CUR|EAT Curate, Create, Eat Innovative New Restaurant APP in iTunes APP Store

Love, love, love that the new CUR|EAT innovative new restaurant app is now in the iTunes App Store! Think of it as Spotify for Restaurants! That's right all of the best curated award-winning, independent, classic restaurants in 60 cities empowered by users who create their own lists! This restaurant loving, food blogger is totally inspired! Downloaded! Loving it! Here's all the scoop... ! 

[Raleigh, NC, January, 9 2017] – CurEat – the innovative new restaurant app designed to help residents and travelers discover a great place to dine and drink – is now available in the iTunes App Store here. CurEat will provide trustworthy, curated lists of award-winning, independent and time-honored restaurants in over 60 cities across the United States, and empower users to create and share their own lists.

Created by entrepreneur, world traveler, and passionate diner, Steve Mangano, CurEat fills a void in the dining app world, now dominated by negative, customer-driven reviews and inferior restaurant lists. With a backgroung in the hospitality industry, Mangano’s inspiration for this app is the direct result of his desire to more easily discover “the place” to eat while traveling as well as help support independent restaurants. “While there are a plethora of food apps on the market, there is a dearth of quality apps in this industry. This restaurant app is designed around positive endorsements, with reliable and up-to-date content provided by the restaurants themselves. It will cut through all the clutter to give you a curated list based upon your tastes.”

A sophisticated, sleek, clean app, CurEat seeks to provide minimal but meaningful information to streamline the decision-making and discovery process for the consumer, based on location.  In essence, it enables users to discover the best place to eat in just two clicks. Restaurants not included in the app are chains, enabling the smaller independently owned locations to have prominence and a direct consumer channel.

A core feature to the app includes making lists of restaurants that you like and would recommend to friends and family. The app allows you to easily make your lists for different cities and to share them via text messages or emails to friends. Lists can reflect any topics that you choose, such as the best places for fried chicken in the country or where to eat with kids. The lists each user makes allows the app to further refine your restaurant tastes and curate more places for you to discover, based upon those findings.

Upholding its local principles, CurEat collaborated with Oak City Labs for the app development, and Purpose Ux for the technical design.

A unique quality to CurEat are the CurEaters, representing a cross-section of each community, including prominent chefs, bartenders, creative and artisan craft-makers and tastemakers that have an influential presence in the area. CurEaters will have a larger platform in the app to show different parts of their business and their city proffering a local, personal insight to an area thereby giving the traveler a more authentic experience when exploring the region. CurEaters in the Triangle include:

Ashley Christensen: Poole’s Downtown Diner, Fox Liquor Bar, Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Chucks, Death & Taxes

Charlie Deal: Dos Perros, Jujube, Juju Durham

Cheetie Kumar: Garland

Daniel Benjamin: lucettegrace

John May: Piedmont

Kevin Barrett: Dram & Draught

Lionel Vatinet: La Farm Bakery

Marjorie Hodges: North Carolina Museum of Art

Nation Hahn: Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation

Rochelle Johnson: Ponysaurus Brewing, The Cookery, Dashi

Ryan Hurley: Vert & Vogue

Scott Crawford: Crawford & Son

Sean Lily Wilson: Fullsteam Brewery

Victor Lytvinenko: Raleigh Denim Workshop

Wyatt Dickston: PICNIC Durham

Ashley Christensen of AC Restaurants states about the ease of sharing and making lists of restaurants she frequents: “I’m honored that guests and friends count on me for restaurant recommendations when they travel. CurEat allows me to curate thoughtful lists that can be easily referenced, and added to.”

The apps ease of use makes it a favorite with chefs, such as Scott Crawford of Crawford & Son in Raleigh: “I have never found a restaurant app I would care to use until CurEat.”

Mark your calendar for the CurEat launch party at the 21c Museum Hotel in Durham on January 13^th from 5 – 7 pm, with proceeds from the event donated to the Food Bank of NC.  For every list posted off the app onto social media for the launch weekend with the tags @cureatapp and #CurEat, CurEat will donate $1 to the Central and Eastern Food Bank of NC. One dollar feeds one child five meals and CurEat’s goal is to reach 10,000 meals. All are invited to make a reservation for the event by emailing rsvp@cureatapp.com.  Find the app in the Apple store here.

No chains. No reviews. Just good food. Follow CurEat on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for up-to-date information @CurEatapp. More information can be found at: https://cureatapp.com/.

About CurEat: A restaurant app designed to help you find the best place to dine and drink, quickly (within two clicks) based upon your location. Providing trustworthy, curated lists of restaurants from local and national experts, the app allows users to create and share personal selections of restaurants. CurEat is a sophisticated, positive outlet for showcasing unique, local businesses and leaders, both in and out of the culinary industry, and enables you to identify the restaurants you frequent. No chains, no reviews, just good restaurant recommendations.

