Planning and Selling Out My “Breakfast for Dinner” Women Who Brunch Event

September 25, 2014 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

Earlier this month on September 4th, I celebrated Women Who Brunch’s One Year Anniversary the only way I knew how, with a “Breakfast for Dinner” party. I can proudly say that we sold out the 100 person event and had 15 amazing sponsors. I am also honored to say that the majority of these companies were women run businesses! Here’s a snap shot of all of our wonderful sponsors from the event.

We also had the amazing Christina Vuleta as our speaker. She’s the founder of one of my favorite websites 40:20 Vision, a resource to start conversations and facilitate mentoring between generations. The struggle of being a 20-something is very real and her advice was definitely a highlight of the evening.

Running Women Who Brunch has taught me a lot in the past year. Such as the harder you work the more it pays off — free drinks, brunches, great partnerships and collaboration opportunities, meeting so many great people. These are all great benefits but it really all comes from building a brand and community from scratch, putting love into your attendees and client relationships. Overall, what has been most rewarding has been making a great resource for women and helping to support each other.

This experience has also taught me to listen to my inner voice and go do something that truly drives you. Don’t settle. For me, this is event planning and management. I’ve learned I really enjoy the little details that go into events, from setup, finding the right speakers, potentially partnerships, to even designing the event. For example, for this event I took up calligraphy to make cocktail mixer tags and signage. I’m passionate about making experiences memorable.

Bonus lesson, it’s ok to #treatyoself. Events are a ton of work. Get the dress, manicure, and blow out. You deserve it and will feel like a million dollars!

I’m excited to find out where the next year will take us. There’s so many opportunities, for now we’re planning our next brunch. I’m also going to as many women leadership events as possible and going where the energy flows.

Until next time, brunch on! xoxo

Here’s a few of my favorite photos from our event, more can be found here.

Zagat’s 30 Under 30 2014 Event

August 6, 2014August 6, 2014 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

Last week I helped out my friends over at Tattly for Zagat’s 30 Under 30 event in Brooklyn.

The event was held at the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club. It was my first time at this venue but quickly fell in love with the Florida vibe, causing instant homesickness.

What I loved most about this event was the styling (done by Michelle Bablo) and amazing sense of creativity.

From the centerpiece, held in pineapples. Also done by Michelle.

To custom cocktails.

Custom Tattly’s and signage.

To the coasters, which also highlighted some every important career “firsts” before 30.

Additional photos from the event:

Oh Snap Smile Photobooth:

The Best Things I Ate in Portland, OR

June 18, 2014 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

This year I went on vacation to Portland, Oregon. Being that I base my vacations around food I did a hefty amount of research ahead of time. Overall, there was just too much and think it’s safe to say PDX will soon be the go-to destination for good eats. Here’s a list of all my favorite bars, food carts, desserts, coffee, and more from my visit. Enjoy!

The Doughnut/Donut Debate:

Voodoo Doughnuts is an obvious must thing to try. It’s been on tons of Food Network shows and has received so much press and hype. They’re open 24 hours, so you can go at any time but the weekends are the worst. I’d suggest a weekday if at all possible. It has some funky creations, they are creative but overall they tasted like overly sweet regular doughnuts.

I got the Voodoo Doll, Miami Vice Berry, Maple Bacon Bar, McMinnville Cream, The Loop, and the Dirt Doughnut. Also it’s only cash only.

Blue Star Donuts, has some really delicious donuts and unique flavor combinations. Including a boozy Cointreau Creme Brûlée. Plus the interior is adorable.

Here’s the flavors I got:

Blackberry Compote with Peanut Butter Powder
Real Maple & Bacon
Blueberry, Bourbon, & Basil
Valrhona Chocolate Crunch

Brunch!

I went to two brunches on my trip, first was at Tasty & Alder. Best known for its shared plates, so pick a handle of items for the table. But you must get the chocolate potato doughnut with creme anglaise. Other noms I had were the fried egg & cheddar biscuit with house cured bacon and the Auntie Paula’s french toast with pear maple & whipped cream

Mother’s Bistro & Bar:

My second brunch stop was at Mother’s Bistro & Bar. Compared to the tiny brunch spots in NYC, this restaurant is HUGE! It has a cute interior decor and these mugs that say “Call Your Mother”. They also promote a Mother of the Month, featuring special dishes from mother’s around the world, because the best meals aren’t found in restaurants they’re found in the home.

For eats, my boyfriend and I got the specials of the day. He got the corn beef hash with sunny-side up eggs and toast, and I got the cornmeal pancakes which was the most delicious take on pancakes I’ve had in a while.

Food Carts:

Nong’s Khao Man Gai

Nong’s is one of the most popular food carts in Portland, and all they serve is chicken and rice. The chicken is poached, whole chicken, then they use the chicken broth to cook the rice with Thai herbs. Here they wrap it all up in butcher paper with her special sauce and side of soup. No frills, super simple, but the most tender chicken I’ve ever had.

Location: SW 10th & Alder St. Portland, OR 97205

Grilled Cheese Grill

I’m not usually a fan of ordering or eating food I could make at home, but while on vacation… I went for grilled cheese with avocado and fried cheese. It was definitely worth it.

Location: Alder Pod Carts – SW 10th & Alder

Cultured Caveman

Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of my meal because the sides and main dish is shoved into a to-go container, it’s like a meal all in one deal, but this spot was definitely unique and had really great spices and flavor. It’s a paleo-friendly food cart, I don’t even think we have one of these cuisines in NYC.

