By Nicci Jordan Hubert

To commemorate the newest induction into the Godiva Spirits hall of fame: Godiva Vodka (yes, you read that right). Godiva Spirits hosted a gorgeous dinner and cooking class at the beautiful International Culinary Center on Crosby street. Led by chefs Brooke Parkhurst and James Briscione (of Chopped fame—he won twice) and mixologist Beate Kiser (a star barkeep, previously at Beauty & Essex), guests were treated first to a cocktail hour, featuring Godiva Vodka, and then a cooking class, with each course featuring the vodka as well.

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Ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you I love my Honey Bunches of Oats (I’m partial to the ones with almonds!). So when I was invited to Marina Maher’s offices for a honey-bunched-out viewing party to watch the People’s Choice awards, I was so there.

Honey Bunches was actually one of the sponsors for the People’s Choice Awards, so it was only right to watch the show this way . Here they are on the red carpet…literally:

Anyway, back to the viewing party. Granted, I was technically in the middle of my three-week cleanse which forbade me from eating any processed foods and/or carbs. I will say this was the ONE time I made an exception. I tried to keep it minimal, but oh, it was so worth the tastes!

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Who knew? The NBA seems to be churning out some well-dressed athletes. Take last Fashion Week, which had an unusually high attendance of basketball mavens: LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwayne Wade all staked their space front row at the shows. Now, online men’s apparel brand, Bonobos, just announced that they’re joining forces with two-time NBA All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist, Deron Williams.

To celebrate the partnership and the brand’s new Foundation Suits (aka Italian wool suits with made-to-measure feel recently featured on GQ), Bonobos threw one well-dressed private party at Catch in the Meatpacking District last Thursday. I was excited to catch up with the dapperly-dressed Williams (a fellow Illini!) to bond in our U of I pride and, of course, ask him about his foray into fashion.

Beauty and the Feast: I’m sure you’re thrown a number of endorsements and partnership opportunities for brands your way. What about Bonobos specifically appealed to you?
Deron Williams: I just really liked the style. I felt when I looked at their website and through their catalogue, it really hit me. It’s definitely my style. When I heard that they were launching their suit line, I was definitely excited about the partnership. Other than the fact that they’re a great company and make great clothes, they’re instrumental in helping out my foundation which is key for me. We’re going to have a cyber pop up store that will be going to be on my website soon where part of the proceeds will go to my foundation. [Editor’s Note: Williams will also be jumping in the designer's seat to create limited edition apparel, and hosting a web-series to answer style questions from fans. Keep a look out!]

BATF: Can you tell me a little more about your foundation?
D-Will: It’s called Point of Hope Foundation which basically benefits kids in need. We’ve touched everything from diabetes to cancer, to helping single moms and their families. We’re doing a lot of things.

BATF: How would you describe your own personal style?
D-Will: I’ve been asked that question a lot! I don’t have a “style” necessarily or that sort of thing. I just go with what I like, you know, what’s comfortable. Honestly, I look at GQ every now and then and see different things I like and try to incorporate that in my style. I feel like I have a pretty good eye for fashion and what goes together, and just try to go from there.

BATF: So do you prefer your suits to your jerseys?
D-Will: Oh, I’m never wearing a jersey [off the court]! Honestly, I normally don’t wear suits that often. I’m more into the sweaters and cardigans.

BATF: I caught Amare Stoudemire and Dwayne Wade front row at Fashion Week last season – do you think you’d be making an appearance this month?
D-Will: I’d definitely love to! I wasn’t here last season, I was in Istanbul so I wasn’t able to go.


BATF: I love Turkey! I went to visit my sister there too. What did you like most about Istanbul?
D-Will: I loved everything about it. It’s just a beautiful city. The people were amazing, the food was great. The culture – everything was great. I was treated so well right from the start so I loved it serious.

BATF: I have one last food question for you now! I did a post recently about all the food I miss from U of I – is there anything you miss from there?
D-Will: Man! I miss Niro’s! Everything late night. What was that place – “burritos as big as your head?” Right on Green Street…oh yeah, La Bamba! I miss La Bamba.

The Bonobos Foundation Suits retail for $590 or separately at $195 for pants and $395 for jackets. Bonobos apparel is sold exclusively at www.bonobos.com. To learn more about Deron Williams’ and wife Amy’s foundation, Point of Hope, visit www.deronwilliams.com/pointofhope.

EXTRA: Bonobos VP of Merchandising, Brad Andrews’, simple tips to find the right suit fit:
• Fit starts with the shoulders: The jacket should grab your shoulders snuggly but not be overly tight. If the shoulders fit, pretty much anything else can be adjusted.
• Length matters: To determine the appropriate length, you should be able to cup the bottom of the suit with your arms by your side.
• Show some shirt: A flexible but general rule of thumb is to have a quarter-inch of your shirt cuff showing. If you’re wearing a heavier cuff, like a French cuff, you may want to show a little more.

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Shy

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Ah. You win some, you lose some. I’m pretty convinced this foodie friend of mine always knows the best tiny joints in the city so I was excited to come upon Rice when he led a few of us there a couple days ago. The place itself was so cute, but I think it was a sum of a lot of things that made it not the best experience this time around.

Here’s the cliff notes version. 1) It was raining and cold that night and we walked a good 15 minutes out of our way to get here; 2) We were all starving and waited another 15 minutes to get seated…pretty standard but that feels way longer when you’re famished; 3) To add insult to injury, they took ONE HOUR to get our food out. The people next to us who came after us go their food before we did; 4) When the food did come out, the portions were pretty small. And you’d think being so hungry, anything would do, but my coconut thai curry dish was three-fourths rice and one-fourth curry. I guess to their credit, it’s not false advertising. But I was still starving after my meal!

Granted, I also got the smaller dish (it comes in a small and large), but after waiting so long, I was afraid ordering anything else would take another five years.

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I strangely haven’t gotten sick of this new Sh*t people say video craze yet — maybe I’m just easily amused! I know it’s been a minute on here — I felt like my birthday was a good time to take a little break, but I promise to be back with a lot more goodies. Until then, you can sink your teeth into the latest video that popped up: Sh*t Baristas Say .

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Shy

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As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve embarked on a three-week cleanse that has totally turned my eating habits upside-down (in a good way). It focuses on eating a lot of non-processed, fresh veggies and fruits and cutting out other mostly-bad-for-you things (caffeine, dairy, etc.). The first week was rough — but I’ve slowly adapted and I’ve been feeling pretty amazing. I’ve had more energy, fitting into my jeans better, even my skin has been responding positively. In the past week I’ve had two people comment on its ‘glow’ (shucks!).

The hardest part I found has simply been A) finding time to do groceries and prepare my meals; B) when I’m short on time, finding places that will serve food that fit the parameters of the cleanse and still taste good. I’ve relied on Blue Dog for healthy, organic shakes some mornings, and anywhere I can get my hands on a salad. After working out with my friend Hamid last weekend, he took me to a cafe I probably would have never found on my own: JivamukTea Cafe. He tends to always show me some hidden gems in the city.

The “hidden” cafe lives on the 2nd floor of the Jivamuktea Yoga School in Union Square (right smack in between Max Brenner and Cosi!). With no sign or indication of a cafe up there, you may very well pass right by it.

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