Quina Creu – Falling in Love with Food All Over Again!

One of the beautiful things about traveling is the food. As a foodie, nothing excites you  more about trips than figuring out where the eating and dinning will happen. This was case when we were at Palma de Mallorca and heard about Quina Creu.

Right away Pearls & Sequence fell in love with the decor.

 

We loved the bar that turns into a library that turns into your living room with the bookcase and mismatched chairs.  There was a homely feel to it.

Looking at the menu we were thoroughly stumped. How do we order?  Everything we read; our mouths were watering.

We decided to make it a night of starters, pintxos and tapas sipped with a red wine; Cair 2012.

Spain means seafood, especially Mallorca, so our starters were Braised Octopus on Parmentier Potatoes and Paprika  followed by Tartar of Avocado and Scallops with tender Garlic Sprouts. 

Till today the octopus was the best we ever had. The flavors exploded and the paprika, with wine added spice to our pallets.  Call it ignorance but we wouldn’t have thought of a scallops tartar balanced with the smooth and creamy flavor of avocado and after the octopus it felt light and pleasant.

We moved on to Pintxos – bit sized culinary creations.  We decided to try Cod Fish Fillet topped with Alloi & Quince Gratin with Tall Filo Prawns Wrapped with Sweet Chili Sauce and Crunchy Pork Crackling taster. 

All three exceeded expectations but if we had to pick, the Cod topped it. There is an art to  melting cheese on fish and Quina Creu has perfected it.

It may not look like it, but these dishes are filling. We proceeded to continue with another around of pintxos,  and relished  the Prawns in Crispy Potato Threads and  Mallorcan Sobrassada with Quail Egg. Sobrassada is a traditional Balearic sausage and we topped it off with a Tempura Prawns tapas.

Can you blame us for not wanting to stop eating?  Our senses had flavors exploding, every morsel tasted better than the other and we wanted to order more but it seemed sinful to waste delicious bites of heaven.

All in all, Quina Creu is a must stop for any foodie, or anyone traveling to Mallorca.

With Love,

#pearlsnsequence

Female Entrepreneur- Making dreams come true

In honor or Internationl Woman’s Day on March 8th, I had the opportunity to interview a woman entrepreneur, Jennifer Anne Cardone,  who is owner of The Nutopia Holistic Center in LaSalle, Quebec.

The center offers Holistic Therapeutic Massage, Jade Stone Massage, Foot Reflexology & Foot Care, Reiki Energy Therapy and Therapeutic Touch Crystal Healing. A very interesting and relaxing way of life.

Here is the interview:

1)Jennifer, what is it that you do and how long have you been doing it?

I am a holistic practitioner who uses a variety of different modalities such as therapeutic massage, foot reflexology, reiki, sound healing, aromatherapy, bach flower remedies, and crystal healing. I’ve been in the field since 2008, officially opening my business – NUTOPIA holistic center in October of 2010.

Being a holistic practitioner I take the whole person into account, not just the symptoms. I work on all levels of being – physical, emotional, mental and energetic/spiritual, specializing in women’s issues.

2) What made you decide to approach entrepreneurship?

First off I wanted to be able to help people in a more personal way & connect with them on a deeper level. I also wanted to satisfy my need for creativity and freedom by being my own boss.

3) What are some of the obstacles you have had to overcome?

The biggest challenge would have to be establishing myself in my field, getting known & building a stable clientele as well as growing that clientele. Marketing one’s self is a difficult task, especially for someone such as myself who isn’t used to “selling” or boasting about my abilities.

I find that just speaking truthfully about what I do seems to work just fine

With the type of work I do you really need to connect with people & some you just don’t connect with & that’s ok. It’s really getting to know who your ideal clientele is and homing in on them to get your message across.

If it’s meant to be, they’ll come.

4) What is your goal?

My goal is to share my knowledge with those who want to know more.

I always tell my clients that I’m not the one who’s “fixing” them; I just hold the flashlight so they can find their way. By holding space for others and allowing them to come to their own realizations is the most satisfying achievement I could ask for.

5) What would you advise other women trying to start up a business?

Be patient! It’s not going to happen overnight, but it will happen. The adage was a start up takes about 3-5 years to get off the ground, it’s now more like 5-7 years. So if you’re willing to put in the time it will pay off. Networking is a great way to get out there & get yourself known – there are plenty of groups on facebook & meet-up. Also depending what type of business you’re looking into there are also fellow colleagues and support in the form of former instructors or mentors. LOVE what you do – follow your passion & you’ll never go wrong!

Thank you Jennifer and continued success!

You can visit the Nutopia Holistic Center facebook page.

Why not share your story with us? We would love to hear from you.

written by Claudia Belair

xoxoR

International Women’s day Celebration starts now! :)

 

Celebrate being a woman….

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-tools/top-tens/ten-ways-for-women-to-raise-their-professional-profiles/article11369280/

 

xoxo R!

 

 

Hatley, The Little Blue House

I love to hear stories on how some businesses got their start. Whose idea was it? How did they come up with the name? How did they overcome obstacles? It just peaks my curiousity.

One story in particular has stayed with me since I learned all about how the company came about. Two years ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Chris Oldland of Hatley Clothing. A very successful, family oriented and family run business, which originated in the kitchen of his childhood home about twenty years ago.

John and Alice Oldland were married and raising three boys. In 1984 John decided to leave his job as a high powered advertising executive, and Alice as a nurse in Toronto, to move to North Hatley. He would take a teaching job and Alice, who was a talented painter, decided to open a small gift shop in the front of their house calling it The Little Blue House. In her kitchen she started to paint farm animals. Needing a place to show her paintings, she opened a gallery above her gift shop. Her paintings sold fast. Noticing this, her husband John, decided to try and sell aprons with the farm animals on them. They sold like hotcakes. It started off with cows and pigs, and as the aprons kept selling, they decided to venture into the paintings of other animals, like moose and bears. So the aprons led to gifts and the gifts led to clothing. Farm animals were being depicted on various items of clothing. It was a hit!

When John and Alice retired they handed the business over to their three sons, Chris, Nick and Jeremy.

So Chris became president, Nick, who loved to draw, became designer, and Jeremy took over production.

They pulled together and worked hard to succeed on making Hatley a successful, international, family oriented and fun company. I have visited the warehouse and met with Chris and Jeremy and they are so down to earth. They know each employee by name and it shows how much they love what they do. They are also believe in giving back. They are involved in The Open Door Mercy Home in Tirupur, India. This is an orphanage that houses about 22 boys and girls. And they are also environmetally sensitive.

Once or twice a year they have a warehouse sale in LaSalle, Quebec. I have been many times and I just love their merchandise. Now they sell all kinds fun stuff,  napkins, mugs, a little of everything.

To know more about Hately you could visit their site at www.hatleystore.com

Do you have a story about an enterprise you could share with us?

We would love to hear about it.

Written by Claudia Belair

xoxo R