Location: SW Stark between 2nd & 3rd

Bars & Drinks

Bailey’s Taproom

Within the first few hours of touching down in PDX, the first place I stopped at was Bailey’s Taproom for a drink. What impressed me most about this place with the amount of local beers they had in stock and this fancy beer monitor contraption, which told the bartenders keg levels and when they were about to kick.

Multnomah Whiskey Library

Besides the interesting decor and wide selection of alcohol, the service was pretty awful. Also a lot of the reviews say you need to wait an hour, but I went on a weekday at around 7/8pm-ish and it was only half full.

Clyde Common

Pro-tip: Come here during happy hour from 3pm-6pm, cocktails are $5. I can’t stress the importance of this enough, coming from NYC where cocktails are $15. The bartenders are also really friendly and drinks are so delicious.

What I got:

The Pacific Standard:

Vodka, lemon, ginger, honey, soda

The Spelling Bee:

Reposado tequila, agave syrup, absinthe, bitters, grapefruit peel

Other Good Eats:

Lardo

Amazing sandwiches, it’s also right across the street from Ruby Jewel ice cream if you’re planning for dinner and dessert.

What I ate:

Korean Pork Shoulder with cilantro, house kimchi, spicy mayo

Pok Pok

If you’re looking for some great Thai food this is the place to go to. Their most popular items on the menu are their Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings and drinking vinegar.

What I ate:

Kaeng Hang Leh with sticky rice and Yam Samun Phari

Dessert

Salt & Straw

This place warrants an OMG. This ice cream is that good. The line is ridiculous but well worth it. They have some really unique flavor combinations including rhubarb and saffron in champagne, honey balsamic strawberry with cracked pepper, and pear with blue cheese.

Flavors had:

Freckled Woodblock Chocolate, Chocolate with Gooey brownies, Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache, and Sea Salt with Carmel Ribbons.

Petunia’s Pies and Pastries

All these lovely cakes and pastries are gluten-free and vegan, and so yummy!

Desserts eaten:

Orange Olive Oil Bundt Cake

Black & White Cake

Coffee:

Stumptown Coffee:

It’s a must, we have a location in NYC and lots of restaurants carry Stumptown, but when in Rome… I love their coffee so much I stocked up on whole bean. Weekends were crazy but during the week wasn’t so bad to stop by.

Public Domain

Public Domain was also a favorite with its coffee, pastries, wi-fi, and laid back atmosphere.

Hidden Gem:

Portland City Grill on the 30th Floor

I found out about this place from our walking tour guide. Come here as soon as they open for happy hour at 4pm to grab a good spot by the window. You’ll get some great food and drink deals and on a clear day you can see Mount Hood and the entire city of Portland.

That’s all she wrote, hope this food guide helps plan your eats if you’re ever visiting Portland. Any other recommendations for food you’ve had there, leave them in the comments!

xoxo

Social Media Monday + Tattly

December 18, 2012 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

Social Media Campaigns I’ve loving this week:

1.) Patron’s Cocktail Share:

Love this concept and cocktails.

2.) GiltCity: #LoveYourCityMore Instagram

Amazing way to connect their community with their brand by asking fans to share photos on Instagram using hashtags #LoveYourCityMore and #NYC. I’m also loving how they highlight members on their Facebook Cover photo:

3.) Here comes the Advent Calendars:

The Yield 2012 Meme Calendar:

If you’re into Memes.

Wildfire by Google: Social Media Advent Calendar

If you’re into facts.

4.) Tasting Table’s: Food Fight Debate

Tasting Table gives their fans the chance to vote for the ultimate food debates and then throws an amazing party to reveal the results.

And the results:

5.) Foursquare’s 12/12/12 Robin Hood Relief Badge

Combining an opportunity to partner with Samsung Galaxy around the 12/12/12 Concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief.

6.) SiriTalks Instagram:

Creative finds-love this idea.

Bonus: My part-time gig at Tattly.

I was so fortunate to spend a few days at Tattly last week. Dream gig come true, I am the biggest Swissmiss fan girl- ask anyone I know. Over the week I ended up learning way more than just how these temporary tattoos are made and produced. The whole experience went above and beyond my expectations. I was initially dreading having to deal with the hour commute to Dumbo each day but the more I stayed the more I loved it.

Everyone was so sweet and welcoming. Daily coffee and lunch trips together were a must, then we would gather our food and eat together back at StudioMates. All this actually made me realize how miserable I was at my last job. How much I despised office politics, eating at your desk, and everyone only talking to you when they needed something. More companies should have the Tattly mentality. When you communicate and do things together is creates a much better working environment. Personally, I’m sick of working along side of people who are willing to throw each other under the bus — This was an epiphany. An epiphany of what I am and am not looking for in my next job.

Additionally, in my short time there I’ve learned a good chunk more about design then I ever had prior to walking in there. This is a piece of what I am looking for in my next job. I must be surrounded by creative and passionate people. The wealth of ideas was overwhelming.

Finally, I ran into mini celebrities. I don’t know the ‘who’s who’ in the design world, but many designers came in… so did author Jonathan Foer… and wandering photographer named Shantanu Starick who is on a journey around the world while spending no more, everything he gets is based on trade. It was quite an amazing story and definitely encourage everyone to check out his trades.

Many thanks goes out to Swissmiss and the amazing people at Tattly and StudioMates! You not only made my job dreams come true but you showed me there are amazing companies out there doing amazing things. I know now I want to be apart of that.