Join Us! Celebrate Women!
We invite you to our third annual Celebrate Women event—an evening to honor women in business from Harrisburg, Lancaster and York, as well as those chosen as this year’s Women of Distinction!
This special Style Insider Happy Hour will be held at the Hilton Harrisburg on November 28 from 5:30-8:30pm and will allow professionals throughout the Susquehanna Valley to mingle and listen to the inspiring stories of all four of our Women of Distinction. (To read more, see “Women of Distinction” on p. 66 and “Women in Business Profiles” on p. 74)
Your $10 admission donation will benefit The Ronald McDonald House, in honor of the late Julie Sullivan, one of this year’s Women of Distinction.
Enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres brought to you by Bricco, as well as our signature “Purse Power” Martini. We’ll see you there and on the Style Scene!
Celebrate Women! | Style Insider Happy Hour | Wednesday, November 28 | The Hilton, Harrisburg
RSVP here!
Waterfront Wonder
Midtown Harrisburg residents and others from all over the Susquehanna Valley are excited to count Char’s at Tracy Mansion as the newest addition to their inner-city dining spots. This restaurant, brought to you by the same minds as our former favorite Char’s Bella Mundo, is housed in the grandiose Tracy Mansion overlooking the Susquehanna River. Originally built in 1913, the mansion has been recently renovated with room for the restaurant and commercial space for other businesses. The property features a landscaped sculpture garden and an outdoor dining area—perfect for enjoying the fare at this American brasserie on the bank of the river. Within Tracy Mansion are several old-world rooms, including the gallery, bar, dining room, and library—providing perfect dining and socializing atmospheres for any occasion.
Char’s at Tracy Mansion | 1829 North Front Street, Harrisburg | 717-213-4002 | www.charsrestaurant.com | www.facebook.com/charsrestaurant
- Hannah Wigton
Generous Gifting
Consider all the gifts that you’ve been given during the holidays, however well-meant or carefully chosen, that now just take up space in your home. Instead of adding to your friends’ and family members’ stash of dust collectors this year, why not give them an alternative gift, one that helps those who, as Gifts That Give Hope says, are on no one’s gift list? Held on November 17 at the Farm and Home Center in Lancaster, the Fifth Annual Gifts That Give Hope Alternative Gift Fair will feature a variety of local charitable foundations who, in exchange for a monetary donation in your name or a loved one’s, buy a very specific gift for someone in need. Last year’s participants included charities like Aaron’s Acres, where gifts of $25 sponsored a child’s attendance at day camp, and Hope International, where $15 allowed a farmer in Burundi to purchase vegetable seeds for a family garden. Consider these alternative gifts for the people on your shopping list this year, and give something more long-lasting than an adorable knick-knack.
Gifts That Give Hope Alternative Gift Fair | Saturday, November 17 | Farm and Home Center, Lancaster | www.giftsthatgivehope.org/lancaster
- Allison Keene
C’est Bon!
Any Europhile will agree—no city is complete without a French creperie of its own. Fortunately, Harrisburg residents no longer have to wait to have their own piece of Paris. Au Bon Lieu, a cozy creperie featuring a wide variety of sweet and savory crepes, has opened its doors as part of The Shops on Third at Strawberry Square. This little bistro offers traditional crepes for as little as $2.50, as well as more sophisticated flavor pairings—such as maple syrup and pine nut crepes or a ratatouille crepe with roasted eggplant and zucchini. Crepes are made to order in about five minutes, ensuring that your French delight is both fresh and flavorful. Stop by for a quick bite and a cup of coffee during your next stroll around the Capitol.
Au Bon Lieu | The Shops on Third at Strawberry Square | 1 North Third Street, Harrisburg | 703-608-0871 | www.yelp.com/biz/au-bon-lieu-harrisburg
- Hannah Wigton
Local Etsy Finds
Updating classic holiday decorations can add a spin of style and modernity to your celebration, and there’s no better place to find unique, hand-crafted items than Etsy.com. A quick search on this addictive website highlights scores of local artists selling a wide variety of products; it’s perfect for finding personalized gifts or unique accents for your home. We recently discovered the Harrisburg storefront Punky and Mister, which markets an interesting update on the classic front door wreath. Instead of holly and wicker, Punky and Mister constructs these wreaths out of brightly colored yarn, felt and buttons, making them an intricate, more modern alternative to the traditional style. Fun, funky and definitely unique, these clever little wreaths are perfect to brighten up your doorway this holiday season. Be sure to peruse all of the store’s various themes and styles; some may even be great gifts for the more whimsical personality on your list.
Punky and Mister | www.etsy.com/shop/punkyandmister
- Allison Keene
Extraordinary Effort
The Lancaster Community Foundation is pioneering a new way to donate with its first ever ExtraordinaryGive campaign. On November 30, the foundation will launch a 24-hour online donation drive on its website, profiling scores of local charities and providing one-stop shopping for people looking to support their favorite organizations. Acting as a media platform for charities of every size and prominence, the foundation was created to support local organizations and, most importantly, introduce new donors to ways of helping their community through giving. The Lancaster Community Foundation will participate in the giving spree as well, pledging to match all donations with a portion of its own $250,000 gift to the participating charities. Anyone with a credit card and a taste for meaningful giving can participate in this unique charity drive, so gather some friends and give extraordinarily this holiday season.
ExtraordinaryGive | The Lancaster Community Foundation | Friday, November 30 | www.lancfound.org/Search/ExtraGive
- Allison Keene
A Better Butter
In an area where local produce is readily available, Nancy Rohrer and Bev Martin took advantage of nearby resources to launch a new, healthy alternative to butter and cooking oil—Simply Ghee. The pair uses organic butter from Lancaster County grass-fed cows to make their vitamin-enriched ghee. The process of making ghee requires undivided attention; the butter must be gently heated the perfect amount to remove sugars and proteins, leaving golden oil. They spent over a year in the test kitchen perfecting their spread with a caramelized, nutty flavor they say can enhance almost any dish. The women created their own recipes using ghee—including popcorn seasoning—and posted tips on how to cook with the spread on the Simply Ghee website and Facebook page. Visit the website for an up-to-date list on where to buy “a better butter.”
Simply Ghee | www.simplyghee.com
- Brandi Potts
Sites With Style: Eat Me! Lancaster
It’s no secret that with local produce galore, Lancaster is fast becoming a veritable foodie scene. Alyson McClelland and her husband Brian were inspired by the Lancaster gastro-community—so much, in fact, that they created a blog to chronicle their good eats. Eat Me! Lancaster is a compilation of “honest, accurate and hopefully entertaining posts with just a touch a humor”—all about cuisine in this pocket of the Susquehanna Valley. Previous posts include dishes like shortbread and lemon curd caramel corn with pork from Ma(i)son and brioche French toast with nectarine marmalade and lemon and vanilla bean butter from Pour—yum! Not only do the McClellands write reviews and post sumptuous photos of dishes at Lancaster restaurants, Alyson also shares personal recipes and stories of her own culinary memories from time to time. Be sure to check out the blog, as well as the Eat Me! Lancaster Facebook page, to keep up with this dining duo.
Eat Me! Lancaster | www.eatmelancaster.com | www.facebook.com/eatmelancaster
- Hannah Wigton
