YWCA Women of Influence nominations sought

The YWCA Dayton is seeking nominations for the 2008 Women of Influence Awards. This award honors women in the greater Dayton community who have made a positive impact on the lives of people in the Miami Valley through their community service.

Nominations are accepted from the community and honorees are selected by a panel of community leaders. Nominees do not have to be active in the YWCA,
but should exemplify community spirit, leadership, volunteerism and making a difference in the lives of others. To nominate a Woman of Influence, go to the YWCA Dayton website: www.ywcadayton.org and complete the online nomination form. Deadline to submit a nomination is Monday, Dec. 10, 2007.

A luncheon celebration will be held on March 13, 2008 at the Dayton Convention Center to honor the award winners. For more information on tickets and sponsorship, please call Angie Hoschouer at 937-461-5550, ext. 179.

For 138 years, YWCA Dayton has been meeting the ever-changing needs of women and girls in the Miami Valley. Formed in 1870, the YWCA has been at the forefront of causes that enable it to work towards its mission of “eliminating racism, empowering women.”

Stroke victim channels energy into recovery, 5K Run/Walk

By Ryan Wineberg

Courtenay Marvin Adams, daughter of long-time Oakwood resident Cathie Bieser Black, is something of a phenom: driven, caring, active. But there’s more to her story. At 41, Adams was an avid cyclist and runner; she cycled the “Teton Pass once a week,” and ran the “13.32 mile Pikes Peak ascent six times.” So when she headed out on Oct. 13, 2005 for an “easy run,” she was not ready for what would happen next. She says, “I was having a wonderful run, watching scores of Bald Eagles fishing in the river, when I started to see black spots.” Adams was having a stroke. Unsure of what was happening, she continued to run but her symptoms only worsened: about a mile later, Adams ran off the dike and into some rocks where Wyoming Fish and Game employees came to her aid.

After being rescued, Adams was evaluated at St. John’s Medical Center and flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center where she spent two weeks in intensive care and two months in the rehabilitation center where she had to “relearn everything.” Adams has come a long way in her recovery, “channeling her energy as an athlete,” into this new endeavor, and she is now able to walk with a cane. What is more, she stays busy shuttling her two children around town as well as holding a seat on the Board of the Jackson Hole Figure Skating Club. She is also active with Teton Adaptive Sports which offers children with disabilities a chance to participate in athletics—remarkable accomplishments all.

Courtenay Marvin Adams has also dedicated herself to “help prevent stroke and stroke related disability.” Courtenay’s Stroke is no Joke 5K Run and Walk, a 5K sponsored by Adams and family, was developed to raise money for St. John’s Medical Center’s visiting neurologists program in order “to better serve to Jackson Hole community’s medical needs.”

Adams, moreover, wants to raise awareness of stroke prevention and early symptoms so that others will recognize the signs and seek treatment immediately. Adams wants people to know, “strokes don’t just happen to old people.” She encourages young and old alike to take preventative measures: eat right, exercise, monitor your blood pressure and get a thorough yearly physical, including blood work. And if you or someone you know does experience stroke symptoms do not wait, seek medical attention immediately—“Time lost is brain lost.”

Pictured, left to right: Cuyler Adams, 6, Courtenay Marvin Adams, Amelia Adams, 10, and David Adams.

Courtenay’s 5K has come and gone and it was a success: over 100 people participated and raised money for St. John’s Medical Center’s visiting neurologist program. We can help to ensure that this vital service continues by making a donation to St. John’s Medical Center. We can also help Courtenay’s cause by taking stroke seriously, and seeking medical attention at the first sign of symptoms.

Donations:

Courtenay’s Stroke is no Joke 5K Run and Walk
St. John’s Medical Center Foundation
PO Box 428 Jackson, Wyoming 83001

Salud Clinic coat drive underway

The Oakwood Spanish Department and The Oakwood Register is sponsoring the 5th Annual Coat Drive for the Salud Community Clinic which serves the the Spanish-speaking migrant population of Southwest Ohio.  Located in Tipp City, Salud is staffed by medical volunteers from area hospitals.

