Break out the Bubbly! Introducing Fête & Feast

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I am excited to introduce Fête & Feast, the next generation of the labor of love that is my blog.

It Takes a Village

What started as an unexpected and initially unwelcome journey a few weeks ago has ended in an amazing experience. I’ve had the opportunity to rethink why I blog, what I want to blog about, and how I can be of the most service to those who so kindly gift me with their time and interest in my blog. And what’s even more amazing is that I found myself surrounded and supported each step of the way by a whole host of friends and family. There really are no words to express how I’ve felt in these last few weeks as everyone has stepped forward to offer me encouragement, advice, and inspiration. Thank you!

What’s in a Name

Coming up with a new name for my blog was more than an exercise in words and phrases that describe me and this blog. I wanted to avoid any future entanglements with major brands or trademark holders, so I’ve done my homework on this new name. As you might imagine, there were some very cool possible names I had to pass up because they were just too similar to what other bloggers or publishers were doing, or they were too close to other trademarked names. While there are a few catering companies around the country that have names similar to mine, we’re using them for different endeavors (being a caterer isn’t on my horizon any time soon) and no one has trademarked the words “fête” and “feast” in any combination similar to my usage.

I did seriously consider using my name as part of my blog, but let’s be honest, Natanya isn’t the easiest name to spell to begin with and I’d like to avoid typos preventing visitors from getting to my site. I’d also considered the most excellent advice of using ingredient names for my blog name, but you’d be surprised at how many other folks are already doing that and at how expensive domains with common terms are to purchase.

In the end, I settled on a slightly refined combination of words that describe, in a nutshell, what I love to do most in my foodie world: throw great parties and eat great food. And it’s my mission to help others do the same. I think there are fewer things in life better than people gathering around a table to share in great company and good food. Whether that’s the dining room table on a week night or a huge buffet during the holidays, the connections we make with one another during these occasions are the ties that bind us together as family and friends. If I can help establish or strengthen those ties, then I’ll feel accomplished.

The Same, Only Different?

While the blog has had a total make over in name and image, you can still expect me to post about good food and entertaining in ways that (I hope) are useful and accessible to everyone. I will continue to share not only recipes but full menus and plans for everything from small family dinners to big shindigs. A few things I hope to improve on or start anew include:

• Posting seasonal recipes and menus ahead of time so you can better use them as reference.
• Highlighting other amazing bloggers who inspire me on a daily basis.
• Continuing to cover local Austin restaurants and chefs with a focus on what home cooks can learn from these enterprises.
• Using polls to let readers help me decide what to cook and write about next.
• Adding more resources on food and wine pairing.

If there are other things you’d like to see here, please let me know. I want this blog to be as useful as possible.

And Now, Back to Why We’re All Really Here

My energy and posts in the last few weeks have been solely focused on the reinvention of the blog. Now that this is done, I’m chomping at the bit to get back to food and entertaining posts. Here’s a preview of some post topics you can expect to see in the coming couple of weeks:

• My risotto obsession continued: Hatch green chile risotto with manchego cheese
• A summer steak dinner with stuffed squash and blackberry sorbet for dessert (full plan included of course)
• German pancakes inspired by the trip I took to Boston last fall
• Goodies for the upcoming food blogger potluck: Granny’s hot green salsa and mom’s chocolate sheetcake

I’m looking forward to getting back into the blogging kitchen (as it were) and I look forward to having you join me.