About Steve Mangano: With the creation of CurEat, Mangano fuses his love of the culinary world with his entrepreneurial spirit by creating positive community experiences that enhance business and urban development. Mangano received a degree in hospitality management from Florida International University and an MBA from University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.  His hospitality background led him to work for Hilton Hotels in Miami, NYC and the greater New York area. Additionally, he has worked with Fortune 500 companies and international clients and started his own national consulting company. Mangano has ties to all three triangle cities: his urban revitalization projects in Durham, including partnering to bring the award winning boutique hotel, 21c Museum Hotel to Durham; his alma mater in Chapel Hill; and his family living in Raleigh.

How Church Is Like Steel Magnolias

To me, Steel Magnolias is an endearing story about a Southern community in Louisiana (my native land) and their tragedies and triumph.  My Church is a lot like an endearing Southern community that celebrates our tragedies and triumphs.  

Steel Magnolias and my Church are something special. Because to this Southern girl, I really would "rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."  

Sunday morning as we bustled into the foyer of our church on a cold Winter morn,  I gave a familiar hug to one of my girlfriends. We asked their family over for Sunday lunch soon. Our children have grown up together since first grade. Already, we've shared 30 minutes of wonderful and what seems like a lifetime of wonderful together with our families. 

So, it sort of shocked me when she said, I have something to tell you. "I have a diagnosis." Um, I was not ready for this. She wasn't either. She is young and healthy and strong. We've shared some mountains and valleys. That's the thing about life, the mountains and valleys keep coming. We hugged. I told her she was 'young and healthy and strong." And she walked into the Choir room. 

Within minutes, a little shellshocked, I was sitting in the sanctuary on the second row and the Choir preceded in, the prelude began. We sang.

I could have missed it. 

There she was in the Choir singing as usual. Except that day, I noticed she sang with courage and faith. Hope. I remembered just moments ago she told me she has a diagnosis. We're not sure. Life kept moving. My mind raced. Can we just stop a minute. I remembered our boys in first grade. Church Awanas. Easter Egg Hunting. Baptism. Laughter and Tears. Life goes on. 

Right there, it became clear to me that The Church Is Like Steel Magnolias. 

Sitting in Church that morning I had those emotions from Steel Magnolias.... "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion."  "I'd rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a life time of nothing special." "I just like the idea of growing old with somebody." "Smile, it increases your face value." "Pink is my signature color." My girlfriends at Church, we've seen all these emotions together. 

How The Church Is Like Steel Magnolias 

1) We're Strong - "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion." Steel Magnolias is like my girlfriends at Church, we may be laughing or crying but we're there for each other through the ups and downs. There may be - there will be - laughter through tears. 

2) We Love All of our People No Matter What - life is a lot like the Wedding in Steel Magnolias. The whole town came together to help with the Wedding. To celebrate and make it happen. The Church is like this. My girlfriends and I do this. We make the casseroles, bake the cakes and pick each other up. "If you have done it to the least of these, you have done it unto me," said Jesus. 

3) We're Not Perfect  - "If you don't have anything nice to say, come sit by me." Bwahaha This always makes me laugh. However, to me it is a reminder that we are not perfect. We support one another even in our weaknesses. 

4) God, Food and Love Make the World Better.  We know this. We couldn't do without loving God, good food and sharing lots of that love. We couldn't make it without any one of these. We know Him and we're thankful for Him in our lives. God, food and love make the world a better place. 

5) Bless Her Heart may REALLY mean Bless Her. God Bless her.   As a Southerner, saying "Bless her heart" is endearing. Truly. It may simply mean "Bless Her Heart." In Steel Magnolias, to Shelby who has diabetes, Bless her heart. This is so hard. Or, like my girlfriend at Church who stopped me in the hall and said, "I have a diagnosis ...." We nodded our heads to listen in, lean in... "It's diabetes." Bless her heart! Absolutely. Bless her heart, This.Is.Hard. This.Is.So.Hard.


True to the movie, life goes on. 

We're there for each other in all the seasons. My girlfriend, she sings in our Choir, she is a Steel Magnolia. The Church is like Steel Magnolias and I'm thankful.

Is your Church like Steel Magnolias? Please share in comments.

Warmly, Carolina Mama

Best Diet Secret EVER

Best Diet Secret EVER

Christmastime is such a fun time of year.   We have been full-on Holidays and now, I'm all talking "Diet" on y'all, sort of.  Seriously, you know I have been a huge, fitness lover and healthy living advocate throughout my blog.  In recent years, it has been no secret that I have struggled with my weight.  Well, today I wanted to share what is the Biggest "Diet" Secret EVER!  And I just happened upon it!  This is my story - a bit more in depth than just saying, I've lost weight this week. 

Background.
After all those years of relying on exercise and a moderate diet, in the Summer 2005,  my mother became rapidly ill, we suffered the loss of a child through miscarriage and Katrina hitting my hometown (where my Mom was in the hospital at the time) and quickly I found myself with a rapid weight gain.  I had never weighed that amount in my life.  I had never been more than 20 pounds over weight (that's enough, right!) which happened my freshman year of college.  I have battled it on and off these past years always thinking, just eat less, exercise more.  Then, I had good success with Weight Watchers Points Plus and their Meetings.  However, with Weight Watchers, I always felt "Bound to the Calculator" at the dinner table.  And I also suffered from an "on and off" mentality of my healthy eating.  