Residents of Oakwood have donated hundreds of coats for men, women, and children that have been distributed to needy families.  If you would like to donate a coat or other winter outer-wear items, please drop them off at the Oakwood Register at 435 Patterson Rd., or send them with students to Mrs. Long’s room (the Spanish classroom) at the high school.

Students collecting Yoplait lids for breast cancer

Oakwood students are collecting Yoplait yogurt foil lids again for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  Each lid is worth 10 cents in the fight against breast cancer.  Please drop lids off in the collection boxes in the school offices by Dec. 17 or you may bag and leave them on the porch at 219 Orchard Drive in Oakwood.

Remember:  Every liddle bit helps in combating this terrible disease!  

Over the last five years we have collected 9,341 lids, or $934.10, in this campaign. This fundraiser goes year-round, so keep on licking and saving them in 2008!  

THANK YOU for your support.

Bistro Rue Dumaine opens in Centerville

By Tanya Noffsinger

With a sparkling fleur-de-lis dangling from a silvery chain around her neck, a gift from employees of her former New Orlean’s restaurant, Peristyle, Anne Kearney, 2002 James Beard Award winner and 1998 Food & Wine Magazine’s 10 Best Chefs in America, prepares for the “soft-opening” of Rue Dumaine.

Not often do you find talent, brains and beauty in one package.  Anne is all of these combined with an incredibly passionate spirit for the production and execution of fine food.  She and her husband, Tom Sand, operate Two Small Tomatoes, a small farm which will provide Rue Dumaine with fresh herbs, tomatoes, root vegetables etc. that will be grown organically. Each year she will add additional acreage and grow new sustainable ingredients for our consumption.  Now she is readying the plots by nourishing the soil—in other words she cares for the earth from which springs our sustenance.

The menu will offer seasonal food, fish that is not farmed, and only American shrimp and crab, and scallops that are not injected,  After the New Year, luncheon will be offered only on Fridays and in a nod to her “New Orleans” roots, Wednesday will be gumbo day and Mardi Gras Week will be Louisiana inspired.  At other times of the year the bistro cuisine will be inspired by the “terroir” of the French countryside.  So,
undoubtedly, we can dream of choucroute, bourguignon, bouillabaise and other French classics.

My DC (dining companion) for the third of the opening night parties was Caroline Schnader, former student of Julia Child, and Director of Food & Wine for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Montreal.  We were greeted with an amuse gueule of scallop tartare which sparkled like a small jewel box. The taste was subtle, refined and refreshing as it was studded with a soupcon of “brunoised” olives. We both wished for a small crouton or piece of pain de mie to deliver the delicacy to our mouths.  Caroline, being the wine authority of Les Deux, wished for more menu explanation of the qualities of the wines offered and when the server was questioned about the inherent flavors, she was told “well, it’s made from grapes.”  Certainly the staff will become better versed in their descriptive abilities as they become more experienced.  The Oysters “Rockafella” came as a total surprise when it was served as a soup instead of the usual presentation.  The broth had layers of flavor but was a bit overpowered by the choice of the apple wood smoked bacon.  The oysters were fresh and briny although they contained a bit of grit.

The Grand Plat of Preserved Lemon Chicken (Anne’s signature dish) was succulent and juicy.  This is served in a rustic style with the preserved lemon mixture placed under the skin.  It was accompanied by roast Fingerling potatoes and artichokes.  The trout almondine’s flavor was good albeit a bit dry.  Some of these “line cook” problems will be worked out as Anne continues to guide her fledgling apprentices in the perfect execution of their duties.  The accompanying haricots verts were perfectly executed and had just the right amount of “California crunch.”

The creme brulee, done from a recipe given to her by her mentor, the late John Neal, is different in presentation and taste than that of others I have had.  It was nicely firm, and had a decidedly lighter color (perhaps due to the use of organic eggs) and is served in a deeper ramekin topped with torched turbinado sugar.  It slips effortlessly on the tongue and is infused with real vanilla beans.  The apple-walnut galette was tasty but the crust was slightly soggy, perhaps due to the lateness of the evening. It was topped with creme fraiche that was nicely executed.

