Days of Decadence

Sunday, Jan. 31 - Sunday, Feb. 14

WELCOME TO DAYS OF DECADENCE! As we are unable to meet in person this year, Spokane’s annual chocolate festival is going digital for a multi-week celebration of love and luxury, as well as our beloved chocolate.

Our celebration kicks off with this Special Guide to help you share joy, treat yourself and shop local. Get a preview of our virtual event and learn how you can stay engaged with local businesses that are ready to help you plan your Valentine’s Day celebrations.

FREE VIRTUAL EVENT Mon., Feb. 1 - Wed., Feb. 3 featuring interactive vendor booths, livestream videos starring Spokane-area experts in decadence and luxury, exclusive shopping offers and contests with amazing prizes

In-store/online shopping and special offers will continue until Valentine’s Day with our participating vendors, plus a photo sweepstakes. We encourage shoppers to shop safely by following social distancing and mask mandates as they show their support for local businesses in our community.

TO REGISTER VISIT

hopin.com/events/days-of-decadence All you need is your first and last name and email address to access all the fun.

PARTICIPATING VENDORS

• A Finer Moment

• Audrey’s Boutique • Auntie’s Bookstore • Barney’s Junction Salad Dressings

• Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington & Northern Idaho • Midway Hyundai • Nothing Bundt Cakes

• Bryan Hill, DDS

• Cooking with Jen Evens

• Cochinito Taqueria • Cole’s Bakery & Café

• Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey

• ELZ Tastes & Tea Market

• Wanderlust Delicato

• Fairwinds Retirement

• Zi Spa

DAYS OF DECADENCE GRAND PRIZE

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Sunday, Jan. 31 - Sunday, Feb. 14 Days of Decadence Virtual Expo attendees can attend these exclusive livestream video presentations featuring local experts in Valentine’s Day and self-care gifting!

FREE REGISTRATION

hopin.com/events/days-of-decadence

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

All Days of Decadence Virtual Expo attendees will have a chance to vote for their favorite vendor in our People’s Choice Award! After you’ve registered and signed in at hopin. com/events/days-of-decadence, select “Polls” on the top right corner of the Reception page, then select your favorite vendor to cast your vote!

The winning vendor will receive a special advertising package courtesy of The Spokesman-Review and Triple-Nine Digital!

Monday, Feb. 1st 4 p.m.

“Cheese and Wine Pairing” Amber Park, Wanderlust Delicato

Tuesday, Feb. 2nd 11 a.m.

Amber Park wanted it to be easier for Spokane-area residents to get good cheese.

That was part of the origins of Wanderlust Delicato, a downtown Spokane shop that offers artisan cheese, wine and charcuterie.

It’s a place people can stop by to pick up something tasty for a meal or special occasion, or maybe take cooking classes or attend a tasting to boost their own food and drink knowledge.

There’s also patio seating available when things warm up.

Park, the owner, loves teaching the community about how to incorporate fine food and beverages into their lives, whether it’s in-person or

virtually.

For Days of Decadence, she’ll be sharing strategies for excellent wine and cheese pairings, featuring three cheeses and three bottles of wine.

“We’ll go over basic tasting and pairing, and I’ll give a lot of tips,” she said.

She encourages guests to stop by Wanderlust Delicato to pick up the featured selections ahead of time. This way, they can have them ready to sample during her presentation, which can add another dimension of interactivity. If this isn’t possible – or if they want to try them again – guests are welcome to come by the shop afterward to pick them up.

Park is excited about the new interactive format.

“We had a great time at Decadence last year, and when they said it was going virtual, we said ‘sounds like fun,’” she remarked.

Park opened Wanderlust Delicato to provide quality items as well as opportunities to learn and enjoy. She also is happy to provide more exotic wines, cheeses or meats that aren’t as common in this area.

Park had heard of people who had to travel to Seattle or at least Leavenworth for certain rare cheeses. Now they don’t have to go far at all.

“This shop is a perfect fit for Spokane,” she said.

Customers can join in a wine club where they can get different hand-picked selections each month.

In February, the shop is launching a cheese club with the same principle: monthly membership gets you three cheeses in quarter-pound or half-pound units. Members can stop by the shop the first Thursday of each month to check out their personal bin for new treasures.

Wanderlust Delicato is located at 421 W. Main, Suite 103, in Spokane. Visit wanderlustdelicato.com for more info.

Babkas for all!

(And if you aren’t sure what a babka is, that’s OK. Ricky Webster will tell you all about them and how wonderful they can be.)

The short version is that they’re an Eastern European bread, often filled with raisins, dates, chocolate and all sorts of other goodies.

“More and more people are talking about babkas,” he said.

“It can be a process to make them, but with a little guidance people can learn how,” said Webster, an area chef and the owner of Rind and Wheat, a

specialty bakery and cheese shop that recently opened in downtown Spokane.

He was also one of the featured presenters at the 2020 Decadence, where he shared fun behind-the-camera stories from Hollywood as well as pointers for fun ways to decorate holiday cookies.

For Days of Decadence, he’ll share strategies to create savory or sweet babkas.