My Change - Secret. 
This year in January, my brother challenged us "Just try to illuminate High Fructose Corn Syrup" (now referred to as HFCS).  At that point, we thought, "we can do that!" And we did!  It was so easy and liberating to literally throw out all of those items that were primarily HFCS!  The scales began to be removed from our eyes - the American Diet was chock full of HFCS.  Even educated folks like us who love a healthy and active lifestyle, were sadly unaware.  We were shocked that HFCS was the number one or two ingredient in many items!  If you don't know, the first ingredient listed, is the largest quantity item in the product....  

I had focused so much of my 'diet boundaries' on fat, protein, carbs, calories - all good things to pay attention to for sure.  However, I didn't look at that LONG ingredient list of stuff that IS NOT FOOD!  Or, all of the Corn and Corn Syrup filling up our foods.  Ugh.  

Then, after hearing all the health benefits of the Gluten-Free Diet (further referred to as GF), I got over the weird sound of it and researched what the diet entails.  My eyes were opened again to the processed, filler, non-food.  Over-night, I decided to embrace the Gluten-Free "GF" Diet!  Reading Wheat Belly, got my attention.  Even after a full term Twin pregnancy, I had never struggled like this with 'middle weight' or wheat belly, etc. :) 

So, I chose the first day of Gluten Free eating and so the journey began.  Like Homeschooling has been for us, we are not pioneering it and there have been many who have gone before us.  The GF diet is really pretty main-stream.  It is up to you to chose it and see if it is a good fit for your body and what you struggle with personally.  

It took a little planning, yet, overall, it really was an easy transition.  I was truly willing to give it a try and make it happen because I had a hunch there was something to the success of this diet.  I knew it was more than just a "Hollywood diet trend."  For me, it has been. 

Over the past six months, I can say I am totally free of Cravings!  Praise the Lord.  Seriously y'all.  I have heard so many tips, tricks, and things that make no sense for me like a HFCS free and Gluten Free diet have been for me.  

Immediately, the first week, I noticed changes in my face.  I kept weighing in each week at Weight Watchers because I think I was afraid to trust myself in this new area with which I had come to struggle.  So come November, I decided that since I was not using WW any more, I was only using their scale each Monday, I decided to cancel my membership and continue weighing myself at home and continue my HFCS Free and Gluten Free diet at home with moderate exercise as I had since June.  And guess what, I continued to lose weight. I didn't need a crutch.  I do still say WW works well and focuses on "Good Health Guidelines" which include, moderate eating, exercise, drinking water and taking vitamins. I love refocusing on WHAT I am eating and on eating real foods.  

Resources. 
This Fall as I was experiencing much success without additives and fillers in our foods, I discovered 100 Days of Real Food right here in NC!  She made so much sense to me, eat real foods. And only eat foods with 5 Ingredients if you use a "packaged food."  Like tortilla chips, corn, safflower oil and salt.  Done. It became easy and a real fun game like "Survivor" or something. I even saw my competitive side come out after viewing "Food Inc." and reading Michael Pollen's "Food Rules."  I was determined to disregard the food 'industry' and what they call food.  It is so worth it to feel better.  

As I heard a TedEx Talk by Robyn O'Brien on "Real Food," there is no coincidence between the food industry - genetically modifying foods and adding fillers and gluten and corn to every.thing and so much more - and the disease (diabetes, heart and more) and obesity epidemics in America today.  

At any rate, I began to share my success and simple secret with others. I was shocked and saddened that more people had not shared these simple and healthy secrets.  A couple of people asked me 'what about chocolate?'  'What are you eliminating?" And the truth, I only eliminate non0foods and fillers and chemicals!  Isn't that freeing! It is indeed and I feel so much better.  I have NO cravings. I still love a little sweet bite. So I go for my Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds.  These are my little success ingredient - seriously, I love the taste and the almonds are so good for your heart. And the dark chocolate is praised for healthful benefits. So it's a Win Win! 

Fortunately, I LOVE water!  So I still drink lots of water and I do adore my Iced Coffee.  Thanks to my dear husband, I drink Iced Coffee, Milk and a teaspoon of honey or raw sugar.  Done!  

Right now, I am exercising 3 to 4 times a week.  I feel great and I would like to get back to a 5 to 6 day a week schedule for working out because we love it.  Though I am so excited to be consistently shaping up and losing weight living a regular lifestyle with a few successful parameters. 

If you have questions, please let me know and also, please share any tips or 'secrets' you have! All the best.  Hope this helps. I am happy to share as I go along and all the best to you on your journey to health and wellness.

Warmly,
Carolina Mama 

This Is Christmas!

A glimpse or more of our Christmas ....

We spent our last day of Holiday grateful and eager to kick it this New Year 2012!

Blessings!

Warmly,
CarolinaMama