Tag Archives: friends

Day 33: Chef Janny, Bistro Blanc

Posted on February 2, 2015 | Leave a comment

Wow…what a crazy end to the Super Bowl last night – I still can’t believe it.

Photo: Newsweek.com

Photo: Newsweek.com

Photo: Jen Rynda

Photo: Jen Rynda

Today’s handwritten letter recipient and Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady have something in common. They’re all about texture. When questioned about Deflategate, Brady said that it was all about the texture of the footballs.

Chef Janny Kim of Bistro Blanc in Glenelg, MD agrees, “I’m all about texture.” He was referring to food though, not footballs. The 28-year-old self-taught chef is delighting customers at this Howard County hidden gem. I was with a group of friends at the Chef’s Table that featured a 10 course mouth-watering menu.

Pillows of RIce: fermented sesame leaf, roasted peanut curry, toasted peanut and micro shiso

Pillows of Rice: fermented sesame leaf, roasted peanut curry, toasted peanut and micro shiso

The aerated celery soup, the grouper, suckling pig, the 29 day dry-aged ribeye and spicy dark chocolate ganache were my favorites, but they were all very good. I’ve never written a chef to tell them that I enjoyed there food – but why not?

I even found a postage stamp that featured Edna Lewis – famed James Beard awarded chef known for her southern style culinary creations.

BistroBlanc-2

Chef Janny,

Suckling Pig with nuoc mam pickled vegetables and leek emulsion

Suckling Pig with nuoc mam pickled vegetables and leek emulsion

I had the distinct pleasure of dining at your Chef’s Table Saturday evening. I live in downtown Washington, DC and have dined in wonderful restaurants here as well as in New York, Chicago, Lima, Sao Paulo, Paris, Madrid, Florence, London, etc. The food that you created for us was worthy of the coveted Michelin stars. Your intense flavors, complimenting textures and stunning presentation are a clear result of your passion and commitment to culinary excellence.

Thank you, it was outstanding!
Reed Sandridge

BistroBlanc

Leave a comment

Posted in Congratulations, Thank-yous

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Day 27: Nicky

Posted on January 27, 2015 | Leave a comment

I asked the Twitter world yesterday who I should write to today and got a response back from a friend and former coworker in Oklahoma City who thought his son would appreciate a letter.

Screen Shot 2015-01-26 at 10.50.45 PM

I love the fact that he checks the mailbox every day – I used to do the same thing. I remember how excited I’d get when I got a letter in the mail which usually only happened around my birthday or the holidays.

I hope he enjoys getting the letter and I look forward to hearing back from him!

YoL-3-2

Dear Nicky,

I am a friend of your father’s and he told me that you like to receive mail – me too! I like to send and receive handwritten letters. In fact, I have made a promise to send a handwritten letter to someone every day this year. You are the 27th person that I have written to!

YoL-4-2I wrote to another boy in Oklahoma – his name is Cade and he lives in Yukon. He wrote a letter to every NFL team. I thought that was pretty cool.

I heard that you are in kindergarten. Who is your teacher? What is your favorite part about school? Do you like sports? I bet you like OSU – I think your mom and dad both went to school there. Do you have any brothers or sisters?

I live in Washington, DC. It’s an amazing city full of historic monuments and important buildings like the White House where the president lives and also the Capitol where the congress meets. Have you been here? If not, maybe your parents will bring you some time.

I have to go now. I hope that you will write me back.

Your friend,
Reed

Leave a comment

Posted in Just because

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Day 19: Kimon

Posted on January 19, 2015 | Leave a comment

Thank you notes are always better when handwritten. It shows that it meant enough to you that you spent the extra time time to show them you care. I’ve been friends with Kimon since high school. Friday, he gave me an early birthday present: a bottle of District Made Vodka and a Washington Nationals koozie. Both are much appreciated and will definitely be enjoyed.

And check out the numbering on the bottle – I’ve got one of the first 500 bottles ever made by this new distillery!

YoL-2YoL-4

Kimon,

I enjoyed hanging out on Friday and while it was totally unnecessary, I very much appreciate the bottle of District Made Vodka and the Nats Koozie! You are such a generous friend. I didn’t even know there was a vodka distillery in DC. I look forward to trying it with you. Thanks again,

Reed

Let's go Nats!

Let’s go Nats!

Leave a comment

Posted in Thank-yous, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Day 16: Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook

Posted on January 16, 2015 | Leave a comment

Photo: zagg.com

Photo: zagg.com

I recently stumbled upon a Washington Post article from about a year ago that was about Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s goal to write a thank-you note every day in 2014. Pretty cool! I can’t find any articles that follow up on that to see if he in fact was able to do it. I can tell you, it’s harder than it sounds!

I thought that Mark and I were friends on Facebook. I swear! When I first signed up years ago I thought it was kind of automatic that you became friends with Mark…you know, so you weren’t lonely on Facebook. But I just double-checked and sadly we’re not friends on Facebook – yet! Maybe he unfriended me.

Despite being a pioneer in the digital world, I hope that he appreciates the handwritten letter as much as I do. Who knows, maybe he’ll write me back or post to my Facebook page?

Mark Zuckerberg Mark Zuckerberg-2

Dear Mark,

I just read that last year you made a goal to write one thank-you note each day – I love that idea! In fact I just embarked on a year-long journey to write one handwritten letter every day for a year (facebook.com/yearofletters). I was curious about two things. First, how did it go? And second, do you have any advice me.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Your Facebook friend,
Reed Sandridge

P.S. Nice work on launching Internet.org in Colombia!

Leave a comment

Posted in Just because

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Day 8: Brian

Posted on January 8, 2015 | Leave a comment

I worked for Brian seven years ago – his enthusiasm coupled with his business and marketing acumen make him one hell of a leader. My business took me within a few miles of his Carlisle, MA home and it worked out for us to grab a beer together. By the way – I found this wonderful Arturo stationery at Rugg Road Paper Company on Charles Street in downtown Boston. The natural rough edges give it a subtle sophisticated character.

Brian H Day 8

 

Brian,

It was great to catch up on Tuesday – by far the highlight of my trip. You always energize me and inspire me to look at issues from new vantage points. I wish you, Danielle and the kids a 2015 teeming with good health and happiness.

Reed

PS. I read the Urschel article – fascinating!

Leave a comment

Posted in Just because

Tagged , , , , , , , ,