All in all, this is a homey, comfortable, inviting place that you must visit for classic bistro/bouchon cuisine in an unstuffy atmosphere. You will have many varied selections from Hanger Steak, Duck Confit, Beef Short Ribs, Pork Tenderloins and the previously described items to try.  But Anne promises the menu will change, sometimes daily depending upon the availability of the freshest foodstuffs.  We know that the good times will roll at Rue Dumaine as we add this sparkling charm to Dayton’s bracelet of special dining spots.

Chef Anne Kearney has supplied this recipe for her signature dish for
my readers.

Gotta run.  Soup’s on.

To contact this columnist with questions, comments, or suggestions go to Musicalfeast@aol.com.

BMW Z4 M Roadster one hot little package

By Lance Winkler

One’s knees creak and buckle. A deathgrip on the steering wheel is a natural instinct. Sidling cautiously down into the driver’s side seat, one’s right leg splays out, under and into the cockpit. And that is just the mechanics of getting into the BMW Z4 M Roadster. You see, one of our premier car advertisers, Evans Motorworks (formerly Frank Z Imports), lent us this pristine, deep blue, BMW Roadster to test and enjoy for three days, carte blanche, with nothing more than an owners manual stored in the trunk to go by.

BMW Z4 M Roadster

The look is the thing with this undersized, overpowered coupe. It is a metalflaked wunderkind with scalloped paneling and no excuses. It is both a stalwart commuter car and fire-breathing weekend warrior for the person who can invest a little under 50 grand in an auto that gives no quarter to performance or consideration to the bottom line.

The car’s interior is designed much like an airplane cockpit. Those who are aged will find it a little bit of a stretch and those who are overweight will find it a bit of a pinch. Methinks it is a car geared to the more limber, younger set. But once inside, whatever gasps one makes in terms of exertion when entering or exiting is rendered as nothing in the intervening miles when one takes it on the road. You will gasp there too…

The 3246 cc six-cylinder, four valves per cylinder engine puts out 330 hp at 7900 rpm. Torque is 262 ft. lbs at 4900 rpm. The compression ratio is a no-nonsense 11.5 to 1 so reach for the high test when filling up. According to the manual, acceleration is 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds. I believe it.

First gear is really low and gets the revs up NOW. Second through sixth gear are uniformly close with an over drive in sixth of 0.85. There was also the typical flywheel effect found in all BMW’s but it in no way hindered engine performance other than making power delivery to the road much more manageable. I dreaded taking the car out onto country roads due to deer season so decided a couple of highway miles were in order to get used to the car’s quirks.

There were none. Handling was tight as a drum and rock steady. The Z4 held the road tenaciously in curves and was very stable in a straight line. Braking was strong with a featherlight touch on the brake pedal to slow things down and a little more pressure to throw the whole anchor out.

The ride was predictably near race car stiff. The car did not register small stuff but would telegraph every manhole cover and asphalt seam it traversed. If a person wants a luxury car ride, BMW offers a slew of models from 320i’s to the unattainable 800 series.

The most singularly novel amenity featured was the “Sport” button. Pushing the button transforms the car into a snarling Visigoth with sport-activated handling and at least a 40 horsepower kick in the seat. The car can get away from you in any mode but this little button makes the temptation too great. Turning onto a seven mile stretch of highway heading toward I-75, I decided to test its mettle on a straight ribbon of blacktop.

Pressing “Sport,” I accelerated hard from zero, keeping my eye on the tachometer. A quick shift to second followed by a throw to third gear had this car at about 110 mph in about eight seconds. I threw on the brakes and was back down to 70 mph in no time. Boy was that fun!

The top speed of the Z4 is rated at 155 mph. I don’t doubt it one little bit. The Beemer is bred for the Autobahn in Germany as well as tested on the twisties at the BMW factory’s fabled road coarse.

The bottom line is this car costs about 50,000 simoleons. It is more than just an expensive toy. It is a road scalpel that can carve curves effortlessly at speeds that most cars ending up using the guard rail for scrubbing G’s.

A big thank you must go out to Mr. Evans for lending us this car for an extended spin. We shan’t forget it. Give him a call at 890-6200. Tell him Lance sent ya.’

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November 27, 2007
Volume 16, No. 48

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