelers, will be here to host the two bonus rounds.  So come on down with a team or join one when you get here, we'll start the regular games at 7:00, the bonus rounds will follow afterwards.
 
CRASH COURSE AND OTHER GRAPE EVENTS
car boat
There is going to be a new reality TV show on ABC called Crash Course, wherein contestants will be forced to watch Bob Dance Commercials while strapped behind the wheel of a car whose accelerator is glued to the floor.  The only way to escape the visual horror is to put the car in gear and drive straight into a wall.  The person who can hold out the longest is....... There I go again....Actually there is going to be a show called Crash Course, and it is premiering next Wednesday the 26th.  The reason I am mentioning this, is because our good friend, and founder of the Brain Trust, Terry Jourgenson and his daughter are going to be on it, and we will be hosting a viewing party here at The Grape.  We'll have pizza and snacks and the show on all three TV's, I hope you're able to join us. 

There is also a food and wine pairing on the 26th at Penacho's Restaurant, which is across the street from the Grape.  There will be a five course meal paired with several Mexican wines.....Yes, you did read that correctly.  I have not had an opportunity to sample any of these wines but have been told they are quite good.....and after the whole ChocoVIne thing, well, I'm going to just wait and see for myself, and shall remain cautiously optimistic.  Call 734-4444 for reservations. 

We have started a new section for nice and affordable wines in the front of the store, over forty-five different selections for $15 or less!  I could almost see a tear of joy in the corner of Wendell's eye.....There are still some very good wines at greatly reduced prices available, new vintages are starting to arrive so stock up if you are able.  Have a great rest of the week and weekend!
 
""I am an evil giraffe, and I shall eat more leaves from this tree then prehaps I should, so that other giraffes may die""
-Eddie Izzard
 
The Elusive Grape
133 N. Woodland Blvd.
DeLand, Florida 32720