“When I worked at a bakery in New York, I used to work with a woman who used to make a cinnamon raisin babka,” Webster said.

Webster is a familiar face to fans of food-themed reality TV. He was the winner of Hallmark Drama’s “Christmas Cookie Matchup” and Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge.” He’s also competed in several other programs over the years.

Rind and Wheat has been a little slow for the last few months due to pandemic restrictions, but Webster is excited about its potential to help educate area residents about fine food options, and be a great resource.

“We really hit the ground

running getting things open,” he said. “We’re using the slower time right now to regroup and fix a few of our processes.”

Although he loves offering in-person classes, he’s found demand for his expertise virtually, including an invitation to host a virtual gingerbread house making session for Wishing Star plus a couple of other decorating courses.

Rind and Wheat is located at 1516 W. Riverside Ave., in Spokane. Visit www. rindandwheat.com for more information.

Whiskey is much more than a spirit to Sailor Guevara.

Guevara is a 25-year veteran of the beverage industry and award-winning Brand Ambassador for Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey – one of the few distilleries in America owned and operated by a Black woman, Fawn Weaver, that honors the legacy of the first African-American master distiller, a formerly enslaved man named Nathan “Uncle Nearest” Green.

Like her company, Guevara celebrates the history and the science of American whiskey as much as the drink itself.

“What happened during Prohibition and how it affected

so many other sectors of business is so fascinating,” Guevara said in a telephone interview. “And it’s just delicious,” she added with a chuckle.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Guevara would regularly travel to host tasting and sensory training classes about the nuances of whiskey.

“I had to figure out how to do all of that not in person,” she said. For nearly a year, Guevara has been bringing the camaraderie and fun of a distillery tasting room into people’s homes.

Guevara is based in Spokane, so she works with local bars that carry Uncle Nearest products

to create tasting kits for virtual events. Spokane-area attendees can pick up kits at Night Owl at 223 N. Division St., or request delivery.

For Days of Decadence, Guevara will host “The Wonderful World of Whiskey & Chocolate,” featuring a flight of four whiskeys and four chocolates, plus a few extra enhancements to guide tasters.

“There are a lot of chocolate notes in whiskey. You can either have a pair that match perfectly, or have an ‘opposites attract’ effect.”

The notes in a whiskey can be determined by a number of factors.

“Malted grains have different

notes than cooked grains,” Guevara explained. “Different kinds of yeast have a million different flavor profiles: banana, cherries … and then you get the barrel.

“The more you get to know a whiskey, the more you’ll be able to pick up those notes.”

The event will also feature local musicians, which Guevara says really helps people connect over the virtual stream.

While the class will be available to view for free for any Days of Decadence attendee, the tasting kit is available for an additional cost at www. sailorguevaracocktails.com.

Back when in-person events were possible (and fingers crossed they will be again soon), Audrey’s Boutique was often the first stop for local women in search of formal wear for weddings, galas and other special occasions.

While your ballgown needs may be on hold, Audrey’s has always offered a number of everyday pieces that can elevate your look, especially if you’re looking to get out of a 2020 fashion rut.

“Clothing has always been an armor, it help creates an identity,” said Victoria Ferro, who has owned the 50-plusyear-old Spokane boutique since 2012. “Dressing the part of your job makes you do your job better.”

While she still thinks people will be seeking out comfortable clothes in 2021 as they work from home, Ferro believes we’ll be seeing more elevated looks on our virtual conference calls this year.

“It will still be casual, but with polish.” She suggests throwing a notch collar blazer and statement necklace over a plain T-shirt to instantly add some professionalism to a work-fromhome look.

Ferro also anticipates seeing more color in wardrobe choices this year.

“2020 had such a dark, gloomy feeling. Going into spring, we naturally gravitate towards color, but I think people are looking for something brighter right now.”

Shoppers can get a preview of all that Audrey’s has to offer during Ferro’s Days of Decadence presentation, “Champagne Shopping on a Box Wine Budget.” She has been posting regular videos on Audrey’s Facebook page to highlight the store’s offerings from the safety of your living room since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Knowing that many people are feeling financially strained right now, Ferro wants to share how to get some high-quality, classic garments that have versatility.

“Dressing well doesn’t mean getting a lot of separate pieces of clothing, especially if it’s a fad. Fads fade, but a highquality garment that’s versatile is worth it.”

Audrey’s is located at 3131 N. Division St., in Spokane.

Shoppers are also encouraged to make an appointment, especially if you are interested in a bra fitting, as Audrey’s specializes in customfit bras and post-mastectomy products.

Call (509) 324- 8612 or visit facebook.com/ audreysaboutique to make an appointment.

“Decadent Sweet and/ or Savory Babkas” Chef Ricky Webster, Rind and Wheat

Tuesday, Feb. 2nd 6:30 p.m.

“The Wonderful World of Whiskey & Chocolate” Sailor Guevara, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey

Wednesday, Feb. 3rd 2 p.m.

“Champagne Shopping on a Box Wine Budget” Victoria Ferro, Audrey’s Boutique